This archive report was first published on 24 June 2021.
Published on June 24, 2021, the Covid-19 pandemic has drastically affected the Air Charter business travel industry in Kenya.
With the rise of remote work and online transactions, customers have opted to work from home, significantly reducing the demand for Air Charter services.
Bluebird Aviation General Manager Captain Hussein Mohammed confirmed that potential clients have chosen to work from home, citing the ease of conducting business through video conferencing.
"This business segment has been drastically affected because you can transact any type of business in a Zoom meeting," Captain Mohammed noted.
He added that Air Charter business, which was previously at 70% pre-COVID times, has now dropped to 20-30%.
Medical Charter demand has also reduced drastically, as most patients being transferred from point A to point B are COVID-19 positive.
"No airline wants to expose their staff, both cockpit and cabin crew, to COVID. Most airlines want to first know the medical status of the passenger before they start evacuation," Captain Mohamed said.
However, commercial airlines business travel has seen a slight increase due to the availability of social distancing and more room in business class.
