Kenya Airways (KQ) has announced the reduction of its flight frequencies to Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania following a diplomatic row between the two East African states.
Effective March 19, Kenya Airways flights will only go to Tanzania 14 times a week up from 42.
“Kenya Airways wishes to notify its customers that it has reduced its frequencies to Dar-es-Salaam from 42 to 14 per week and will now only fly twice daily from March 19th March 2015,” KQ said in a statement on Friday.
The announcement follows a directive by the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) to the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) to reduce flight frequencies of Kenyan carriers into Tanzania.
The airline is now hoping that the ongoing talks between the two countries through the relevant authorities will bear fruits.
“Noting that Bilateral Air Services Agreements (BASA) are negotiated between governments, we are aware that the relevant Kenyan Government agencies have reached out to their Tanzanian counterparts in a bid to resolve the issue,” KQ said.
The problem has been brought about by unresolved issues surrounding the Bilateral Air Services Agreements between the two EAC states.
It is not the first time Kenya and Tanzania have had differences with the recent one being banning of Tanzania tourist vehicles from entering Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to pick their tourists.
The issues could largely hurt the tourism and trade between the two countries if not resolved soon.
