Three more Kenyan airlines banned by Tanzania over COVID measures

 

Three more airlines have been banned from Tanzania’s airspace as the standoff over the management of COVID-19 escalates.

The Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) revoked the approvals from AirKenya Express, Fly540 and Safrailink Aviation on Tuesday, confirmed by the director General on Wednesday.

“The basis of the decision to nullify our approval for the three Kenyan airlines is the ongoing dispute between the two countries,” said Mr. Johari told The Citizen in a telephone interview.

The two East African countries are locked in a disagreement of the handling of passengers arriving from Dar es Salaam after Kenya excluded Tanzania from the list of countries whose citizens would be allowed into the country under revised COVID-19 measures.

Before Tuesday’s ban, AirKenya Express, Fly540, and Safarilink Aviation operated daily flights to and from Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar in Tanzania.

According to Johari, the ban on Kenya;s four airlines would not be lifted unless air travelers from Tanzania are given the same treatment as those  on the list.