KQ now shelves direct Somaliland flights plan
Thursday May 13 2021
Kenya Airways aircraft grounded at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi on April 3, 2020. PHOTO | AFP
Kenya Airways (KQ) has put on hold plans to launch direct flights from Nairobi to Somaliland capital Hargeisa, on delayed clearance and approvals.
KQ was to launch direct flights to Egal International Airport, Hargeisa, this year in a move that was expected to boost trade between Kenya and Somaliland.
The airline in a statement Wednesday said Hargeisa flights have been put on hold until KQ meets Somaliland Aviation Authority’s travel requirements.
“We currently do not have flights in operation, contrary to information circulating on social media,” it said.
The airline, however, did not disclose the requirements for operations in Somaliland which has been seeking to strengthen its diplomatic ties with Kenya.
Somaliland is a breakaway region of Somalia.
The country is currently lobbying for international recognition, a move that has escalated tensions with the government of neighbouring Somalia.