This archive report was first published on 4 August 2020.
Kenya Airways resumed international commercial flights on August 1, 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and internal reorganisation.
The airline has reduced its direct flight routes by 42, including major tourism destinations, and will operate to 11 countries initially.
The 11 countries on the KQ list are Uganda, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Morocco, and Namibia from Africa, and Canada, Switzerland, Japan, China, and South Korea outside the African continent.
Passengers from countries not on the list will have to connect to Nairobi through another route, with the list to be reviewed as needed.
US-bound passengers from Kenya will now be forced to transit through Europe or the Gulf.
Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia announced guidelines for handling foreigners, exempting passengers from countries with mild and limited transmissions or declining incidence from isolation.
However, passengers from Tanzania will be placed in mandatory quarantine for 14 days, despite the country not being on the initial list of 11.
Kenya Airways has assured its clients that its aircraft are safe to fly, following a US Federal Aviation Administration emergency Airworthiness Directive for 2,000 Boeing 737s.
The airline has also announced the sacking of 400 cabin crew as part of downsizing to cushion its bottom line and support long-term survival.
