Kenya re-opens airspace for flights to and from Somalia

Kenya re-opens airspace for flights to and from Somalia

Kenya has re-opened its airspace for flights to and from Somalia after a month of closure.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement issued on Thursday, said the decision was made as a goodwill gesture to boost bilateral ties between the two countries.

“…the Government of Kenya has taken due consideration of intercessions made and has decided to re-open Kenya’s airspace to all flights originating from Somalia and emanating from Kenya to Somalia. This goodwill measure has been made in the mutual interest of our two countries and in the hope that it will cause the full normalisation of bilateral relations between Kenya and Somalia including diplomatic, trade and people to people linkages that have undergone undue strain,” reads the statement in part.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, however, reiterated that existing COVID-19 protocols will be applicable to all passengers travelling to Kenya.

These include: All passengers and crew coming to Kenya must be in possession of a valid COVID-19 negative certificate conducted within 96 hours before travel. Children are, however, exempted from this directive.

“All travelers (children) below the age of 5 years will be exempted from COVID-19 negative PCR test to enter Kenya,” reads the statement.

In addition to that, all travelers will be expected to fill the international travelers surveillance form available on the Ministry of Health’s website and submit it before travel.

“All travelers will be expected to fill the travelers locator form and submit before travel to http://bil ly/covid19moh and thereafter submit daily health information to jitenge platform for 14 consecutive days,” reads the statement.

The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) suspended flights to and from Somalia on May 11, this year without a clear reason. The ban, however exempted medevac [medical evacuation] flights and United Nations flights on humanitarian missions.

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