Kenya Airways (KQ) has suspended flights to Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), effective April 30, 2024.
In a statement on Monday, April 29, KQ said the decision comes due to the ongoing detention of its employees by the Military Intelligence Unit in Kinshasa.
Kenya Airways expressed its inability to continue operations without the necessary personnel in place.
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The airline cited the challenges posed by the continued detention of its staff, making it difficult to oversee various aspects of its operations in Kinshasa, including customer service, ground handling, and cargo activities.
"Due to the continued detention of KQ employees by the Military Intelligence Unit in Kinshasa, Kenya Airways (KQ) is unable to support our flights without personnel effectively. As a result, we reached a difficult decision to suspend flights to Kinshasa effective 30TH April 2024 until we can effectively support these flights. The continued detention of our employees has made it difficult for us to supervise our operations in Kinshasa, which include customer service, ground handling, cargo activities, and generally ensuring safe, secure, and efficient operations," the statement by KQ read in part.
The national carrier also highlighted the plea for the humane treatment of the detained staff, calling for their release to allow due process to be respected.
Kenya Airways apologized to its customers for any inconvenience caused by the suspension of flights and assured them that their safety and well-being, along with that of the staff, remained the airline's top priority.
Affected customers were advised to contact Kenya Airways' customer excellence team for assistance.
The airline reassured its commitment to cooperating with investigating agencies and relevant government entities in both the DRC and Kenya to resolve the matter swiftly.
Kenya Airways urged for a resolution that would enable its employees to return to their families and normal lives without further delay.
"We continue cooperating with the investigating agencies and the relevant Government entities in both DRC and Kenya to ensure this matter is resolved. We ask that the Military court's direction that they be released to allow due process to be respected so that our innocent staff can return to their families and everyday lives without harassment," KQ stated.
Position Statement: Kenya Airways Suspends Flights to Kinshasa https://t.co/a3tEyBnO9n pic.twitter.com/4gstsoVcz0— Kenya Airways (@KenyaAirways) April 29, 2024
2 KQ employees detained
Recently, two employees were arrested in Kinshasa by the Military Intelligence Unit.
KQ CEO Allan Kilavuka stated that the employees were detained due to missing customs documentation for valuable cargo supposed to be transported on an April 12 flight.
"The reason for their arrest was alleged to be missing custom documentation on valuable cargo that was to be transported on a KQ flight on April 12th, 2024. However, we wish to state that the said cargo was not uplifted or accepted by KQ due to incomplete documentation," Kilavuka said.
However, the cargo was never accepted by Kenya Airways due to incomplete paperwork.
Despite a court order for their release, the military continues to hold them incommunicado, confiscating their phones and denying access.
"Despite the court orders, the military intelligence unit is still holding them incommunicado, yet these are civilians being held in a military intelligence facility," he added.
The embassy and a few Kenya Airways staff were permitted a brief visit on April 23.
Kilavuka clarified that the cargo was still undergoing clearance when the security team arrived, and efforts to explain this to the military officers were unsuccessful.
The employees were taken to the military side of the air wing for questioning and have been held since then.
