Kenya Airways suspends ticketing in Malawi over biting dollar shortage

A Kenya Airways aircraft at JKIA. 

Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • Kenya Airways has suspended ticketing services in Malawi over the country’s biting forex crisis.
  • Malawi is facing acute shortages of foreign exchange currency forcing foreign traders to halt or suspend some of their operations in Malawi.

Kenya Airways has suspended ticketing services in Malawi over the country’s biting forex crisis.

Malawi is facing acute shortages of foreign exchange currency forcing foreign traders to halt or suspend some of their operations in Malawi.

“Following increasing foreign currency repatriation difficulties experienced in Malawi in the recent past, Kenya Airways regrets to inform our Trade Partners that Kenya Airways has suspended ticket issuance authority in the Malawi market,” said Kenya Airways in a statement.

“Subsequently, with immediate effect, the ticketing authority for all agents (including KQ CTOs and ATOs) in Malawi shall be withdrawn until further notice.” 

Malawi has been facing a forex crisis for months.

KQ joins Ethiopian Airlines which also suspended ticketing services in the country over the forex crisis.

Ethiopian linked the move to the inability of the Reserve Bank of Malawi to remit money to their accounts due to dwindling forex reserves.

So, passengers traveling from Malawi on these airlines now must buy their tickets from agents in other countries.

Affected travellers can buy tickets online where they will be required to make payments using either credit or debit card.

Malawi expects to agree on a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to offset the foreign exchange shortage crisis. 

Kenya Airways first launched a direct flight from Nairobi to Malawi’s commercial capital Blantyre (BLZ) in southern Malawi in 2013.

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