This archive report was first published on 7 June 2020.
Kenya Airways has outlined a raft of protocols to be implemented in preparation for the reopening of domestic air travel in Kenya, amidst the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
According to a document seen by the Nation, passengers will be required to arrive at least two hours early for their local flights, wearing masks and ready for a slow check-in process.
The airline has also proposed a Covid-19 free certificate for passengers, given that the two major airports in Kenya - Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and Mombasa International Airport - are located in regions currently under cessation of movement regulations.
Both Nairobi and Mombasa remain as the country's Covid-19 hotspots, with Nairobi leading with over 1,275 cases, while Mombasa has 873 cases as of yesterday evening.
Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia had earlier stated that the Covid-19 free certificate will be the new normal for travellers arriving into the country from abroad, but may be extended to many others as the country looks to reopen businesses.
The new protocols by Kenya Airways touch on seven key areas, including terminals, check-ins, immigration and security, boarding zones, in-flight, transfers, and arrivals.
Passengers on both international and domestic flights will see a one-hour increase in check-in times, pushing the total waiting time to two and three hours respectively.
At the terminals, guests will be expected to wear masks, wait in line, and step on floor markings indicative of social distancing as their temperatures are checked using thermoguns.
The baggage areas will also be inspected at intervals, and airline staff will be expected to sanitise after serving each guest.
Boarding of aircraft will be done strictly based on zones and not priority, with passengers on the waiting bays expected to wear their face masks and adhere to the social distancing rule within the sitting lobbies.
At the boarding zones, the seats will be arranged to maintain social distance, with sanitisers available for guests.
Boarding gates will be cleaned and disinfected at intervals in line with public health measures issued by the Health ministry.
In-flight, all KQ cabin crew will ditch their fancy uniforms and wear personal protective equipment, with guests expected to have their masks on all through the flight.
Meal boxes, packages, cutlery, pastries, sweets, and refreshening towels will all be single wrapped, with the introduction of individual packaging of towels/blankets, which will now be used once and disposed.
After each flight, Kenya Airways will be deep cleaning and disinfecting the aircraft, a pointer of longer turnaround times and an additional cost to the airline.
Upon arrivals, and for those flights that will require passenger transfers between the tarmac and their terminals, Kenya Airways says there will be reduced capacity in the transfer buses to maintain social distancing.
