Shipping & Logistics
KQ, tourism bank on removal from UK red list for turnaround
Wednesday September 22 2021
A KQ Dreamliner aircraft. FILE PHOTO | NMG
Summary
- The removal of Nairobi from the UK red list has come as a reprieve to the Kenya Airways, which will now see it increase the number of flights to Heathrow, one of its key routes.
- Kenya Airways had cut the frequencies to UK to twice after the country was put on the red list following a surge in number of Covid-19 cases.
- The move saw passengers travelling from Nairobi and who are not British citizenship refused entry in the UK, a move that cut down on demand for air travel on the route.
The removal of Nairobi from the UK red list has come as a reprieve to the Kenya Airways, which will now see it increase the number of flights to Heathrow, one of its key routes.
Kenya Airways had cut the frequencies to UK to twice after the country was put on the red list following a surge in number of Covid-19 cases.
The move saw passengers travelling from Nairobi and who are not British citizenship refused entry in the UK, a move that cut down on demand for air travel on the route.
“We are mulling at introducing more flights on the route following the lifting of the ban on travel to the UK…,” said Kenya Airways.
KQ says they are looking at demand basing on the bookings, which will inform the number of flights to be added on the route.
Additional flights will come as a boost to both exporters and importers as more frequencies will offer increased capacity for belly cargo.
Passenger flights account for 40 percent of all cargo transported by air and a decline in capacity normally signals high cost in freight charges.
The announcement comes hardly a fortnight after British Airways resumed flights on the Nairobi-London route two months later after Kenya lifted a ban on passenger flightson the route ahead of the peak summer season.
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