This archive report was first published on 14 May 2020.
Kenya Airways has nearly doubled air ticket prices for repatriating Kenyans stranded in Britain, with passengers set to pay £771 (Ksh101,000) to fly back to Nairobi from London on Friday.
On May 4, the national carrier flew in Kenyans stranded in Britain for a significantly lower price of £430 (Ksh53,495) from London to Nairobi.
Passengers from Mumbai and Guangzhou paid Ksh46,005 ($430) and Ksh80,242 ($750) for one-way tickets a week ago, respectively.
According to Kenya Airways, the price difference is due to the fact that the May 4 flight was ferrying cargo to and from the United Kingdom, allowing the airline to balance out operating costs between cargo and passenger services.
Kenya Airways has been relying on cargo and chartered services since the government suspended all cross-border passenger flights on March 22 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On April 6, the government also barred movement into and out of four counties, including Nairobi, Mombasa, Kwale, and Kilifi, forcing Kenya Airways to ground flights and focus solely on cargo business.
The chartered flights scheduled to arrive at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Friday will be available only for Kenyans who test negative for COVID-19, and the cost of the tests will be met by the passengers.
The national carrier will carry passengers on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, which has the capacity for up to 335 passengers in a three-class seating configuration.
