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Qatar Airways (QA) has announced the resumption of services to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO), Nairobi, Kenya, with 14 weekly flights, and to Kigali International Airport (KGL), Kigali, Rwanda, with three weekly flights.
With the addition of Kigali and Nairobi, the airline now operates 33 weekly flights to eight destinations in Africa, including Addis Ababa, Dar es Salaam, Djibouti, Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar and Tunis.
Being one of the largest passenger carriers during the pandemic with a promised steady schedule that never dropped below 30 destinations, the national carrier of Qatar connects many passengers seamlessly via its award-winning home and hub, Hamad International Airport (HIA), to key destinations via its rapidly expanding network, including Europe, Americas, Asia and Pacific, via Doha.
QA has a strong relationship with Kenya and Rwanda with almost 15 years of operations to Nairobi and eight years of operations to Kigali. The award-winning airline began scheduled services from Nairobi on November 15, 2005 followed by Kigali on March 24, 2012 and Mombasa in Kenya on December 9, 2018.
QA Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said: “We are delighted to resume flights to Nairobi and Kigali, totalling our flights to 33 weekly flights to Africa with eight destinations. Qatar Airways continues to maintain an expanding schedule with now more than 500 weekly flights to over 75 destinations. During the pandemic, Qatar Airways has become the largest global carrier to maintain its schedule in taking people home with the highest safety measures.
“Our wide network of flights during these challenging times has ensured we have kept up to date with the latest in international airport procedures. We also implemented the most advanced safety and hygiene measures on board our aircraft and in our home and hub at the HIA, which was recently voted the Best Airport in the Middle East for the sixth year in a row.
“Qatar Airways has been the most reliable airline during the pandemic and will continue to ensure its promised five-star service and hospitality is delivered across its network. We hope to see many people come visiting Kenya and Rwanda and exploring the world’s stunning wildlife and more.”
During COVID-19 pandemic, Qatar Airways Cargo continued operating its scheduled twice-weekly flights with A330 freighters and four-times-weekly flights with Boeing 777 freighters to Nairobi along with freight charters. These flights provided much required capacity, supporting exporters and importers and bringing in essential medical supplies. With the resumption of passenger flights to Nairobi, the cargo carrier will operate 20 flights in total, offering more than 700 tonnes of cargo capacity each week, each way.
Qatar Airways has further enhanced its onboard safety measures for passengers and cabin crew. The airline has introduced Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for cabin crew which includes gloves, face masks, safety glasses and a new protective gown that is fitted over their uniforms. A modified service that reduces interactions between passengers and the crew inflight has also been introduced.
All QA passengers are now provided with a complimentary protective kit. Inside a ziplock pouch, they will find a single-use surgical face mask, large disposable powder-free gloves and an alcohol-based hand sanitiser gel. The airline has also introduced disposable face shields for adults and children. Passengers travelling from the HIA will receive their face shields at the check-in counters, whereas at other destinations, the face shields will be distributed at the boarding gates.
To ensure travellers can plan their travel with peace of mind, the airline has extended its booking policies to offer even more choice to its passengers. The airline will allow unlimited date changes, and passengers can change their destination as often as they need if it is within 5,000 miles of the original destination. The airline will not charge any fare differences for travel completed before December 31, 2020, after which fare rules will apply. All tickets booked for travel up to December 31, 2020 will be valid for two years from the date of issuance.
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07/08/2020
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