Ahead of its inaugural flight to Somalia in January 2019, Kenya’s national carrier, Kenya Airways, made a test flight to Mogadishu on Tuesday, as part of routine preparations preceding the formal launch of the direct flight early next year. The carrier has leased a 50?seater jet from the regional Aircraft Leasing Services (ALS) that is expected to operate daily flights between Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and Aden Adde international airport. This comes after postponing the launch twice. The launch of this route is expected to ease travel between the two cities that are the focal points of business in the two countries and spur commercial activities. The flight is expected to reduce trade gaps which amount to 99.8 billion shillings.