NAIROBI, Kenya: Kenya Airways announced on Monday that it will resume flights to Kinshasa after military authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo released two of its employees who were detained more than two weeks ago.
The Kenya’s flag carrier described the arrest of the staff as “unlawful” and announced on April 29 that it would suspend flights to the DRC capital the following day.
Kenya Airways (KQ) confirmed in a statement that the military authorities in Kinshasa have unconditionally released their two employees who have been detained since April 19, 2024.
The employees work at the Kinshasa office of the airline and they were arrested by a military intelligence unit allegedly for missing customs documentation on “valuable cargo,” KQ said.
“We want to reiterate that our employees are innocent and only performed their duties in strict compliance with established procedures. We stand by their innocence and will continue to support them,” the airline said in the statement on Monday.
“With the necessary ground support, we are pleased to announce that Kenya Airways will resume flights to Kinshasa on 8 May 2024.”
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Earlier, the Kenyan government announced the dismissal of one of the employees.
The airline described the arrests as “illegal detention” and “harassment aimed at the business of Kenya Airways”, while the head of a powerful parliamentary committee called it a breach of diplomatic rules.
The DRC government has not commented on the case.
KQ said the employees were kept in isolation at a military facility until April 23, when embassy officials and the KQ team were able to visit them.
Kenya Airways CEO Allan Kilavuka said the cargo in question, the contents of which were not specified, was not accepted by KQ due to incomplete documentation.
“All efforts to explain to military officers that KQ did not accept the cargo due to incomplete documentation proved futile,” the airliner said.
Relations between the two nations have generally been cordial, with security and trade agreements in place, while former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta acted as a mediator in the conflict in eastern DRC.
KQ was established in 1977 after the demise of East African Airways and now flies to 45 destinations, 37 of which are in Africa.
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