Row Between Rwandair And Kenya Airways Deepen As Passengers Suffer

The bitter dispute between the Rwandan national airline, Rwandair Express and Kenya Airways has continued to deepen, causing a lot of inconvenience to many passengers.

On Sunday, Kenya Airways flight KQ 474U from Kigali International Airport to Nairobi was abruptly ordered to stop checking-in of Rwandair passengers as the Kenya Airways authorities announced that they had stopped any further code-sharing with the state owned Rwandair. The abrupt announcement that left many passengers stranded, meant many of them who had booked on Kenya Airways could not connect out of Kigali to their destinations, until the next day as that was the last flight.

Last month, the two airlines suspended their four year business partnership. Rwandair officials accused Kenya Airways of breaching the contents of a partnership agreement between the two airlines. Before then, Kenya Airways advised its passengers to sign indemnity forms with disclaimers, a move Rwandair management called unprofessional.

On the other hand, Kenya Airways management also accused Rwandair of lacking responsibility of its passengers by taking a decision to lease old planes from a Kenyan aviation company Jetlink. The Kenya Airways supervisor at Kigali International Airport, Alex Mugume, said there is no longer any business with Rwandair until it meets certain safety standards.

“We no longer have any business with Rwandair until the airline sorts out it self and therefore, can’t allow their passengers on our airline,” he said.

The dispute between Rwandair and Kenya Airways are causing inconveniences to passengers flying to and from Kigali International Airport. On several occasions they cannot connect to their destinations.

In an interview however, the Rwandair executive chairman, Gerald Zirimwabagabo described the Kenya Airways allegations and actions as wild and lacking, revealing that they are being used as punching bags. He wondered how the civil aviation authorities in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and South Africa could have allowed the airline to operate in those countries without certification.

He said, “Our airline meets all safety standards and the Kenya Airways allegations and actions to our passengers are totally unacceptable.”

Source African Press Agency

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