This archive report was first published on 20 November 2019.
Published on November 20, 2019, two major African airlines, Ethiopian Airlines and Kenyan Airlines, are considering halting their services to Juba International Airport in South Sudan.
The airlines have expressed their intention to stop routes through the South Sudanese capital due to the high incidence of luggage theft at the airport.
According to Michael Makuei, a government spokesperson, the airlines made this announcement after a council of ministers meeting.
One of the affected passengers, Kuach Pech, shared his experience of losing a carton of books when he flew from Entebbe to Juba last year.
Pech reported the incident to the Ethiopian Airlines staff in Juba, but his luggage was never recovered.
He attributed the loss to the disorganization at the arrival terminal, where airport staff and hawkers often try to take passengers' luggage forcefully.
"Sometimes you really don't know whether these are part of the airport authorities or they are just hawkers around. Like sometimes they come and try to take your luggage from you forcefully and you really have to stand your ground and tell them I am doing it myself," Pech said in an interview with VOA's "South Sudan in Focus".
He suggested that airport staff should be clearly identified with specific uniforms and IDs to prevent such incidents.
Managing director of Juba International Airport, Kur Kuol, has promised to meet with the airlines' executives to discuss the matter.
"I gave an order to one of my secretaries to write a circular to all international [airlines] so that I meet them and hear their complaints," Kuol said.
