This archive report was first published on 23 April 2020.
Thursday, April 23, 2020, marked a significant increase in air ticket prices for expatriates in Kenya, with some paying up to three times the normal rate to return to their home countries.
Foreign governments have organized charter flights with airlines such as Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines, which are charging a premium for the services.
Kenya Airways, for instance, will ferry passengers to London Heathrow from JKIA on Friday, charging Sh187,692 (£1416) for the one-way ticket, including testing for Covid-19 at Lancet. Normally, a ticket from Nairobi to London and back at this point of the year would start at Sh96,430 or about Sh48,215 one way.
According to Kenya Airways CEO Allan Kilavuka, the increased cost is due to the charter nature of the flights, which concentrates the cost on a few flights, as well as the extra costs of protection, cleaning, and fumigation.
Mr. Kilavuka also stated that the return flight would not ferry any Kenyans back, as 'some processes are not complete for bringing people back. It is an ongoing process, but we will not bring back Kenyans this time.'
