KENYA AIRWAYS TO SUSPEND KINSHASA FLIGHTS OVER DETAINED EMPLOYEES

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya Airways said on Monday that it would suspend flights to the Democratic Republic of Congo's capital Kinshasa, after military authorities there failed to release its employees from detention despite a court order.

Congo's military intelligence detained two of the airline's staff on April 19 for allegedly failing to complete customs documentation on some valuable cargo, and the airline says it has failed to free them despite an order from a military court.

"Due to the continued detention of KQ employees by the Military Intelligence Unit in Kinshasa, Kenya Airways (KQ) is unable to support our flights without personnel effectively," Kenya's national carrier said in a statement.

"As a result, we reached a difficult decision to suspend flights to Kinshasa effective 30TH April 2024 until we can effectively support these flights."

(Reporting by Humphrey Malalo and Hereward Holland; Editing by Alexander Winning)

2024-04-29T14:20:39Z dg43tfdfdgfd