KQ to fly back Kenyans in Britain, India, China
Kenya Airways (KQ) plans to fly back Kenyans stuck in London, Mumbai and Guangzhou in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic that has grounded airlines across the world.
The chartered flights, scheduled to arrive at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi between May 4-8, will only take off with Kenyans who have taken a coronavirus test.
The airline will carry passengers on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft with a capacity of up to 335 passengers.
“London flight is scheduled for May 4 while Mumbai and Guangzhou flights will leave on May 7 and May 8 respectively,” the airline told the Daily Nation yesterday.
The airline further indicated that passengers from London would pay Sh53,495 ($500) for a one-way ticket while those stranded in Mumbai and Guahzhou will pay Sh46,005 ($430) and Sh80,242 ($750).
The national carrier, however, declined to disclose the time the flights would depart London, Mumbai and Guangzhou, terming it a security matter.
“In terms of the time of departure and arrival, we cannot share this for security reasons,” said KQ.
The plans by the airline to repatriate Kenyans comes barely a few days after the carrier charged expatriates in Kenya up to three times normal ticket prices to return to their home countries on a chartered flight.
COVID-19 TESTS
The airline was charging Ksh187,692 ($1,876) for the one-way ticket including testing for Covid-19 at Lancet laboratory in Nairobi.
Normally, a ticket from Nairobi to London and back during this time of the year would start at Sh96,430 ($964) or about Sh48,215 ($482) for a one-way ticket.
KQ chief executive Allan Kilavuka in a separate interview told the Nation that the fares are within a reasonable range because the airline had to meet other costs.
“This is a charter flight. Under normal operations, the cost is spread out. Now it is concentrated on a few flights. There is also the extra cost of protection, cleaning and fumigation,” he said then.



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