Kenyan airlines position for charter flights services

Part of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (PHOTO:FILE)

NAIROBI, KENYA: Kenyan Airlines are angling for a piece of business from private charterers opting for chartered flight services to reach destinations that commercial airlines are restricted.

In announcing the new Covid-19 restriction measures to contain the third wave, President Uhuru Kenyatta banned commercial flights from flying in and out of Nairobi in a move that has blocked the airlines from accessing lucrative destinations such as Mombasa, Malindi, Kisumu, Eldoret, Lamu and Lodwar from the Capital City.

In an interview, Bluebird Aviation, and Safarilink Airline said the uptake of chartered services are now common especially with international tourists seeking to venture into places like Mara, Laikipia among others.

Skyward Airline however said request for chartered flights has not stagnated from its side but has packed some of its aircraft outside Nairobi to serve routes such as Malindi, Mombasa, Eldoret, Lamu and Lodwar.

“It is a business alternative we are open to as commercial flights are restricted by the new Covid-19 containment measures,” said Kelvin Mwasi, Commercial Manager Skyward.

“Currently we fly four times a week on our coastal routes doing half capacity on Mombasa-Malindi and Lamu routes, this is a clear sign that we need alternative means to keep our revenues ongoing,” he says. The airline flies two times a week on the Lodwar-Eldoret route.

Gregory Ochieng, a safety officer at Safarilink Airline says there is a high appetite for Mara and Laikipia routes mainly from international tourists.

“To fly out of Nairobi on a chartered flight one needs to have Covid-19 negative certificate and the airline also needs to be cleared by the Kenya Civil Aviation officials to fly to the restricted destinations,” he says.

Regional airline, Bluebird Aviation says it has reported a slight rise in demand for its private charter flights since the outbreak of COVID-19 due to limited availability of commercial flights and health risks concerns.

Bluebird Aviation General Manager, Captain Hussein Mohammed said while the usual private charterers have maintained their demand albeit, at a reduced frequency, some airlines have witnessed additional demand for private charters from new clientele.

“Travellers are hesitant to utilize commercial flights and this has led to increased enquiries on private air charters. Whether it's health risk concerns or just getting where you need to be, people and companies that have the means to fly privately, but had previously shunned it, are now looking at this alternative, said Captain Mohammed.

The global outbreak of the novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) has hit the world of aviation hard. Amid the rapid spread of the infectious disease and the declaration of a state of emergency in many countries, airlines have had to suspend passenger flights and cut schedules significantly, leaving most airlines with capacities below 50 per cent.

The air charter aviation sub-sector has, however, proven its ability to adjust in the past and the current situation and supports the fight against Covid-19 with what it does best: transporting people and goods to where they are needed.

“Charter flights have helped in medical evacuation, airlifting of medical equipment and staff, carriage of vaccines, repatriation of travellers and contributed to maintaining supply chains during the Covid-19 crisis, said Captain Mohammed.

Research has found out that the headrest on a passenger seat has the most filth. It has been concluded that nearly half of the surfaces swabbed on airline flights contained levels of bacteria and yeast that could put a person at risk of infection.

The novel Coronavirus survives on surfaces for a while. This puts private charters at an upper hand compared to commercial flights given their limited exposure to numerous travellers.

“If you're a person who may have flown privately a few times, or not at all, and never justified the time savings, privacy, efficiency, and pandemic exposure, the time is now to reconsider your travel plans, said Captain Mohammed. The safety and sustainability of chartered flights has come to the fore in the recent past.