National Carrier, Kenya Airways will now resume passenger flights in June after it was given a green light by the Ministry of Transport.
The airline which had all it’s passenger flights grounded for the first time in 40 years is said to have been losing up go 9.5 billion since it stopped its international flights over Coronavirus fears.
According to the Transport Ministry, KQ is scheduled to resume its passenger flights from June 8, 2020, but it will have to adhere to the requirements of the Public Health and Standards to prevent virus spread.
“We expect KQ to fly from June 8 subject to medical protocols, ” said Transport CS Macharia adding that the exercise will be subject to medical protocols.
The Kenya Airport Authority (KAA) is also preparing for the flight resumption at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport but both the KQ and KAA will have to seek a clean bill of health from the World Health Organization and the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The KAA and KQ will have to fumigate the airport frequently, issue sanitizers and masks to passengers, and also give protective gear to flight attendants.
KQ said it was happy to resume operations but it will do it gradually where it will begin to domestic flights then later join the International skies.
KQ CEO Allan Kilavuka said, “We will start with domestic and regional flights at a reduced frequency and then introduce some long haul at a reduced frequency and changed based on demand.”
Meanwhile, plans to nationalize the loss-making airlines are underway with the ministry of transport CS Macharia affirmation.
“KQ goes beyond the balance sheet and profit and losses. If you only look at these, you will never have an airline, ” CS Macharia said stressing on what the Treasury CS Ukur Yattani had announced earlier.
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