Direct flights from Nairobi to Zambia by Kenya Airways have been suspended, a move that will inconvenience KQ customers en route to the southern African country.
The Zambian Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) wrote to the Kenyan authorities on October 2, attributing the flight suspension to Kenya denying Zambia Airways the right to fly one of its passenger planes to Nairobi routinely.
"The application for Foreign Operators Permit for Zambia Airways (2014) Limited was granted by Kenya Civil Aviation Authority. However, authorization for Zambia Airways to operate flights into Nairobi using the wet-leased B737-700 aircraft was not granted," partly read the Zambian CAA letter.
In its letter, CAA reveals that Zambia's Ministry of Transport and Logistics intervened by contacting the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) to review its stance but all was in vain.
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The Kenyan authorities did not correspond.
"We wrote another letter dated 26 July 2024 to the Kenyan Minister of Transport to seek his intervention in this matter. To date, there has been no response from the Minister of Transport in Kenya," said CAA.
It further decried the lack of help from the Kenyan High Commission to Zambia in solving the matter.
Displeased by Kenya's nonchalant behaviour towards its concerns, the Zambian CAA announced suspending the KQ flights beginning October 8.
"Considering the lack of response and reciprocity on the matter of Zambia Airways (2014) Limited flights into Nairobi- Kenya, I regret to inform you that all Kenya Airways flights into Zambia are hereby suspended with effect from time 21:59 Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) on 8th October 2024,"
The letter communicating the suspension was authored by Zambian CAA director general Derrick Lubembe.
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