This archive report was first published on 27 June 2020.
On June 26, 2020, President Uhuru Kenyatta expressed optimism that domestic flights could resume in the next couple of days, marking a significant step towards reopening the economy.
Speaking during a Corporate Council on Africa's Inaugural Leaders Forum, the President emphasized that the resumption of local flights would serve as a trial run, allowing the government to assess the effectiveness of measures in place to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission.
"We are going to start domestic flights and this is what we are going to use as a trial over the next couple of days because we are opening up lockdown we have had between counties," President Kenyatta said during the virtual forum.
The President's remarks come at a time when the national carrier, Kenya Airways, has suffered significant losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The airline's CEO, Allan Kilavuka, noted that Kenya Airways has lost over Sh10 billion in revenue since January, with projected losses of up to Sh50 billion by December.
Kenya Airways' Chairperson, Michael Joseph, urged the government to open the skies, citing the need to facilitate the resumption of flights and revive revenues generated from airline-related businesses.
