Tanzania says it withdraws approval for Kenya Airways flights

Kenya Airways is one of Africa's largest airlines and Tanzania, where famed attractions like mountains and vast wildlife reserves that teem with prized game draw more than a million tourists a year, is one of its biggest markets. Tanzania's move adds to growing trade and commercial disputes between members of the East African Community (EAC), a regional bloc that operates a customs union.

Tanzania said on Monday it had withdrawn approval for Kenyan national carrier Kenya Airways to operate flights between the Kenyan capital Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania's commercial capital. The move, Tanzania said, was retaliation for Kenya's denial of rights to Tanzania national carrier Air Tanzania to operate cargo flights between the two countries.

In a statement, Tanzania civil aviation authority (TCAA) said it had decided "to rescind the approvals for Kenya Airways (KQ) to operate passenger flights between Nairobi and Dar es Salaam...with effect from 22 January 2024." "This is to reciprocate the decision by the aeronautical authorities of the Republic of Kenya to refuse the Tanzania request for all-cargo flight operations by Air Tanzania Company."

Kenya's decision to decline Air Tanzania's request for cargo flights violated a 2016 Memorandum of Understating between both countries on air services, TCAA said. Kenya Airways is one of Africa's largest airlines and Tanzania, where famed attractions like mountains and vast wildlife reserves that teem with prized game draw more than a million tourists a year, is one of its biggest markets.

Tanzania's move adds to growing trade and commercial disputes between members of the East African Community (EAC), a regional bloc that operates a customs union. Kenya has in the past complained about cheap products from neighbouring Uganda and blocked some of them, like milk and sugar, drawing protests from Kampala.

Landlocked Uganda has also taken Kenya to a regional court over a dispute related to the importation of petroleum products. Although Air Tanzania is a small airline, in recent years authorities have been trying to expand its fleet, routes and operations to earn a bigger share of revenues from the region's aviation business. (Writing by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Christina Fincher)

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