The tourist season is upon us, and although the looming national elections as always have at least slowed down any institutional process, for Kenya there is a need to move quickly to reopen the skies to as many international airlines as possible and especially to reactivate the licenses to land planes in Mombasa and consequently activate new routes and those that had been deactivated at the time of the pandemic.
If the alarm bells rang a few weeks ago with the announcement by Turkey's national carrier Turkish Airlines that it was canceling flights due to the non-approval of their license to land in Mombasa, other airlines are on the lookout for future possible openings to which there is still no answer, especially KLM from Holland and Qatar from Doha.
But others could be added, because interest in flying directly to the Kenyan coast, and not through Nairobi then taking a domestic flight (with consequent problems of limited seats and baggage and reservations). 
At the recent meeting of the KAHC hotelier and restaurant association, an ultimatum was issued to the government to move as soon as possible on the "Open Sky" issue.
Open the skies to as many airlines as possible consistent with the services and receptive possibilities of Moi International Airport, at least to all those who qualify and wish to fly to Mombasa. 
According to KAHC at this time the same airlines that have been denied landing and have no certainty for the immediate future are already heading to other airports. And it is clear that, for example in the case of Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania, the direct flight then means consequently arranging to stay in the neighboring African country that more or less offers the same sea and safari opportunities for tourists who want to visit Africa.
This would only permanently scuttle an already struggling and slowly recovering industry.
"We need more air traffic in the region in order to grow the industry, which needs to recover after the forced reduction of flights has been one of the biggest obstacles to growth in the international market," said KAHC CEO Mike Macharia. "We are losing our regular market, because if we don't let them in, they will be allowed to go to other destinations. 
According to Macharia, there should be no limits on license approvals; Mombasa Airport has what it takes to be complementary to Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in accommodating international flights.
"If you look at the strategy and the number of aircraft we would like to attract to Kenya, they couldn't all land at JKIA anyway," Macharia reiterated, "many bilateral agreements have not been renewed, which has caused a reduction in the number of direct flights, including from charter airlines. Planes that were supposed to come here more than twice a week are now scheduled only once a week."
KAHC's ultimatum expects a response from the government soon, as the trade association has already scheduled two demonstrations, with hoteliers and their respective staffs marching on Wednesday, June 22, in Mombasa (from the famous tusks on Moi Avenue to the Regional Commissioner's office) and in Malindi.