Kenya Airways suspends flights to Somalia

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AVIATION

Kenya Airways says it is suspending all flights into and out of Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, from October 15 due to operational challenges as it adjusted its network.

The airline said in a statement issued in Kenya's capital Nairobi that the move would allow it to refocus its efforts on optimizing its route network and improving overall operational efficiency.

"Kenya Airways remains committed to continuously optimizing its flight schedule to better align with demand and performance objectives while ensuring the safety of its crew and passengers," it said.

The Kenyan flag carrier pledged to contact passengers holding bookings on affected flights to or from Mogadishu issued on or before October 4 and for travel on or before October 15 and arrange alternative travel options, including rebooking, refunds, or rerouting.

An aircraft model of a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bearing Kenya's national carrier, Kenya Airways (KQ) is seen mounted outside the headquarters of the airline in Nairobi on February 6, 2024

Kenya Airways also announced several network adjustments for the upcoming peak season to ensure smoother and more efficient operations.

It said from October 27, there would be an additional flight from Mauritius to Nairobi, with services to operate on Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday.

According to the airline, there will be one additional flight frequency from Nairobi to the Comoros on Thursdays from October 28, which will operate on Monday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

It said flights to Zanzibar will increase to seven weekly from October 28, while effective November 1, there will be one additional flight from Nairobi to Kigali, Rwanda, on Fridays, increasing the total flights to Kigali to 25 flights weekly.

Kenya Airways said there will be two additional flights from Nairobi to New York between December 5 and January 4, 2025, which will operate on Thursday and Saturday.