12.01.2022 - 10:00 UTC
Kenya has suspended all inbound and transit passenger flights from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for seven days, effective from January 10, 2021, the Kenyan Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) announced.
"We are doing this to reciprocate a ban on Kenyan passenger flights to the UAE," KCAA Director-General Gilbert Kibe told local media outlets.
The ban does not apply to cargo flights.
This follows a travel advisory on January 7 by Emirates (EK, Dubai Int'l) that passengers to/from Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta would not be accepted on its flights until further notice. This also applied to passengers to/from Abidjan (Cote d'Ivoire), Lusaka (Zambia), Harare Int'l (Zimbabwe), Lagos and Abuja (Nigeria), and Casablanca Int'l (Morocco), the airline said.
The Dubai Civil Aviation Authority on December 24 extended until January 2, 2022, a temporary ban of all passenger flights from Kenya amid concerns about fake negative COVID-19 test results issued in Kenya.
Kenya Airways (KQ, Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta) had been active in the Kenya-UAE market prior to the...
28.12.2021 - 08:02 UTC
The Kenyan government has scrapped its plan to renationalise Kenya Airways (KQ, Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta) but instead will protect its financial interests during a USD1 billion restructuring of the flag carrier that will include a USD827 million debt take-over and a USD473 million cash injection, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has revealed.
In a recent country report on Kenya, the IMF said: “The [Kenyan] authorities do not intend to nationalise the carrier and are considering appropriate mechanisms to protect the Exchequer’s [National Treasury’s] financial interests during the restructuring process”.
As part of putting Kenya Airways on a sustainable footing, the government will assume USD827 million of its debt. In addition, in FY2021/22 and FY2022/23, USD473 million will be provided as direct budgetary support to clear overdue payment obligations and to cover the upfront costs of restructuring, which will include a trimming down of the carrier’s fleet, network, frequencies, and staff complement, the IMF said.
By December, Kenya’s National Treasury (NT) will prepare a loan agreement with Kenya Airways that will include conditions for providing financial...
23.12.2021 - 02:35 UTC
SkyWest and Republic Airways Holdings, the parent companies of US regional capacity providers SkyWest Airlines and Republic Airways, have signed tentative orders for 100 and 200 electric vertical take-off-and-landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufactured by Eve Air Mobility, a subsidiary of Embraer.
Both Memoranda of Understanding are non-binding and are subject to regulatory and performance criteria.
SkyWest said it would eventually seek to deploy the eVTOLs around the United States. Initially, however, it will work together with Eve to "develop a portfolio of services-based capabilities to optimize eVTOL performance in key early adopter cities". The two companies will establish joint teams to work on vehicle and "vertiport" design, as well as the certification roadmap.
In turn, Republic Airways Holding sees the future of the eVTOLs in key East Coast cities, such as Boston, New York, and Washington. The holding said it would explore opportunities to use the Eve aircraft across its subsidiaries, including LIFT Academy flying school. Republic Airways and Eve will also establish a working group to explore commercial opportunities for the...
28.11.2021 - 23:15 UTC
Following the emergence of a new Covid variant (Omicron B.1.1.529) in Botswana and South Africa last week, Southern Africa's air connectivity has been decimated after various countries around the world restricted access to travellers arriving from the two countries as well as Angola, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Lesotho, Eswatini, and Namibia.
Among the countries that have so far imposed travel restrictions on either the entire group or select members include:
- Australia,
- Austria,
- Bahrain,
- Croatia,
- Czechia,
- Canada,
- Cyprus;
- Denmark,
- Egypt;
- France,
- Germany,
- Hong Kong,
- India,
- Ireland,
- Israel,
- Italy,
- Japan,
- Kuwait,
- Malaysia,
- Mauritius,
- Morocco,
- The Netherlands,
- Philippines,
- Portugal;
- Qatar,
- Saudi Arabia (has also embargoed commercial passenger flights from Madagascar, Seychelles, Mauritius, and Comoros),
- Seychelles,
- Singapore,
- Spain,
- Turkey,
- the United Arab Emirates,
- the United Kingdom, and
- the United States.
In turn, given these restrictions, the following airlines have said they will suspend flights to some or all of...
Editorial Comment: Added Switzerland to the list of countries. - 29.11.2021 - 05:40 UTC
