Sheraton Kampala hosts Italian week
ITALIAN WEEK AT THE SHERATON KAMPALA HOTEL – A HAPPY MIX OF BUSINESS AND FOOD The Sheraton Kampala is once more the place to be, this time for an Italian Week where business and cuisine will meet in equal measure. The business to business meetings, and exhibition is held jointly with the Italian Embassy in […]
Hong Kong customs seize more blood ivory
MORE TANZANIA BLOOD IVORY NABBED IN HONG KONG Information was just received that customs in Hong Kong have again detected and confiscated more than a ton of blood ivory, shipped from Dar es Salaam via Dubai and destined for onward transport to an un-named final destination thought to be on the China mainland. More than […]
KWS set for Northern Kenya aerial game count
KWS TO CONDUCT WILDLIFE COUNT IN NORTHERN KENYA The Kenya Wildlife Service will commence an aerial wildlife count with special aim on elephant and Grevy zebra starting from November 25th, involving as many as 12 aircraft and lasting until November 30th. Target areas are the Samburu National Park, the Marsabit area and Shaba Game Reserve, […]
Routes Africa comes to Kampala in 2013
ROUTES AFRICA ANNOUNCES KAMPALA 2013 DATES The international Routes organization has just announced the dates for the 08th African Routes Development Conference, to be held in Kampala / Uganda next year. Co-hosted by the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority and the Entebbe International Airport it is set for the 07th – 09th of July next year […]
Mwazo loses in court as Muriithi triumphantly reclaims his position as KTB CEO
MWAZO SUFFERS DEFEAT IN COURT OVER MURIITHI’S APPOINTMENT The ruling today of the Industrial Court in favour of Muriithi Ndegwa as CEO of KTB, affirming that he indeed holds a valid 3 year contract extension as handed to him by the Head of Civil Service, finally restores a sense of order and continuity to the […]
Single security check to become part of Terminal 4 travel experience
NEW TERMINAL 4 TO FEATURE ONE SINGLE SECURITY CHECK The Kenya Airport Authority has just announced that they will introduce a single point security check for the new Terminal 4, which is presently under construction. Once cleared the KAA statement pointed out passengers will then no longer require the added level of gate security prior […]
SCAA MEETS ICAO DEADLINE TO SWITCH TO NEW FLIGHT PLAN FORMAT
SCAA MEETS ICAO DEADLINE TO SWITCH TO NEW FLIGHT PLAN FORMAT The Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority has yesterday switched to the new internationally required flight plan format as recommended by ICAO, the International Civil Aviation Organization based in Montreal. At 4 am on the 15th of November, the deadline ICAO had set for global compliance, […]
Now Jetlink appears to halt all operations effective Friday 16th November
JETLINK APPEARS TO HALT ALL OPERATIONS, NOT JUST JUBA FLIGHTS? Following the publication of information about Jetlink halting flights to Juba, as a result of Southern Sudan’s authorities refusing the airline the repatriation of over 2 million US Dollars held in local currency in banks in Juba, added information was rushed to this correspondent by […]
Not airborne anywhere FastJet makes move for 1Time
FASTJET APPEARS SET TO ACQUIRE 1TIME IN SOUTH AFRICA While only just starting to sell tickets in Tanzania, with flight operations still weeks away, it appears that the FastJet owners have a healthy appetite for yet more, as news have emerged from South Africa that the company is aiming at taking over 1Time, a low […]
Jetlink halts Juba flights effective immediately
JETLINK THE FIRST TO PULL THE PLUG ON JUBA The air is beginning to get thin for South Sudan, as far as transactions in hard currency are concerned as news are just breaking that effective immediately, Jetlink, one of Kenya’s leading private airlines, will halt all operations to and from the South Sudan capital as […]
RwandAir nearing decision for firm B787 order
RWANDAIR NEARING DECISION FOR FIRM B787 ORDER A regular source close to RwandAir has confirmed that the airline, shortly after taking delivery of two brand new CRJ900NG jets from Canadian manufacturer Bombardier, is now working on finalizing a firm order for at least one if not two B787 Dreamliner. Rwanda’s national airline appears to have […]
Concerns grow over Terminal 4 delays
KAA CONCEDES TERMINAL FOUR MAY ONLY COME ON LINE IN 2014 Aviation sources in Nairobi are getting increasingly worried over the apparent delays in procurement for Terminal 4 furnishings and equipment, prolonging the worsening congestion of the airport’s main terminal building. Built in the 1970’s, when at the time predecessor airport Embakasi was bursting at […]
Ebola returns to Uganda
FRESH EBOLA OUTBREAK HITS UGANDA Tourism stakeholders, just returned from a successful WTM 2012 attendance in London, are facing up to stark news that Ebola has yet again reappeared and already claimed two victims in the Luwero District of Uganda. Six weeks after the last outbreak was confirmed to have been brought under control and […]
Ethiopian deploys their B787 Dreamliner on Frankfurt route
ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES SWITCHES TO DREAMLINER ON FRANKFURT ROUTE Information from Addis Ababa was confirming pending aviation grapevine talk, that Ethiopian Airlines has deployed a brand new B787 Dreamliner on the route to Frankfurt since the end of October already. Ethiopian operates six flights a week between Addis and Frankfurt in addition to the 6 codeshared […]
Pascal Viroleau gets nod as first CEO of the Vanilla Island Cooperation
VANILLA ISLAND COOPERATION APPOINTS CEO AND TOP EXECUTIVES The meeting of the Council of Ministers for the Vanilla Island Cooperation, under the Chairmanship of Seychelles’ Minister for Tourism and Culture Alain St. Ange, on the Indian Ocean island of La Reunion, brought together ministers and their representatives from Mauritius, Madagascare, Mayotte, Comoros and the Seychelles. […]
Uganda’s gorilla population now above 400
BWINDI GORILLAS CROSS THE 400 MARK The Uganda Wildlife Authority has yesterday released the data of the last count carried out earlier in the year, confirming a positive trend in gorilla numbers as a result of increased protection and years of focused conservation efforts. The latest number available now stands at an estimated 400 mountain […]
Watamu set to host ILTA World Championship at Hemingways
HEMINGWAYS SET TO HOST DEEP SEE FISHING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Memories of the days of Ernest Hemingway, who often came to the Kenya coast for deep sea fishing in his days, will be recalled when during the last week of November this year Hemingways in Watamu will be hosting the ILTA Deep Sea Fishing World Championship. […]
Air traffic in Nairobi subjected to ATC go slow …
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS ON SLOW GO IN NAIROBI Breaking news are reaching from a source at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi that Air Traffic Control has inflicted a slow go on all traffic in and out of Kenya’s premier airport, delaying some flights by as much as an hour. Tweets from passengers on board […]
TCAA and Precision fire back at PATP statement
PILOTS’ REPRESENTATIVE TOLD TO GET FACTS RIGHT OR SHUT UP It took less than a day for Precision Air, Tanzania’s leading airline, to respond to a range of allegations made by the Secretary General of the association of Tanzanian pilots, who took aim at the airline by alleging the employment of ‘unqualified foreign pilots over […]
Kibaki legacy gets further boost with launch of commuter rail terminal
PRESIDENT KIBAKI SET TO LAUNCH COMMUTER RAIL AT SYOKIMAU Tuesday’s launch of the long awaited commuter rail services in Nairobi, on the stretch from Syokimau to the central Nairobi railway station, will signal relief for thousands of people who have hitherto been stuck in traffic jams for anywhere between an hour and a half to […]
EU suspends ETS under growing pressure and threat of trade wars
AFRICAN AIRLINES EXHALE AFTER EU SUSPENDS ETS One of the world’s most contentious regulations, the European Union’s Emission Trading Scheme, has been suspended for foreign airlines flying into EU airspace, at least until September next year according to reports received from a Brussels based aviation source. The issue, with EU Commissioner Connie Hedegaard and her […]
Likoni Ferry may face yet more disruptions
FRIDAY MAY BE STRIKE DAY AT THE FERRY AGAIN There are growing indications that staff at the Kenya Ferry Services, reportedly disgruntled over the company’s failure to pay up all outstanding dues, may return to strike action this coming Friday. The tourism trade, hard hit at the last full day strike and forced to take […]
Tourism investors worried about true motives for the hunt on Lupita Lodge owners
INVEST IN TANZANIA TOURISM AT YOUR OWN RISK Citing the ongoing saga over the Lupita Lodge’s owners, who according to the latest information are now also being hounded by the Tanzania Revenue Authority, after earlier attempts to frustrate them and make them pack up and go by lands department officials have failed, has a regular […]
North Samburu attacks leave scores of security personnel dead and wounded
SAMBURU ATTACKS ON POLICE CONTINGENT RAISES SERIOUS SECURITY CONCERNS As a fuller picture emerges from Kenya’s Samburu North District, where in recent days as many as 30 security personnel had been killed by alleged cattle rustlers, have tourism sources expressed their concern over the deteriorating security situation in several parts of the country. The number […]
Leopard Beach Resort and Spa set for grand reopening on December 12th
ONE MONTH AND COUNTING TO THE GRAND REOPENING OF THE ‘CHUI’ After once again scooping the prestigious ‘Kenya’s Leading Beach Resort’ accolade by the World Travel Awards for 2012, all eyes are now on the 12th of December, when the Leopard Beach Resort and Spa will reopen its doors after the most extensive refurbishment, rebuilding […]
Weekly roundup of news from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean region, Second edition November 2012
AVIATION, TOURISM AND CONSERVATION NEWS from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands. A weekly roundup of breaking news, reports, travel stories and opinions by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang H. Thome You can get your daily breaking news updates instantly via Twitter by following @whthome, join me on www.facebook.com/WolfgangHThome where the articles also ‘cross load’ or […]
KAA may opt for temporary structures at JKIA to improve performance
KAA IN DESPERATE RUSH FOR SHORT TERM CAPACITY SOLUTIONS A regular aviation source from Nairobi has confirmed that the Kenya Airport Authority, under immense pressure to complete ongoing construction and expansion work and then start with Project Greenfield – long delayed by political interference in the planning and procurement process as well as in the […]
Kibaki launches new super highway
PRESIDENT KIBAKI FORMALLY COMMISSIONS KENYA’S FIRST SUPERHIGHWAY The brand new 8 lane highway, connecting Nairobi with the municipality of Thika, was yesterday formally commissioned by President Mwai Kibaki, under whose leadership the project was launched in 2009. Highway construction and rehabilitation and major infrastructure projects like the expansion of aviation facilities across Kenya, not just […]
IFATCA meeting for Africa / Middle East ends in Kampala
IFATCA MEETING FOR AFRICA / MIDDLE EAST ENDS IN KAMPALA The 23rd IFATCA Africa / Middle East Regional Meeting ended yesterday in Kampala on a high note with a gala dinner hosted by the Uganda Air Traffic Controllers Association at the Kampala Serena Hotel. This is the third time UATCA is hosting this important event […]
Kenya Airways signs code share deal with Vietnam Airlines
KENYA AIRWAYS SIGNS CODESHARE WITH VIETNAM AIRLINES Kenya’s national airline has just announced their 17th code share agreement, linking Vietnam with Kenya via the airline’s direct flights to Bangkok, from where passengers can now enjoy seamless connections and through ticketing to fly to one of Asia’s most vibrant economies. The daily flight by KQ to […]
