Kenya Airways is planning direct flights to Somalia’s capital Mogadishu; days after regional rival Ethiopian Airline said it will resume flights to the destination from November 2. Ethiopian Airlines suspended its operations in Somalia following the outbreak of hostilities between the two countries in the late 1970s. Speaking to the Star on phone, Kenya Airways chairperson Michael Joseph said the airline has commenced plans to fly to Mogadishu but declined to give more information. “Yes, we are looking at that possibility. Plans are still at infancy stage. It will require a lot of negotiations and procedures,’’ Joseph said.
A source privy to the talks told the Star that three KQ agents were in Mogadishu assessing the route and are expected back in Nairobi today. The airline currently serves 54 destinations across the globe, 44 of them in Africa. It is expected to commence direct flights to Gabon’s international airport Libreville on October 28. A meeting between President Uhuru Kenyatta and his former Somalia counterpart Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed in March last year saw Kenya end an 11 year flight blackout to and from Mogadishu.
Kenya had in 2006 suspended direct flights to Mogadishu following increased terror threats and attacks by the al-Qaeda linked terror group the Al-shabaab. Planes from Mogadishu had to pass through Wajir International Airport for security checks and screening before proceeding to Nairobi. On Tuesday, Kenya Defence Forces marked seven years since it crossed the border into Southern Somalia in 2011 in pursuit of Al-Shabaab group, which had allegedly kidnapped foreign tourists and aid workers inside Kenya
