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KQ adds Ethiopia flights as workers flee Tigray fight

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A Kenya Airways aircraft at JKIA. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Kenya Airways has increased scheduled flights to Ethiopia from three to seven a week as high demand for passengers seeking air travel in the wake of political upheaval has gone up.

The carrier has been operating three flights on the route every week but it has added four more frequencies to cater for high demand as countries repatriate their citizens from Addis Ababa.

The conflict in Ethiopia escalated this month after rebellious forces from the northern region of Tigray and their allies made territorial gains and threatened to march on the capital.

“We have increased flights because of high demand as the countries ease travel restrictions,” said KQ in response to Business Daily queries.

The airline is offering a 15 percent discount to passengers who will make bookings between November 10-17 as an incentive to attract travellers on a route dominated by Ethiopian Airlines.

The national carrier has also increased flights to other routes including Dare salaam from 14 to 16, Entebbe from 14 to 16 and Kinshasa from five to eight.

A number of foreign countries including the UK and the US have issued travel advisories to their citizens residing in Ethiopia.

“You should leave Ethiopia now while commercial options are still available. It is likely to become much more difficult to leave Ethiopia in the coming days. Consular support is severely limited across Ethiopia. In the event of deterioration in the political or security situation, the British Embassy may be limited in the assistance that it can provide,” the UK embassy said.