Kenya has suspended all passenger flights from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in retaliation against a December ban by Dubai.
Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) Director-General Gilbert Kibe told the Business Daily that the ban took effect on Monday midnight for a period of one week.
Mr Kibe, however, maintained that the ban will not affect cargo flights by carriers like Kenya Airways and Emirates from UAE into Kenya.
“Inbound and transit passenger flights from UAE are suspended for a period of seven days. We are doing this to reciprocate a ban on Kenyan passenger flights to UAE,” said Mr Kibe.
Read: Emirates Extends Ban on Kenyan Flights Until December 24
The ban comes a few days after UAE extended the ban on Kenyan flights after it was established that Kenyans arriving in the Middle East country tested positive for Covid-19 in spite of being in possession of negative test results.
Mr Kibe then said that the scheme was a collaboration between private medical testing centres and travelers seeking to travel to the Gulf nation.
The ministry of Health has since launched a probe into the matter with a view of bringing to book involved parties.
The Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) announced a 48-hour suspension on all flights from Kenya to the Middle East nation on December 20, 2021.
Read Also: Emirates Suspends Flights from Kenya for Two Days
Emirates Airline on December 29, 2021 announced an extension on the ban which was supposed to lapse on December 24. The ban which is now, indefinite, is supposed to give Kenya a chance to comply with the directive.
The extension followed a ban by KQ of all passenger flights to Dubai following the flights’ ban by the Middle East country amid a surge in Covid-19 cases in Kenya.
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