Travellers using the Congo route are stranded following the Kenya Airways decision to suspend its flights to Kinshasa. KQ took the decision after two of its staff were arrested and detained by the Congolese Military Intelligence Unit....CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
The move saw the number of airlines operating in the Congo airspace reduced to two – Ethiopian and Uganda Airlines – two years after RwandAir was banned.
According to the East African, KQ’s exit from the Congolese airspace could pose an air transport crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The number of weekly passenger seats dropped by 1,813 following the KQ exit. This means daily 259 airseats provided by Kenya Airways were cut from the airspace, leading the passengers to scramble amid the reduced supply.
The reduced airseats could lead to an increase in airfares as passenger demand grows. Kenya Airways chief executive officer (CEO) Allan Kilavuka said the flights will only resume after the matter is resolved, citing lack of personnel.
The two staff were arrested on Friday, April 19, by the military in Kinshasa over allegations of missing documentation on valuable cargo.
Kilavuka said the Kenyan embassy officials and a few KQ staff were allowed to visit the staffers in detention, but only for a few minutes.
The airline insisted that the cargo in question was not on the air side for transportation, adding that it was still in the baggage section undergoing clearance..CONTINUE READING>>
