Tanzania Hits Kenya Where it Hurts..Yalipiza Kisasi

Dar es Salaam. Kenya Airways stands to lose big time after the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority’s decision to cut the frequency of its flights from Nairobi to Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar and Kilimanjaro by over 60 per cent.

In what appears to be payback after Kenya banned Tanzanian vehicles from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, the move comes in the wake of a deadlock on the Bilateral Air Services Agreements (Basa) between the two countries. Flights from Kenya to Tanzania are now down to 14 a week from 42, a 67 per cent reduction. The move took effect on Tuesday.

TCAA has written to the government of Kenya informing it of the decision, which took effect on Tuesday this week. The move is likely to affect tourism and trade between the two countries.

According to the TCAA letter, Kenya has maintained a hardline stance on resolving issues surrounding the Basa. The acting TCAA Director General, Mr Charles Chacha, told The Citizen yesterday that the two countries had gone for years without an aviation agreement. “It is quite clear that civil aviation is administered by laws and principles,” Mr Chacha said. “Each country is required to comply with the laws in a given country.” The Bilateral Air Services Agreements (Basa) has been stuck in a stalemate between the two countries.