The Kenyan flag carrier Kenya Airways announced yesterday that it has temporarily suspended flights from Nairobi to Guangzhou, the only route to China, in relation to the dangers of Coronavirus infection which, as is now universally known, has recently been declared a global emergency by the WHO.
Initially Kenya Airways had refused to suspend flights to the country despite other airlines having done so. The final decision of the airline's top management came after two days ago British Airways and Air Canada, which had initially refused to block their aircraft on Chinese routes, also decided to close the country from where the powerful virus that attacks the airways and has already caused almost two hundred deaths.
"Following our previous communication regarding the current Coronavirus outbreak, we have temporarily suspended all flights to and from Guangzhou from Friday, January 31, 2020, until further notice. However, we make it clear that our service between Nairobi and Bangkok remains operational," says a statement from the airline.
"Our consultation with the Ministries of Health and Foreign Affairs will continue - continues the note - and we will provide updates as the situation evolves". We apologize to all our customers for the inconvenience and reaffirm that the safety of our customers and our staff remains our top priority".