Kenya Airways has suspended passenger flights to Mogadishu from 14th October 2024 “due to operational challenges,” the national carrier said in a letter to Mohamed Dhaghar, Principal Secretary, State Department of Transport, on 9th October.
“This decision was made after careful analysis and consideration the best interest of the airline in the prevailing business environment,” Allan Kilavuka, KQ Group Managing Director, said in the letter.
The decision will reduce Kenya Airways’ routes in a season after it recorded its first profit in ten years. After 2013 when the airline recorded Sh384 million, it has been on the red with losses running into billions. The largest loss it reported was in 2020 having sank into Sh14.3 billion loss.
“We are not there yet, but this is a significant milestone that indicates our intention to continue transforming this organisation into a fully stable and sustainable airline, so this something we want to celebrate,” Chief Executive Officer Allan Kilavuka said at the time.
Although the reasons were unclear, the relationship between Nairobi and Mogadishu has always been fraught.