Kenya Airways to restart domestic commercial aviation as President Uhuru gives green light
President Uhuru says Kenya Airways (KQ) will resume operations in a few days. Uhuru, who spoke on Friday during a virtual conference sponsored by US-based Corporate Council on Africa (CCA), noted that the government will first allow the national airline to resume domestic flights.
The government will later set a date for KQ to resume international flights based on the global Covid-19 situation, Uhuru added.
“We're doing everything we can to make sure we are back in the skies... we're eager to open up, but we have to make sure we all stay safe,” he told the summit. KQ has been grounded for the past three months following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has entirely disrupted the global aviation industry.
Kenya Airways CEO Allan Kilavuka this week disclosed the airline has lost an estimated Sh10 billion due to the Covid-19 crisis. Kilavuka said the losses could soar to Sh50 billion by the end of this year. The carrier did not suspend cargo operations but this has not been enough to sustain the business.
