Kenya Airways suspends planned flights to Italy and Cameroon, gives reason

Business Insider | Due to the pandemic's impact, the airline justified the suspension on low customer demand.

Meanwhile, the airline stated that it will continue to serve Italy via other European cities such as London and Amsterdam.

Remember that Kenya Airways and British Airways struck a code-share deal in October of last year to connect 26 European destinations.

Due to poor passenger demand for these destinations, Kenya Airways has announced the cancellation of planned flights to Italy and continuing flights to Cameroon.

The airline had previously stated that it will restart full service to Italy in June. "The postponement is due to reduced passenger demand as a result of a slower than projected recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic," it announced on Monday.

The airline's first itinerary, according to Business Insider Africa, was to fly to Italy twice a week on Wednesdays and Sundays.

The airline had re-introduced the Italian route in 2019, after a seven-year hiatus, in order to capitalize on an increase in passenger traffic between Europe and Africa.

Kenya Airways and Alitalia Airline increased their codeshare partnership last year. Both airlines gained more connections as a result of the agreement, allowing their customers to fly easily to their destinations. According to Business Daily, the codeshare arrangement provided travelers with additional travel options and improved flight schedules.

While flights to Italy are being postponed, Kenya Airways has stated that it will continue to serve Italy through other European destinations such as London and Amsterdam, connecting with other partner airlines such as Air France-KLM and Italia Transporto Aereo.

Remember that last October, Business Insider Africa reported that Kenya Airways had secured a code share arrangement with British Airways to connect 26 European cities.

Kenya Airways is one of Africa's biggest airlines, transporting over four million passengers annually to over forty-one locations both within and outside Africa. At the 2021 World Travel Awards, the airline got two awards: Africa's Leading Airline and Africa's Leading Airline (Business Class).

Unfortunately, the airline has recently had financial difficulties.