Zambia Tactfully Suspends Kenya Airways Flights to Access JKIA

The Zambia Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has suspended Kenya Airways flights to Lusaka following a bilateral tussle between the two countries. The decision was reached as a retaliation by Zambian authorities against Kenya for declining to approve Zambia Airways flights into Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) using wet-leased B737-700 plane.

The Zambian aviation authority regulates all air travel in and out of the country, ensuring compliance with safety and operational standards Kenya Airways is one of the major carriers operating in the region, and this suspension – being the sacrificial lamb – will have a significant impact on travel and trade between the two nations. KQ operates two daily flights from Nairobi to Lusaka, a direct morning flight and an afternoon flight that has a stop-over in Harare, Zimbabwe.

In a letter addressed to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) dated 2nd October, the Zambia Civil Aviation Authority first reveals that while Zambia Airways has been granted a Foreign Operators Permit by Kenya, authorisation for Zambia Airways to operate flights into Nairobi using the wet-leased B737-700 has not been forthcoming.

Zambia Civil Aviation Authority said efforts to resolve the matter have not been successful. The CAA says it made an appeal to KCAA, its Kenyan counterpart, to grant Zambia Airways (2014) Limited the greenlight to fly into Nairobi using the wet leased B737-700 aircraft, but that has not yielded any fruit.

The Ministry of Transport and Logistics of Zambia has made multiple appeals, including sending a follow-up letter to the Kenyan Ministry of Transport on July 26, 2024, seeking intervention. Zambia Civil Aviation Authority Director General Captain, Mr Derrick Luembe, said he reached out to KCAA to discuss this matter via email and WhatsApp on 1^st October 2024.

“Considering the lack of response and reciprocity on the matter of Zambia Airways (2014) Limited flights into Nairobi- Kenya, I regret to inform you that all Kenya Airways flights into Zambia are hereby suspended with effect from time 21:59 Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) on 8th October 2024,” said the Director General.

Back in January, Tanzania suspended all KQ flights citing a reciprocity dispute after Kenya refused a request for all-cargo flight operations by Air Tanzania Company Limited.

Tanzania in a statement signed by the Director General Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority Hamza Johari cited Kenya’s refusal as a breach of Section 4 of the Memorandum of Understanding on Air Services between the two countries signed on November 24, 2016, in Nairobi.

However, the neighbouring country withdrew its decision to suspend flight services between Nairobi and Dar es Salaam after Kenya granted the Fifth Freedom Traffic Right to Air Tanzania Company Limited for all-cargo service.

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