Transport

Emirates Airline resumes flights to Nairobi after Dubai lifts suspension

kq

A Kenya Airways plane. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Emirates Airline will resume passenger flights between the United Arabs Emirates (UAE) and Nairobi on Saturday after Dubai lifted a ban it had imposed on all inbound and transit passenger flights from Kenya since last year.

The announcement offers relief to hundreds of travellers who have had to factor in extra expenses during the ban.

National carrier, Kenya Airways (KQ) #ticker:KQ did not, however, give a specific date when it will resume passenger flights between the two destinations.

The two carrier suspended passenger flights on January 11 after Kenya retaliated the UAE move to block it from its airspace.

The suspension of operations by the two airlines did not, however, affect cargo flights that are normally operated by carriers such as Kenya Airways (KQ) and Emirates airline.

“Emirates will operate ten weekly flights to Nairobi from January 29, 2022,” said Emirates in statement released yesterday.

While lifting the ban on Kenyan flights into Dubai on Wednesday, the UAE government also announced the resumption of entry for passengers from Tanzania, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Congo, South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe, from January 29.

However, passengers from Uganda, Ghana, and Rwanda will be subjected to strict entry requirements.

Dubai will require passengers from the three countries to present a negative Covid-19 PCR test certificate with a QR code for a test conducted at an approved facility no more than 48 hours before departure.

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