Tanzania bans Kenyan flights after Kenya excluded its citizens from flying into the country

KENYA  | TANZANIA  | COVID-19

The Tanzania Government on Friday (July 31, 2020) banned flights from Kenya after its citizens were excluded from flying into the Kenya.

In a statement Hamza Johari, The Director General of the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority said they would not allow any Kenya Airways (KQ) flights between Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar effective today (August 1).

"The United Republic of Tanzania has noted through a number of media, its exclusion in the list of countries whose people will be allowed to travel into Kenya effective August 1, 2020, the date that the Republic of Kenya will open its sky for international commercial passenger flights after having been suspended since March, 2020," Johari noted.

He also stated that, "the authority regrets to inform you that on reciprocal basis, the Tanzanian Government has decided to nullify its approval for the Kenya Airways (KQ) flights between Nairobi Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar effective August 1 until further notice," the letter reads.

He also indicated that Tanzania Government had rescinded its previous arrangements that permit KQ flights into the Republic of Tanzania.

The ban follows an announcement by Kenyan Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia on Thursday, on countries cleared to access Kenya's airspace when international flights resume Saturday.

Tanzania was missing in the list of countries allowed which included Uganda, Ethiopia, China, Canada, Japan, Rwanda, South Korea, Zimbabwe, France, Morocco and Namibia.

"These are countries that have mild or limited community transmissions or they have declining and these are the ones initially we shall be allowing passengers to come from," Macharia said.

On Wednesday, the Kenyan delegation set to attend former Tanzania President  Benjamin Mkapa's funeral led by Senate Majority Leader, Samuel Poghisio was forced to turn back before getting to Dar due to bad weather.

According to the Tanzanian Foreign Affairs Minister Prof Palamagamba Kabudi, the aircraft carrying Poghisio and his delegation turned back due to bad weather.

Tanzania resumed international flights and cross-border transportation on May 19, after President John Magufuli declared that the country was free of Covid-19.