Kenya: Kenya Airways suspends flight to France

(SomaliNet) Owing to a sharp decline in bookings caused by the political crisis in Kenyan capital Nairobi, Kenya Airways announced on Tuesday it has suspended its thrice-weekly flights to France.

The route, opened in October 2006, would resume only after the French government withdrew its travel advisory against visiting the East African state, the national airline said

Kenya Airways chief Titus Naikuni said in a statement that: \"We will monitor the situation on a monthly basis and are hopeful that we will resume Paris flights for the summer high season once the French government\'s travel advisory has been removed\".

Naikuni added that the suspension would take effect on February 26.
In September last year, the company withdrew its twice-weekly flights to the Turkish city of Istanbul because the route was not profitable.

Kenya Airways, which now flies 36 routes around the world, is 26-percent owned by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.

More than 1 000 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands displaced since the December 30 re-election of President Mwai Kibaki touched off nationwide violence. Opposition chief Raila Odinga claims it was rigged. - Sapa-AFP