‘Open sky’ policy to ease travel and boost EA tourism

Sarova Hotels MD Jaideep Vohra addresses the Tourism Summit at State House, Mombasa. He said local hotels were almost empty as only a few airlines had been licensed to operate. PHOTO | KEVIN ODIT 

By MATHIAS RINGA, mringa@ke.nationmedia.com

Four East African countries are working on an open sky policy to make it easy for travellers and operators to move through the region.

In the deal, airlines from four member countries would operate as domestic carriers.

Kenya Civil Aviation Authority director general Gilbert Kibe said Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan are holding talks on a multi-lateral air service agreement.

“Before the end of this year, we shall know the way forward on the matter,” he said.

The KCAA boss said President Uhuru Kenyatta in February last year signed a document on open skies in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, binding the country to implement the policy by next year.

“For Kenya to meet next year’s deadline, we resolved to engage our three neighbouring states to work together on the open sky policy,” he said.

In October, he added, the government will invite industry players, including those from transport and tourism industries, for talks on the policy.

Mr Kibe said one air space for the four countries could make Moi International Airport, Mombasa, the second major hub in the region after Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi.

The KCAA director general was responding to sentiments by tourism players who wanted to know why Moi airport had not been opened to more airlines.

Mr Kibe spoke in Mombasa during a tourism summit attended by Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala.

Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers chairman Jaideep Vohra said Moi airport was under-utilised due to failure by the government to open up the skies.

Mr Vohra, who is also the Sarova Hotels managing director, said few charter flights from Europe to Mombasa had led to a low number of international guests.

“Our hotels are almost empty as only a few airlines have been licensed to operate scheduled flights to Mombasa,” he said.

So far, only German holiday airline Condor Small Planet from Poland, Meridiana Fly and Neosair operate charter flights to Mombasa — eight flights a week compared with 40 during the peak period of 2011.

Kenya Coast Tourism Association chairman Mohamed Hersi said airlines operating scheduled flights to Mombasa currently are Turkish Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines and RwandAir.

Serena Hotel Group MD Mahmud Janmohamed asked Kenya Airways to introduce direct flights from cities like London and Paris to Mombasa to boost tourism.

Last year, Qatar Airways was interested in introducing flights from Doha to Mombasa.

But it was denied a licence by the Ministry of Transport and instead went to Zanzibar, where it inaugurated flights to the archipelago.