Kenya has suspended flights to and from Somalia, just days after the countries restored diplomatic ties after a five-month break.  

The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority sent a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) stating that all flights between the two countries are suspended except medivac and United Nations humanitarian flights, according to a Somali official who did not want to be identified because he is not allowed to speak to media.  

The suspension is effective May 11 until at least August 9.  

VOA Somali service has seen KCAA’s notice, issued on May 10, which confirms suspension of flights. 

KCAA has not yet announced the reason for the suspension, but it comes a day after Somalia issued a notice reaffirming an earlier ban on flights carrying khat, also known as mirra, from Kenya.  

“Carrying Mirra to Somalia is still prohibited and the policy of the Federal Government of Somalia did not change regarding the transportation of Miraa to Somalia airports,” read a statement sent to airline operators by the Somali Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) on May 9.  “Transporting Mirra without clearance from SCAA will be considered an unlawful act and violation of Somali airspace,” the notice added. 

Khat is a green narcotic stimulant grown in Kenya that is widely used in Somalia.  

Kenya’s suspension of flights downgrades relations that seemed to be on the upswing.  Just last week, Somalia announced it was restoring diplomatic ties with Kenya after mediation by the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.  

In December 2020, Somalia had cut diplomatic ties with Kenya, alleging constant violations of Somalia’s sovereignty and interference in internal affairs.  Kenya denied the accusations.  The countries also have an ongoing maritime boundary dispute over who controls Indian Ocean waters believed to contain large deposits of oil and natural gas. 

Kenya Ministry of Foreign Affairs cautiously welcomed the restoration of ties and said it was looking forward to normalizing relations in terms of trade, communication, transportation, people to people relations and cultural exchanges. 

Somali authorities initially suspended of all international flights in March 2020 after the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in the country. The suspension on international flights was lifted in August but a ban on khat flights remained in place.  Officials in Somalia insisted the reason for maintaining the suspension is to prevent the coronavirus from spreading. 

However, last year Somalia started allowing flights from Ethiopia to transport khat. At least four flights carrying Khat arrive in Somalia daily from the eastern Ethiopia city of Dire Dawa, according to traders. 

The khat business has been lucrative for Kenya farmers. Before the suspension, as many as 15 Kenya flights carrying the narcotic stimulant used to make deliveries in several regions in Somalia per day. The continued suspension denies Kenya farmers millions of dollars in earnings from business with Somalia. 

Somalia activists are pressuring the federal government not to lift ban Khat as they argue the stimulant is associated with poor health and loss of hard currency.

Source: VOA News

The government will now require all travelers from the UK to have a valid Covid-19 vaccination certificate, a Covid-19 negative PCR test and must self-isolate for 14 days on arrival.

In a statement, the government said all passenger flights, whether commercial or charter, between Kenya and the UK will be suspended.

The suspension will be reviewed by the Government of Kenya within four weeks.

“All UK citizens and residents travelling to Kenya from the UK via any route who have a valid Covid-19 PCR test, but do not have a valid Covid-19 vaccination certificate, will be subject to 14 days mandatory quarantine on arrival at a Government of Kenya facility at their own cost. All travellers under the age of 18 will only require a certificate of Covid-19 negative PCR test to enter Kenya,” the statement added.

At the same time, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) said those traveling from Brunei, Thailand, Kuwait, Czech Republic and Pakistan should be in possession of a negative PCR-based Covid-19 test result conducted within 96 hours before travel and not display any flu-like symptoms upon arrival.

“They should provide evidence of their booking for the quarantine locations 24 hours before boarding,” it added.

Last month, UK banned passengers travelling from Kenya from entering the European country starting April 9 to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus.

Kenya was among four counties that have been added to UK’s red list amid concerns about new Covid-19 variants.

In retaliation, Kenya suspended flights between the two countries and banned all flights from the UK, effective April 9, in response to London’s move to bar Kenyans from its territory over the spike in Covid-19 cases.

The tiff between the two countries began after the UK added Kenya to its ‘red list’ amid concerns about new Covid-19 variants, and banned passengers from Nairobi.

“Of the average 550 people that travel from Kenya to the UK each week, a significant number are testing positive on Day 2. Nearly a third of those testing positive have been carrying the B 1.352 variant which originated from South Africa,” the British High Commission said in a statement then.

Following this, London stated that only British, Irish and third-world country nationals with residence rights in the UK will be allowed. Nairobi termed the announcement a “regrettable decision”.

“The decision will have deep and far-reaching consequences on the Kenya-United Kingdom trade, travel, tourism, security cooperation among other sectors,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

And as a compromise, the UK had proposed to Kenya to implement rapid testing at airports to weed out fake or invalid travel certificates.

If Nairobi implements this, it could join Ghana which already tests passengers at airports with spot results at a cost of about Sh2,500 ($25) per person. But implementing the system could take at least a month, and its viability has yet to be discussed by the Kenyan government.

Kenya is not yet giving Covid-19 certificates, but recipients have been receiving text messages notifying them on the next date of vaccination, and batch number they have been vaccinated with.

The UK has issued vaccination cards to recipients. But the targeted group includes people who are 50 and above, health and social workers, vulnerable groups and those with disabilities.

The vaccination card indicates the type of vaccine a person has been inoculated with. Pilots and crew have not been listed as essential groups to receive the vaccine, nor the certificates.

Officials said the crew may have to wait or try their luck in Kenya.

Source: Nairobi News

Nairobi — Kenya will waive work and business permits for investors from its neighbour Tanzania, President Uhuru Kenyatta said on Wednesday, as his counterpart made similar overtures in a thawing of often frosty relations between the two countries.

Kenya, east Africa’s biggest economy and one of its most liberal, and Tanzania, which still imposes fairly tight capital controls and is the region’s second-largest economy, have long tussled for influence.

“We would like to see many investors from Tanzania coming to do business in Kenya. And I want to say this, Tanzanian investors are free to come and do business in Kenya without being required to have business visas or work permits,” Kenyatta said during a Kenya-Tanzania business meeting in Nairobi.

“The only thing you will be required to do is to follow the laid down regulations and the laws,” he told the meeting, attended by Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

Relations between the two neighbours have been at times testy and worsened under Tanzania’s late president John Magufuli, with officials at times trading barbs over trade restrictions, and in 2020, over Covid-19 compliance.

Hassan, who was sworn in in March after Magufuli died, said her government had embarked on tax and other business reforms to make it easier for Kenyan investors to operate in Tanzania.

Hassan’s office said late on Tuesday the two governments had also pledged to speed up completion of electricity transmission and road construction projects Kenya and Tanzania are jointly carrying out.

The two governments also agreed to speed up groundwork for the construction of a natural gas pipeline linking Tanzania’s commercial capital Dar es Salaam and Kenya’s port city of Mombasa.

Source: Reuters  

Airlines are expected to make significant losses this year as International Air Transport Association (IATA) revises its forecast issued in December because of challenges in containing new coronavirus variants and slower vaccination in some regions.

IATA is projecting a post-tax losses of Sh5.1 trillion ($47.7 billion) in 2021 from their initial Sh4 trillion ($38 billion) projection in December.

“Financial performance will be worse and more varied this year than we expected in our December forecast, because of difficulties in controlling the virus variants and slower vaccination in some regions,” said IATA.

According to IATA, large airlines have raised sufficient cash to cover for these losses with the aviation sector expecting a cash burn of Sh8.6 trillion ($81 billion).

“Many smaller airlines haven’t and will need government aid or to raise more cash from banks or capital markets – adding to the industry’s debt burden and balance sheet leverage problem,” the agency said.

Kenya Airways and other regional carriers such as RwandAir have suspended flights to India due to high cases of Covid-19 in this Asian country.

The airlines woes will be compounded with the rising cost of fuel, which is expected to have a negative impact on the airlines.

“We now expect much higher fuel prices with jet at $68.9 per barrel from $49.5 and oil rising to $64.2 per barrel from 45.5 previously as the stronger global economy pulls all energy prices higher,” IATA said

The worst point of the impact of Covid-19 on airline profitability was in the second quarter of last year, when operating losses were more than 70 percent of revenues. Cost cutting and a strong cargo business helped reduce losses in the second half of 2020.

However, many airline costs are fixed over short periods and hard to avoid. As a result, losses were reduced only to around 50 percent of revenues by the last quarter of 2020.

Sharp decline on summer bookings saw Kenya Airways losses nearly triple to Sh36.2 billion in the year ending December 2020 as the carrier sank deeper into the red following a slump in passenger numbers occasioned by Covid-19.

IATA said cargo remains a very strong business for airlines in 2021 as the strong economy and restocking is driving an increase in share of world trade, with 13.1 percent growth in volumes, which is higher than the World Trade Organisation forecast growth for global trade of eight percent.

African airlines’ cargo demands in February increased by 44.2 percent compared with the corresponding period in 2019 marking the strongest growth of all the regions, according to International Air Travel Association (IATA).

Source: Business Daily

Expo 2020 Dubai is set to become one of the emirate’s greatest success stories, according to top officials.

Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and director general, Expo 2020 Dubai and Helal Saeed Al Marri, director general of Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), have hailed Dubai’s confidence and vision and its unwavering commitment to host the next Expo, which opens in October following its postponement from last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Their confidence follows a successful face-to-face gathering of more than 370 delegates in Dubai this week, the final meeting of the International Participants Meeting (IPM) prior to the launch.

Al Hashimy (pictured below) said: “Since the planning stages, we have worked hand-in-hand with DTCM to deliver an Expo that will attract visitors from across the planet and make Dubai and the UAE proud.

“As the world changed, we too have adapted, and thanks to our collaboration with DTCM, we have created an Expo that will delight and inspire explorers and entrepreneurs, children and grandparents, casual tourists and the curious who want to experience the future – now.”

Al Marri added: “Since inception, Dubai has exemplified what it means to succeed against all odds, rising with dignity and determination to become an economic engine and a vibrant hub for travellers from all over the world. Setting new benchmarks is engrained in our ethos, and to this end, we see Expo 2020 Dubai as a global pivot given where we all are today.

“No one could have anticipated how Covid-19 would alter our realities so definitively, and yet, like the rest of the world, Dubai and Expo 2020 paused, reflected and persevered through unprecedented challenges, with our innate indomitable spirit, to re-emerge stronger and more optimistic for our collective future.”

Implementing a phased economic reopening, Dubai began welcoming tourists again in July – when the city’s first in-person, post-lockdown event was held – and has since remained open to the world, reinforcing the renewed need for global business and leisure travel.

Al Marri (pictured below) said: “Dubai has successfully deployed its phased economic reopening that prioritised safety while minimising the impacts of the pandemic – an approach that sees us well-positioned to lead a post-pandemic recovery.

“As a thriving tourist destination and a global centre for the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) sector, we look forward to welcoming more of the world’s business and leisure travellers to Dubai over the coming months.”

The new Dubai Exhibition Centre, which hosted its inaugural event at the recent meeting of Expo’s international participants, will be a signature venue during Expo 2020 and through its legacy, he added.

The 45,000 sq m multipurpose venue is already 80 percent booked for the duration of Expo and will play a fundamental role in attracting domestic, international and business travellers.

The exhibition centre is among the permanent buildings that will be retained after Expo 2020 closes its doors, forming part of District 2020, a new urban innovation ecosystem and model global community of the future.

Running from October 1 until March 31 2022, Expo 2020 will coincide with the 50-year anniversary of the founding of the UAE, and highlight the country’s role as a global connecting hub for people, ideas and innovation.

Source: Arabian Business

Brussels Airlines has published its first-quarter results for 2021. Unsurprisingly, the situation with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has caused the Belgian flag carrier to be hit with heavy losses. These totaled €70 million ($84 million) for Q1. However, it hasn’t been bad news across the board, as its African routes have performed relatively well.

Brussels Airlines’ €70 million Q1 loss

Brussels Airlines recently announced that the first three months of 2021 saw it register a loss of €70 million. This figure represented a 9% decrease compared to Q1 in 2020, which consisted of two ‘normal’ months before coronavirus hit European aviation in March. Generally speaking, the first quarter tends to be the weakest across the airline industry in any case.

In terms of Brussels Airlines’ year-on-year revenue, this figure has fallen by a factor of 76% to €55 million ($66 million). This was also the percentage by which operating revenue fell year-on-year, dropping to €60 million ($72 million) in Q1 this year.

The number of flights operated in the first three months of 2021 compared to 2020 fell even more sharply. The 1,791 flights it operated in the last quarter represented an 87% decrease. Meanwhile, Brussels Airlines’ load factor has experienced a slower decline. Compared to the first quarter of 2020, this has dropped by 15.3%, to an average of 58.2%.

In more positive news, Brussels Airlines has reduced its operating costs by 59%, to just €130 million ($156 million). Of course, the lower number of flights operated has been a key factor, but the airline also highlighted the role of its cost-saving ‘Reboot Plus’ program.

African focus yields intercontinental success

The Belgian government’s ban on non-essential international travel has stifled demand, and proved a significant obstacle for Brussels Airlines. However, it has found that its African routes have performed comparatively well under the circumstances thanks to VFR and cargo demand. Regarding its shifted operational focus, the airline stated that:

“Intercontinental traffic performed better than the European operations due to the company’s focus on African routes, with a stable demand in the VFR segment (Visiting Friends & Relatives), and at the level of cargo, especially in terms of medical supply transport.”

Brussels Airlines serves the following African countries: Angola, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Morocco, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, Tunisia, and Uganda.

Expecting a busier summer

Despite Q1’s heavy losses, Brussels Airlines is preparing for a summer of increased operations. After all, it expects demand to increase as the rollout of coronavirus vaccines quickens. As such, it has pre-emptively returned its flight crews to training in anticipation.

In addition to bringing its staff back up to speed, the airline is carrying out checks on its parked aircraft so that they are ready to return to the skies if demand requires. Planespotters.net reports that 19 of its 46 aircraft are presently dormant, awaiting their return to the skies. The airline will be hoping that it’s not long before its full fleet is active again.

Source: Simple Flying

Kenya has scrapped work visa and permit requirements for Tanzanian nationals in an effort to boost trade and tourism between the two countries, fast-tracking implementation of East African Common Market Protocol allowing workers to move freely in the region.

President Uhuru Kenyatta announced the new visa policy on Wednesday during a joint session of Kenya and Tanzanian business community in Nairobi, which was attended by the visiting Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu.

President Kenyatta said the move would allow Tanzanians to enter the country without restrictions and work freely, attracting foreign investment and boosting tourism without compromising national security.

“The objective is to strengthen our two economies by promoting easy movement of goods and people,” said President Kenyatta.

“We would like to see many investors from Tanzania coming to do business in Kenya. And I want to say this, Tanzanian investors are free to come and do business in Kenya. The only thing you will be required to do is to follow the laid down regulations and the laws that are in place,” he added.

Diplomatic and trade spats between the two countries have been cited in the past for risking regional integration, denying citizens the dream of a common market.

In 2018, Safaricom chief customer officer Sylvia Mulinge was denied permit to work in Tanzania after she was appointed Vodacom Tanzania chief executive.

Tanzanian Labour Commissioner did not give reasons for declining a work permit application in what investors saw as an attempt to lock out foreigners seeking to work in the country.

Further, the two presidents committed to eliminate barriers hindering the smooth flow of trade, instructing their respective officials to initiate and conclude trade talks within a fortnight in an attempt to scrap significant differences between the two countries.

The differences have threatened to slow down trade between the two countries, which amounts to Sh61.5 billion annually.

President Suluhu welcomed Kenyan traders to invest in Tanzania saying the neighbouring country is ready and open for business.

(Mna bahati kwamba nchi zetu mbili upande mmoja kuna uhuru wa kufanya biashara na upande mwingine kuna suluhu ya kuondosha vikwazo vya biashara)

“You are fortunate that our two countries on the one hand are free to do business and on the other a solution to removing trade barriers,” President Suluhu told the business forum.

Source: Business Daily

The cost of domestic flights has doubled on some routes since Sunday when the air travel resumed after the lockdown as airlines record high demand, forcing carriers to increase frequencies on different routes.

Kenya Airways ticket price have shot to Sh10, 050 on Mombasa and Kisumu routes from a low of Sh5, 000 when the flights resumed on Sunday.

KQ, which started with two flights to Mombasa and one in Kisumu on Sunday, has so far added additional flights on these routes.

Curbs on travel in the Nairobi and four surrounding counties were lifted Saturday following the easing of restrictions that saw a reopening of bars and restaurants, religious services and schools as the rate of infections eases.

Budget carrier Jambojet was charging Sh4,600 on Sunday in almost all the routes but the fares have so far gone up to Sh6,100, reflecting a 32.6 percent jump.

KQ will now operate up to six flights on Mombasa route with the Kisumu journey having been scaled up to two. Jambojet is operating four flights a day to Mombasa and two to the lakeside city and Eldoret (two).

“We are increasing the frequencies of our domestic flights. Fly three times a daily with us from May 4 and six times daily from May from May 7 from Nairobi to Mombasa,” said Kenya Airways.

Jambojet said the demand for flying has so far picked when compared with Sunday when they resumed their operations.

“We have seen the demand going up compared with Sunday when we started, there is a growth in bookings in the coming days especially for those who are making future bookings,” said Jambojet.

Passengers who booked KQ flight yesterday (Wednesday) for 5pm parted with Sh10,050 for a one way to Mombasa with a low of Sh5,070 in the morning and midday flights, while the cost of a seat on Jambojet to the same route is going for Sh6,100.

This are almost the same rates that the airlines were charging before the carriers were grounded after the government imposed a second lockdown in March.

An increase in frequencies and relatively high fares is an indicator that the aviation sector, which has been hit hard by Covid-19, is witnessing enhanced demand on number of passengers seeking air travel.

Fares to Eldoret on Jambojet range from Sh4,600 to Sh7,100 on some days such as yesterday (Wednesday), while the Kisumu route is going at between Sh5,100 and Sh6,100.

Return ticket from Kisumu to Nairobi on some days go as high as Sh7,100 with the lowest fare going at Sh4,600 for a one way ticket while it will cost a passenger between Sh4,600 and Sh5,600 to fly from Mombasa to Nairobi.

The government had in March restricted movement of people in and out of Nairobi and four other neighbouring counties to slow the spread of Covid-19, cutting movement of air travel on western Kenya and coastal Kenya out of Nairobi, which is a hub for all the local carriers.

The five counties are being treated as one Covid-19 high risk zone, with residents barred from crossing over to other areas.

Source: Business Daily

Expo is working round the clock to keep visitors safe with COVID-19 precautionary measures. For the past year, Expo 2020 Dubai has been busy laying down guidelines and measures for the health and safety of its staff and visitors alike.

The organisers of the event guarantee the public that they are taking every precaution necessary in line with the latest UAE Government guidelines. Expo 2020 has introduced applied technology like robots and Artificial Intelligence or AI to keep contact points to a minimum throughout the site.

Visitors will also find limited queuing that will allow them to maintain a safe distance between others and themselves.

Have a look at how you can enjoy your visit to Expo 2020 knowing that you are in safe hands.

What has Expo done to keep me safe?

The following are the safety measures implemented across the event site.

Thermal cameras: These are special cameras at arrival points that check temperature of the visitors before they can enter the site.

Masks: Visitors must wear face masks at all times.

Sanitary precautions: Hand sanitiser stations are installed at regular intervals across the venue. All Expo common areas and event venues are subject to regular cleaning and sanitisation.

Social distancing: Visitors are to maintain a distance of two meters between themselves.

Medical facilities: Medical personnel and specialist staff are always on standby in case of emergencies. There are also seven first-aid centres onsite open all days of the week.

Vaccinated staff: All employees and their families, as well as event participants have been inoculated against COVID-19 owing to Expo’s internal vaccination program.

How are the social distancing measures implemented?

Carrying out distancing measures in a venue that stretches 1083 acres can be quite challenging.

Expo has implemented the following safety protocols to ensure the wellbeing of all its attendees.

Capacity limits: A limited number of people are allowed into the venue at a time to control capacity flow. The same applies to dining areas where tables have regulated seating capacity.

Floor markings: Queues and common areas like parks, exhibition spaces, and performance venues are marked with reminders to practice social distancing.

Signage and posters: Infographics are placed throughout the site to stress the need for social distancing.

Staff patrol: Staff members have been appointed on site to ensure that visitors abide by these regulations.

Visitors showcasing any COVID-19-related symptoms will not be admitted into the site. This restriction extends to visitors who have been in contact with confirmed persons or are under a self-quarantine order.

Your Al Hosn app can help: With the Al Hosn app, which is sourced from the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention, visitors can track positive contacts around them during their trip.

Source: Gulf News