Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda are the latest African countries to suspend flights originating from India as the Asian country reports a surging average of 314,000 cases a day testing positive for COVID-19. The suspension has naturally extended to destination carriers Kenya Airways and RwandAir who have cancelled all flights “Until further notice”
For flights cancelled by the airlines, passengers are nevertheless assured of being able to re-book their flights or get a refund for the unused portion of their ticket at a later date.
The ferocious surge in the new cases seems to be reversing the industry’s biggest travel comebacks, as Asian carriers were the first to show signs of recovery. Indian carriers had reached 87% of their pre-pandemic seat capacity through early April, according to Bloomberg analysis of data from flight tracker OAG, but that progress has now unravelled led by a pullback in domestic flights, which make up the vast majority of the market.
The pandemic surge has also prompted United Arab Emirates’ national airline, Emirates, to also suspend flights between Dubai and India for 10 days effective Sunday, April 25, a critical blow for India, as Dubai is a key connecting city for the country.
Image: Planetware.com
By Victor Shalton Odhiambo
