KQ suspends Rome- Geneva flights over coronavirus pandemic

A Kenya Airways plane airborne. [File, Standard]

Kenya Airways has suspended its flights on Rome (Italy) to Geneva (Switzerland) route over the Coronavirus pandemic that is currently sweeping over Europe and other parts of the world. The suspension will take at least one month and two weeks.

The airline says that the action is a safety precaution to avert the spread of the deadly virus which has claimed the lives of 4,751 people and translated into 129,822 cases.

“In response to the latest developments in the COVID-19 outbreak around the world, Kenya Airways has suspended its flights on the Rome- Geneva route effective Friday, March 13, 2020, until April 30, 2020,” Kenya Airways revealed in a statement.

The airline has revealed that customers who shall be affected by the cancellation will be booked to alternative flights or refunded fully. It has also given an option for travelers to cancel their flights and will give a waiver on booking fees for those willing to reschedule their flights to a later date.

KQ has said that it has activated crisis management to address the situations and implement appropriate preventive measures.

“We continue our engagement with the relevant ministries and Government agencies in Kenya and across our network and will provide affected customers with updated information in a timely manner,” the airline stated.

“The situation is dynamic and we are currently monitoring any developments.”

It has however maintained that its other flights will continue as normal but some schedules will be adjusted.

Since the outbreak began, COVID-19 has spread to over 100 countries. In Africa, Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, South Africa, and Congo among others have had confirmed cases. According to the Ministry of Health, Kenya is yet to have a positive case as over 17 suspected cases all turned out to be negative.

Recently, the court issued an order suspending flights to some parts in China, some of them being Guangzhou and Wuhan where the virus hit first.