By Victor Shalton
Kenya Airways Temporarily Cuts Netherlands, France Until March
In a statement announced in Nairobi, Kenya Airways revealed a short term suspension of services that will affect flights to France and the Netherlands through the month of February. The airline flies to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport and Amsterdam Airport Schipol.
“The temporary suspension is due to the new COVID-19 regulations in Europe that have resulted in depressed demand,” announced by the airline, CGTN-Africa reports.
“Kenya Airways would like to thank all customers who had booked their flights to these two destinations, and will ensure that alternative flight options are made for their travel. The airline sincerely apologizes for the inconvenience caused as a result of these cancellations,” the carrier continued.
The Dutch government on Wednesday introduced a series of new COVID-19 regulations among which required passengers and crew to show evidence of a second negative rapid coronavirus test taken just before departure.
In France, new border controls have gone into effect as part of a massive effort to contain the spread of the new Covid-19 variant and avoid another nationwide lockdown. People traveling from non-EU countries to France are no longer allowed enter by simply presenting a negative result from a quick COVID-19 test.
The Kenyan national flag carrier expects to resume regular services to France on March 3 and to the Netherlands on March 7. It will keep customers updated in case of any changes to these resumption plans.
Kenya Airways has long been assessing the possible impact of the lockdown measures on their flight schedule due to the new COVID-19 rules. The Group’s Chairman and CEO, Allan Kilavuka, earlier noted the possibility of suspending some European services because of low demand caused by travel restrictions imposed by European governments.
“Following the announcement of the lockdown measures in England and France, we are assessing any possible impact to our flight schedule. If your flight will be affected, we will contact you to advise on the alternative,” Kenya Airways said in an earlier press release.
Kenya Airways is a SkyTeam alliance member and operates scheduled services throughout Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The airline offers world-class standards in service delivery, product quality and currently flies to 46 destinations worldwide, 33 of which are in Africa.
Victor Shalton’s love for aviation can be traced to when he was 11-years-old. As a seasoned aviation writer, he takes pride in providing the best aviation coverage around the globe and is passionate about advancing his skills in the aviation space. In addition, he loves travelling, writing, arts and while his speaking engagements have taken him around the world, he is proud to call Nairobi home.
