German airline to cut flights to Kenya

Charter airline, German-based Condor plans to halt one of its four weekly flights from Frankfurt to Nairobi and on to Mombasa.

The airline, owned by Thomas Cook, attributes this to continued low demand for tourism travel to Kenya. These flights will be halted from June 26 until October 30, 2015, according to reports appearing in Eturbo news, an online publication on tourism, aviation and travel matters. Resumption of the flights will be subject to a rise in demand.

Kenya’s Coast has suffered severe downturn, especially since British tour operators earlier in the year pulled their clients out of beach resorts before then canceling their flights to Mombasa as a result of anti-travel advisories by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Speaking separately at the Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort & Spa during a General Manager Corporate Networking Cocktail, Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers (Kahc) Coast branch Executive officer, Mr Sam Ikwaye conceded that the outlook for the long December holiday looks bad.

“We are still having few international arrivals and the South Coast which has traditionally been a full house affair at this time of the year is operating at just 30 per cent in international arrivals,” Ikwaye said.

Ikwaye remained optimistic that the industry, which had withstood the test of time in previous turbulence still enjoys support from Kenyans and regional visitors.

Charter airline, German-based Condor plans to halt one of its four weekly flights from Frankfurt to Nairobi and on to Mombasa.

The airline, owned by Thomas Cook, attributes this to continued low demand for tourism travel to Kenya. These flights will be halted from June 26 until October 30, 2015, according to reports appearing in Eturbo news, an online publication on tourism, aviation and travel matters. Resumption of the flights will be subject to a rise in demand.

Kenya’s Coast has suffered severe downturn, especially since British tour operators earlier in the year pulled their clients out of beach resorts before then canceling their flights to Mombasa as a result of anti-travel advisories by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Speaking separately at the Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort & Spa during a General Manager Corporate Networking Cocktail, Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers (Kahc) Coast branch Executive officer, Mr Sam Ikwaye conceded that the outlook for the long December holiday looks bad.

“We are still having few international arrivals and the South Coast which has traditionally been a full house affair at this time of the year is operating at just 30 per cent in international arrivals,” Ikwaye said.

Ikwaye remained optimistic that the industry, which had withstood the test of time in previous turbulence still enjoys support from Kenyans and regional visitors.