Were Kenya Airways planes denied landing permissions in Mogadishu?

MOGADISHU, Somalia - Strange data have been obtained from the tracker, showing three instances where planes managed by Kenya Airways (KQ) failed to either land at Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu or had their trips cancelled from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi.

Kenya started direct flights to Mogadishu recently after diplomatic challenges were ironed our after President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and his Kenyan counterpart William Ruto held meetings in Nairobi to fix the standoffs.

But in an interesting shift of events, On May 30, 2024, Kenya Airways flight KQ 362 to Somalia serviced by Embraer was to touch down at Mogadishu's Aden Adde International Airport at 15.15 but was cancelled under unclear circumstances.

On June 1, another KQ plane serving the same route left Nairobi at 14.21 for Somalia after an hour's delay. Upon reaching Mogadishu it remained in a holding pattern in the air for 35 minutes as the tracker shows, and eventually returned to Nairobi without landing at Aden Adde International Airport. This even as other airlines landed.

On June 2, another KQ flight scheduled for departure at 13.30 for Mogadishu's Aden Adde International Airport was cancelled. The three incidents happened within a short period of time and to date, no official statement has been issued.

Both the Somalia Civil Aviation Authority and the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority have not addressed the issue despite the trackers confirming the three incidents. Officials in Nairobi have not addressed the matter as well.

The KQ has been the most reliable form of air transport to Mogadishu, especially at the time Ethiopia is embroiled in regional tussles with Somalia after it signed an 'illegal' Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Somaliland over the acquisition of a section of the Red Sea.

Kenya plays an integral role in both the trade and security of the country, with another 3,000 troops serving in the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS). The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) is in charge of most parts of Jubaland state.

On Monday, the Director General of the Ministry of Transport and Aviation, Bashiir Moalim Ali Hassan met with the Ambassador of Italy to Somalia, Ambassador Pier Mario Dacco’ Coppi In Mogadishu.

The DG and the Ambassador discussed issues of mutual interests, strengthening the bilateral relations of the two countries particularly cooperation and development in the fields of airports development, ground transportation, road safety and civil aviation.

Somalia has twice cancelled flights to Nairobi after it had issues with the Indian Ocean maritime dispute with Kenya but the issue was solved. Somalia largely won the case at the International Court of Justice which delivered a judgment about two years ago.

The country severed ties with Kenya, cancelling trade partnerships in the process. But since the return of Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, the relationship between the two countries has significantly blossomed according to political analysts.

GAROWE ONLINE