Kenya Airways Says Flights To New Delhi India To Continue

According to the reports, a passenger plane from India is expected to land in the country on Friday evening, April 30.

Kenyans have expressed concerns due to the deadly Indian strain of the Covid-19 that has seen the Asian country become the most ravaged by the coronavirus. According to the report, the plane is expected to depart Mumbai at 1:00 pm and arrive in Nairobi at 4:45 pm.

On Wednesday, April 28, India reported 360,960 new cases in 24 hours, taking India’s tally of infections to nearly 18 million. 3,293 fatalities were also reported in the same period carrying the toll to 201,187.

The country is also experiencing shortages of oxygen, medical supplies, and hospital staff. Already, Germany, Italy, Bangladesh, France, UK, Oman, UAE, Hong Kong, and Singapore have banned or placed restrictions on travelers from India as well as those who have passed by the country.

On April 27^th, Kenya Airways (KQ) said it will continue flying to and from India despite a sharp spike in the number of Covid-19 cases in the Asian nation.

The airline said in a statement Tuesday that it uses the India route to fly medical equipment and drugs into Kenya. The national carrier stated it has enhanced safety measures to minimize the risk of person-to-person transmission.

“Passengers are only accepted on KQ flights upon presenting a valid Covid-19 test result certificate,” said KQ in the statement.

The second wave of infections has seen at least 300,000 people test positive each day for the past week, overwhelming healthcare facilities and crematoriums and fueling an increasingly urgent international response

In a recent interview, on Citizen TV, Health CS Mutahi Kagwe hinted that the government would review passenger flights between Kenya and India but did not make a definite commitment.

The CS stated that the National Emergency Response Committee (NERC) held a meeting and was set to announce the measures which would be taken.

The CS acknowledged that some Kenyans would be affected especially because many seek treatment from India.

“This is not going to be an ideal situation, either way, whichever decision we take, is going to hurt some people. Whatever we do will cause a cost. However, what we must ask ourselves is which is the highest cost and what decision must be made,” Kagwe stated.

Despite the high Covid-19 infections being registered daily, KQ says India remains to be one of its key destinations.