Entebbe-Nairobi flight route battle rages on
Jul 13, 2005
PERMANENT secretaries in the aviation ministries of Uganda and Kenya will meet on Saturday to deliberate on the Entebbe-Nairobi flight route allocation.
By Emmy Olaki and Emmy Allio
PERMANENT secretaries in the aviation ministries of Uganda and Kenya will meet on Saturday to deliberate on the Entebbe-Nairobi flight route allocation.
The contention over the route has been between Kenya Airways (KQ) and East African Airlines (EAA), which early this year started pushing KQ to cede one of its five daily flights on the Entebbe-Nairobi route.
The flight was given to EAA, which has not utilised it due to the pending issues.
Kenya Airways took over all Entebbe-Nairobi routes after the collapse of Uganda Airlines in 1998.
Africa One, a local aviation firm, had taken over the route in 2002 before it collapsed in early 2003. EAA then took over but failed to sustain the route.
It reverted to a code share deal with KQ until some time last year when it was not renewed.
Ignie Igundura, the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) spokesman, admitted there are unresolved issues the permanent secretaries will handle on Saturday.
“The matter is now at a high level. A meeting to review issues that have impeded the airline from starting will take place in Nairobi.
“I don’t know what the issues are because that is beyond me,†Igundura said. Benedict Mutyaba, the EAA chief executive, said on Tuesday EAA is yet to start flights on the route because of unresolved issues with KQ.
“There are a lot of outstanding issues which we hope to resolve in a meeting in Nairobi this Friday.
For example, times of operation have not been agreed upon. They dropped the midday flight, yet we wanted the 10 O’clock flight that returns at 1 O’clock,†Mutyaba said. Mutyaba said, “As a local operator, it is necessary for us to operate a flight on this route and it is necessary for us to get a route to maintain our viability.â€
EAA flies one aircraft, a Boeing 737-200. The aircraft is currently leased to private people who Mutyaba did not disclose.
“Our aircraft is currently flying for some people on the continent,†he said. But sources said the aircraft was leased to a Malawian company.
Earlier this year, EAA signed a joint venture deal with Air Zimbabwe, but Mutyaba said these are joint flights using Air Zimbabwe aircraft.
PERMANENT secretaries in the aviation ministries of Uganda and Kenya will meet on Saturday to deliberate on the Entebbe-Nairobi flight route allocation.
The contention over the route has been between Kenya Airways (KQ) and East African Airlines (EAA), which early this year started pushing KQ to cede one of its five daily flights on the Entebbe-Nairobi route.
The flight was given to EAA, which has not utilised it due to the pending issues.
Kenya Airways took over all Entebbe-Nairobi routes after the collapse of Uganda Airlines in 1998.
Africa One, a local aviation firm, had taken over the route in 2002 before it collapsed in early 2003. EAA then took over but failed to sustain the route.
It reverted to a code share deal with KQ until some time last year when it was not renewed.
Ignie Igundura, the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) spokesman, admitted there are unresolved issues the permanent secretaries will handle on Saturday.
“The matter is now at a high level. A meeting to review issues that have impeded the airline from starting will take place in Nairobi.
“I don’t know what the issues are because that is beyond me,†Igundura said. Benedict Mutyaba, the EAA chief executive, said on Tuesday EAA is yet to start flights on the route because of unresolved issues with KQ.
“There are a lot of outstanding issues which we hope to resolve in a meeting in Nairobi this Friday.
For example, times of operation have not been agreed upon. They dropped the midday flight, yet we wanted the 10 O’clock flight that returns at 1 O’clock,†Mutyaba said. Mutyaba said, “As a local operator, it is necessary for us to operate a flight on this route and it is necessary for us to get a route to maintain our viability.â€
EAA flies one aircraft, a Boeing 737-200. The aircraft is currently leased to private people who Mutyaba did not disclose.
“Our aircraft is currently flying for some people on the continent,†he said. But sources said the aircraft was leased to a Malawian company.
Earlier this year, EAA signed a joint venture deal with Air Zimbabwe, but Mutyaba said these are joint flights using Air Zimbabwe aircraft.