Africa

Tanzania restores Kenya Airways flights after deal sealed

A Kenya Airways plane. (Photo: File/KQ)

By Jill Namatsi | Tuesday, January 16, 2024

Kenya's aeroneutical authorities have granted the Fifth Freedom Traffic Right to Air Tanzania for all cargo services, starting January 16.

Tanzania has reversed its Monday ban on Kenya Airways' passenger flights between Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, following an agreement between the two nations.

The Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) issued a public notice on Tuesday, just hours after the ban, saying Kenya's aeronautical authorities had granted the Fifth Freedom Traffic Right to Air Tanzania for all cargo services, starting January 16.

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"Following this development, the aeronautical authorities of the United Republic of Tanzania hereby withdraw [their] decision ... and therefore approval for Kenya Airways to operate Third and Fourth Freedom Traffic Rights between Nairobi and Dar es Salaam is hereby restored with immediate effect."

On Monday, Tanzania suspended passenger flights by KQ from Nairobi to Dar es Salaam, effective January 22, 2024, a move that would have resulted in fewer options for travellers and possibly higher airfares.

KQ currently operates 33 scheduled flights per week between Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, so the route is crucial for thousands of individuals travelling for business, tourism and other reasons.

The TCAA explained that its decision was "to reciprocate the decision by the aeronautical authorities of Kenya to refuse the Tanzania request for all cargo flight operations by Air Tanzania Company Limited under the Fifth Freedom Traffic Rights between Nairobi and Third Countries.".

Kenya's move was contrary to Section 4 of the Memorandum of Understanding on Air Services, which the two countries signed on November 24, 2016, in Nairobi, Kenya's capital city.

After the ban, interventions followed, led by Kenya's Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Musalia Mudavadi, and Tanzanian Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, January Makamba.

The two held discussions and pledged to quickly end the standoff, saying there was no cause for alarm and that this process would take no more than three days.

Mudavadi tweeted, "The issue of aviation restrictions between Kenya and Tanzania has been successfully resolved this afternoon. Gratitude to [Janaury Makamba and] the Ministries of Transport of Kenya and Tanzania for their collaborative efforts in achieving this resolution."

Makamba's message was as follows:

I spoke to my Kenyan colleague @MusaliaMudavadi. We agree that restrictions of air travel between our countries and from any of our country to a third country shouldn’t stand. With relevant authorities, we’ve resolved to settle this issue, per existing agreements, within 3 days.
— January Makamba (@JMakamba) January 15, 2024