Tanzania bans Kenya Airways from Dar es Salaam route

By Brian Okoth

Tanzania has blocked Kenya's national airline, Kenya Airways (KQ), from operating passenger flights to and from Tanzania's commercial capital Dar es Salaam.

The Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) said on Monday that the ban will take effect on Monday, January 22.

TCAA says it arrived at the decision in response to Kenya's move to block Air Tanzania from operating cargo flights between Nairobi and other countries.

Tanzania says Kenya breached "Section 4 of the Memorandum of Understanding on Air Services, between Tanzania and Kenya signed on November 24, 2016 in Nairobi, Kenya."

KQ's busy route

TCAA, through its Director General Hamza Johari, said: "Following this (Kenya's) decision (on Tanzania cargo flights), there shall be no passenger flights by KQ between Nairobi and Dar es Salaam from January 22, 2024."

Johari said that Tanzania "shall always strive to adhere to the principles of Chicago Convention 1944 and Bilateral Air Services Agreement between States."

Tanzania's decision to block Kenya Airways from accessing Dar es Salaam would deal a blow to the Kenyan airline that operates three to four daily flights to Tanzania's commercial capital, making it one of KQ's busiest routes.

Air Tanzania, on the other hand, operates one to two daily flights to Kenya's capital Nairobi.

In a statement on Monday, KQ said: "Kenya Airways is engaging the civil aviation authorities and relevant government agencies in Kenya and Tanzania to find a solution that will ensure there are no flight disruptions between Nairobi and Dar es Salaam."

Strained relations

Kenya and Tanzania have recently had strained relations.

In July 2023, President Samia Suluhu of Tanzania said that her country's foreign exchange reserves were sufficient, whereas a "neighbouring country" had insufficient dollar reserves and low investor confidence due to persistent protests.

At the time, Kenya's opposition had staged protests against President William Ruto's administration, accusing it of ignoring Kenyans' plight on the cost of living crisis.

In December, Ruto was asked during a media interview in Kenya why the currencies of Kenya's neighbours, including Tanzania, were not falling in value against the US dollar at the same rate as the Kenyan shilling.

In response, he said: "We are a middle-income country, they are in a different category. You cannot compare them and us. So, you are not comparing the same stuff. And I do not want to talk about other countries because I do not want to say which country is better than the other."