Hopes of reopening flights and airports in May could also affect Kenya and possible connections with Europe.
Clearly, everything is in progress and much will depend on the contagion curve, for now on the rise but slowly, in the country and the decisions that the Government will take after April 25th, the day of the closure of international flights to and from the airports of Nairobi and Mombasa and after May 6th, the day on which the extension of the state of national emergency that in fact blinds five Kenyan counties, imposes a curfew and prevents people from entering the country without quarantine in facilities adapted by the Ministry of Health.
Kenya Airways' top management expects these decisions and those of the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority to redefine its international flight plan. The Kenyan flag carrier would be ready to fly to Geneva, for example, from 7 May, as reported by the authoritative industry website "Routesonline", but according to information in our possession the Geneva-Rome route would not be planned. The French-Dutch airline KLM, which is part of the Skyteam group that also includes Kenya Airways, appears to be very interested in re-establishing the Nairobi-Amsterdam flight as soon as possible. Qatar Airways has also expressed the desire to restart with the Nairobi-Doha connection in case the Jomo Kenyatta international airport reopens, but excluding the route to Mombasa.
Waiting speech for Emirates, which while working to make Dubai airport as prepared as possible for the months to come, with free tampons for all passengers and other prevention and containment measures, announced that it will take at least a month to see its planes fly over Africa and perhaps from June 1 it will also resume the Dubai-Malpensa route.
All this while waiting for a possible new commercial state flight from Rome for the return of the many compatriots who are still staying in Kenya or who work there and need to return to Italy.