KENYA: X mass Holidays Attract More Travellers For Jambojet

Budget airline Jambojet has introduced additional flights to the coastal cities as it seeks to cash in on the high demand from holidaymakers.

The airline’s CEO Willem Hondius said there has been increased demand for air travel between Nairobi and the Coast forcing the company to increase frequency starting Tuesday (Dec 19).

Jambojet is now operating three flights to Malindi and Ukunda and four to Mombasa per week.

Yes we have added flights to Malindi (3 per week), Mombasa (4 per week), Ukunda (3 per week plus a third frequency per day between December 19 and 31),said Mr Hondius.

Mr Hondius said all routes that the airline plies have registered high demand. During the festive season we see demand going up sharply and there is always need to add flights,he said.

Last week the airline received one of two planes it purchased last month at Sh6.6 billion to cater for increased demand this Christmas season.

The addition brings Jambojet’s fleet to six – two Q400 planes that it acquired earlier in the year and two Boeing 737s leased from Kenya Airways KQ its parent company.

The airline said the remaining plane will arrive later this month. The two planes have been acquired from Danish firm Nordic Aviation Capital.

The cost of booking air tickets has significantly gone up as more passengers seek to travel by air. Those who have been booking from last week are paying almost double the price compared with travellers who booked in November.

It’s still quite last minute unfortunately. However for the festive season people tend to book a bit earlier, said the CEO.

The airline in May got regulatory approval to fly to 16 regional routes, including Entebbe, Addis Ababa, Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Kilimanjaro, Mwanza, Kigali, Juba, Bujumbura, Hargeisa, Mogadishu, Goma, Kisangani and Moroni.

Meanwhile, Jambojet is set to start flights to Tanzania and Uganda by February next year, kicking off its regional expansion plan designed to see the low-cost carrier fly to 16 new routes.

The Transport ministry said it had applied for permission for the budget airline, a subsidiary of Kenya Airways is to fly to the countries.

Jambojet was in May granted regulatory approval to fly to 16 routes including Entebbe, Addis Ababa, Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Kilimanjaro, Mwanza, Kigali, Juba, Bujumbura, Hargeisa, Mogadishu, Goma, Kisangani and Moroni.

The government has applied for designations on our behalf to allow us operate on six regional routes, Willem Hondius, Jambojet’s chief executive said.

For now, the application covers Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia and Democratic Republic of Congo. However, we intend to begin by flying to Tanzania and Uganda.

Jambojet also plans to start flying to Wajir by next February, adding to its existing flights between Nairobi and Mombasa, Eldoret, Kisumu, Lamu, Malindi and Ukunda (Diani).

The airline had earlier said it would make its international debut by the end of this year, but delays in receiving two Bombardier Q400 aircraft has seen them push their launch date forward.

These two planes are now expected before Christmas.

The extended electioneering period took a toll on the business, with total bookings for the four months to October dipping by around 16 per cent, Mr Hondius revealed.

The airline flies between 45,000 and 50,000 passengers per month.

In the weeks around the two general elections, he added, passenger numbers dropped by a quarter, highlighting the huge toll that the process had on Kenya’s aviation sector.

Kenya Airways’ latest annual report indicates that Jambojet reported a pre-tax loss of Sh25 million for the year to March, reversing a pre-tax profit of Sh126 million recorded the previous year.

The loss was attributable to last year’s peak season when insufficient aircraft messed us up. The elections affected us negatively this year. While business has rebounded, we shall assess the full impact with time, said Mr Hondius.

Jambojet is set to receive two new aircraft worth Sh6.6 billion before Christmas in anticipation of the high-season passenger demand and as the low-cost carrier prepares to start international flights.

The airline, a subsidiary of national carrier Kenya Airways is set to receive the first of two Bombardier Q400 on December 11. The second one is expected to touch down in Nairobi six days later.

Jambojet was in May granted regulatory approval to fly to 16 routes including Entebbe, Addis Ababa, Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Kilimanjaro, Mwanza, Kigali, Juba, Bujumbura, Hargeisa, Mogadishu, Goma, Kisangani and Moroni.

We are confident that the Q400 aircraft will allow us to implement our growth strategy as we strive to launch new routes and to respond to the anticipated increase in demand, Willem Hondius, Jambojet’s chief executive, said in a statement.

The budget carrier will lease the aircraft from Danish firm Nordic Aviation Capital which in turn signed a purchase order for the planes with Montreal-based Bombardier on Wednesday.

Jambojet, which has been operational since April 2014, currently operates four aircraft — two Q400 planes which were also acquired this year and two Boeing 737s leased from its parent firm.

The airline plies six routes in Kenya; between Nairobi and Mombasa, Eldoret, Kisumu, Malindi and Ukunda (Diani). We are looking at retiring our narrow body fleet (Boeing 737s) and transitioning to an all-Q400 fleet by end of this year, said Mr Hondius.

The carrier has already returned one of the Boeings to KQ with the national carrier now expected to put it up for sale.

Thousands of Jambojet passengers travelling to the Coast over Christmas were hit by flight delays and cancellations.

The airline said the delays resulted from technical problems on one Bombardier, which was compounded by the delayed arrival of the aircraft to handle higher passenger numbers during the holiday season.

Jambojet, which issued an apology for these delays, has since then set out to increase its fleet to avoid a repeat of this incident even as looks to expand regionally.

Jambojet has slashed baggage fees by up to 65 per cent in a bid to generate more non-passenger ticket revenue for the budget airline.

The low-cost carrier has announced that its highest luggage fee, charged on 32 kilogrammes of baggage, will drop to Sh5,500 for payments made at their airport and half that for bookings made through agents or online.

This marks a sharp fall from the Sh15,600 and Sh7,800 respectively which Jambojet, a Kenya Airways subsidiary, was charging its customers.

We have reduced the rates, allowing passengers to carry more for less, Jambojet chief executive Willem Hondius said. We have also reduced the baggage fee bands making it easier for passengers to choose.

Jambojet’s baggage policy review comes a few months after it hired Catherine Mwangi as its ancillary manager.

Ancillary services in the airline industry include entertainment, onboard shopping, Internet gaming, car hire, frequent flier programmes, hotel bookings, checked baggage and better cabin seating.

The extras normally add on to and sometimes exceed the budget ticket costs.

Ms Mwangi has previously held various marketing jobs at Qatar Airways, Air France-KLM as well as South African Airways.

Payments made at the airport will cost double across all bands.

Jambojet achieved a 90 per cent on-time-performance (OTP) in September and October mainly driven by a new fleet, records show.

The low-cost carrier recorded a six per cent higher average of OTP in the two months after recording 84 per cent in August.

OTP is an industry benchmark calculated based on flights taking off and landing within 15 minutes of the scheduled time.

We are well over our target of 80 per cent which is considerably better than the industry average. Without a doubt, this is a very good sign as we go into the peak festive season, said Jambojet chief executive Willem Hondius.

Our investment in the two new Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 aircrafts has enabled us to deliver a very reliable flight schedule across the country and live up to the expectation of customers.

The airline has maintained an average OTP of 85 per cent in the past seven months, Mr Hondius said.

Jambojet has in its nearly four years of operation in Kenya increased its routes from four to six, with increased frequency of flights due to fleet expansion.

It currently operates 75 flights per week on its domestic routes from Nairobi to Mombasa, Eldoret, Kisumu, Malindi and Ukunda.

The airline, which has a code-share agreement with Kenya Airways for domestic travel, expects delivery of two new aircraft later this year.




Tourism Observer

RWANDA: RwandAir To Open Mumbai Route

RwandAir will start flights to Mumbai, India later this years, John Mirenge, the chief executive officer, has said. Mirenge said the airline would start operating four flights to Mumbai per week in December 2016 flying its brand new A330-300 aircraft.

He said the national carrier has already appointed India's Bird Travel as the general sales agent as it prepares to launch the route.

"We want Bird Travel to position our brand by creating awareness about our products and services in this market," Mirenge noted.

He explained that the sales agent will act as the liaison point for the airline's sales development in India, providing ticketing and direct support services.

He added that Bird Travel, which is part of the Bird Group founded in 1971 as an aviation management company, use its vast experience to market RwandAir in the vast travel market presented by India.

The firm specialises in representing airlines and other travel and tourism partners majorly as sales agent for operations, and aviation management.

With over 40 years of experience and more than 45 offices supported by over 6,000 staff and an impressive clientele of over 500 top corporate companies, Praful Khosla, the Bird Travel executive vice-president, is confident RwandAir made a right choice.

"Bird Group is one of the largest and most diversified entities within the industry in the Indian sub-continent. We are therefore delighted to be associated with RwandAir as their exclusive sales agent in India," Khosla said, adding that they are optimistic about the partnership. RwandAir signed a purchase agreement with Airbus A300-200 and A330-300 last year as part of its expansion strategy to Europe and East Asia, including India.

The national carrier is IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certified, which guarantees its safety and airworthiness.

Sonia Kamikazi, the airline's corporate quality assurance manager, said the certification ensures the airline is competitive in the cutthroat aviation industry.

Currently, the airline flies to 17 destinations, including Nairobi, Entebbe, Mombasa, Bujumbura, Lusaka, Juba, Douala, Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro, Johannesburg, Dubai, Lagos, Libreville and Brazzaville.

UGANDA: Will Uganda Get Another National Carrier?

President Museveni, when addressing the first cabinet meeting of his new government, reportedly told them that 'because our brothers in Ethiopia, Kenya and South Africa let us down' the formation of a national airline was now a priority.

When the former Uganda Airlines was finally dissolved it was because the carrier was broke and had been stripped of its cash cows like a ground handling monopoly, handed to a local consortium while the other profit making arm, the ownership of the local Galileo franchise, too eventually went into private hands.

No investors could be found at the time, as suitors swiftly discovered that all they would get was a debt ridden empty shell with no aircraft and few other assets.

Years later came the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development, set up Air Uganda and was after seven years of operations nearing break even point, when the Ugandan Civil Aviation Authority killed them off, as amply explained here at the time.

That in fact happened at a time when the Ugandan government had the offer on the table to invest into the airline and turn it into a quasi if not real national carrier. While government pondered the offer did the Uganda CAA do their dirty work however and - allegedly to escape ICAO sanctions - pulled the international AOC's of all Uganda registered airlines, at one stage citing safety concerns.

This however was swiftly dismissed as a fairy tale and smoke screen as domestic operations by some of the affected airlines like the Aero Club in Entebbe, Ndege Juu in Kajjansi and of Eagle Air from Entebbe were allowed to continue even though they could not fly across the national borders.

Over 230 highly qualified employees of Air Uganda lost their jobs and connections to Nairobi, Juba, Kigali, Bujumbura, Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro, Mombasa and Mogadishu literally vanished overnight leading to a scramble for seats and substantially higher fares.

While eventually then RwandAir and Ethiopian were given fifth freedom traffic rights to fly out of Entebbe, to Juba first and then, in the case of RwandAir, to Nairobi, were most other former U7 routes no longer available on direct flights and needed transit elsewhere.

A former Air Uganda employee in fact, when discussing the development last night, promptly responded, on condition of anonymity: 'Unless those responsible at UCAA for the Air Uganda closure are retired or sacked and a new team installed, what will change.

Who will guarantee a new investor that they will not pull the same stunts all over again if they are faced with a potential ICAO audit failure like it was the case when they shut down U7'.

Airline sources reached in the short time also denied that there have been 'failures' on the part of regional airlines flying to and from Entebbe in regard of fares, but that for one it was the market vis a vis supply and demand of seats which led to pricing and perhaps the lack of incentives by the Ugandan authorities to make flying in and out of Entebbe cheaper.

Others pointed to the challenges even established airlines in the region were faced with, such as Air Tanzania or Kenya Airways, and that an upstart would find it very difficult to capture traffic on especially international routes, where the likes of Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad, Fly Dubai from the Gulf and Brussels Airlines and KLM from Europe offered both competitive fares and state of the art equipment, infrastructure and global connectivity, a national airline would find impossible to match.

One other aviation source then added yet more salt when pointing out that under the NCIP - short for Northern Corridor Integration Projects - an aviation deal was reached that member countries like Uganda and South Sudan without a national airline, would let those with well developed national carriers operate routes out of Entebbe on fifth freedom rights.

Towards that end is RwandAir increasing their fleet from the present 8 to 12 aircraft by the middle of next year, offering a wider range of connections for Ugandan travelers either directly out of Entebbe or via Kigali.

Insider information suggests that a group of international aviation investors is considering the setting up of a new airline based in Entebbe, but given the trend of rising crude oil prices, the cost of new aircraft - the airline would need both short / medium haul and long haul equipment to face the competition - and the globally emerging lack of pilots meeting the required standards, this will be a mammoth task to accomplish.

'Unless a new airline starts pole pole with say two or three aircraft for short regional routes, the initial losses would be staggering. They would need an approach like Air Uganda started up, building market share on key regional routes before branching out and gradually adding more.

Even then must an investor have deep pockets to sustain the initial losses for as much as two years, hoping the world economy will not throw tantrums and that the East African region is remaining stable and the money is found for all the infrastructure projects presently under planning. Look at RwandAir how they patiently over many years now built their brand and route network. That takes time and money.

The Rwandan government is fully behind their airline, but given our budget challenges and priorities like Health, Education and infrastructure, how much can Uganda squeeze out from the annual budget to support such a venture until it matures and breaks even'

Many questions indeed and certainly fodder for thought, giving airlines already on the route enough time to plan their market strategies in the event this becomes reality, of how best to compete using their networks, known brands, ability to adjust fares into and out of Entebbe and importantly, their frequent flyer programmes which give direct incentives and benefits to their loyal passengers.
Watch this space for regular and breaking news from Eastern Africa's aviation scene.

BURUNDI: Killing Of General Kararuza A Shame For President Nkurunziza

Burundi's President Pierre Nkurunziza has given the security forces a one-week deadline to find the killers of a senior general shot dead on Monday.

The killing of General Athanase Kararuza and his wife were "shameful acts," he said.

Their daughter was also wounded in the attack outside her school in the capital, Bujumbura.

More than 400 people have been killed in unrest since Mr Nkurunziza announced a year ago his bid for a third term.
He won elections in July, after surviving a coup attempt and mass protests to demand that he steps down.

General Kararuza was the latest in a string of high-ranking army officials who have been targeted by unidentified gunmen.

"He energetically fought against the coup plotters last year and exceptionally contributed in strengthening peace and security during and after elections," Mr Nkurunziza said in a statement.

General Kararuza's bodyguard was also killed in the shooting.

Security forces have also been accused of killing opponents and dumping them in mass graves by rights group Amnesty International.

Shortly after the attack in Bujumbura, the International Criminal Court announced that it was starting a preliminary investigation into the violence in Burundi.

This will decide whether a full-blown investigation will take place, which could result in charges against those accused of being behind the violence.

The killing is an embarrassment to the President it shows that he cannot guarantee the safety of his officers.

On Sunday, the Minister for Human Rights Martin Nivyabandi survived a grenade attack as he was coming out of church.

Although both opposition and government forces are ethnically mixed, some fear that the violence could descend into a repeat of the genocidal killings which the country has previously experienced.

Mr Nkurunziza is the former leader of a Hutu rebel group which battled a Tutsi-dominated army for many years until he came to power in 2005 as part of a peace deal.

The African Union had said it would send a 5,000-strong peacekeeping force to the country even if the government did not accept it but it has since back-tracked.

BURUNDI: Police Accused Of rRounding Up Victims Before Killing Them

Burundi’s army says almost 90 people were killed in Friday’s violent clashes in the capital Bujumbura.

It was the worst outbreak of unrest since a failed coup in May.

Residents say some of the dead were killed after being rounded up by police, an allegation that is denied.

“As I was trying to close the door, I saw a bunch of policemen walking past. Then they spotted a group of men in the area and they asked them to stop,” said one Nyakabiga resident.

“The men got scared and they started running and the policemen started opening fire.

“At that time, our son was trying to close the door and when the soldiers spotted him, they just shot him there and then.”

Gunmen attacked three military sites in Bujumbura, according to the army.

Almost 80 attackers are reported to have been killed and 45 others captured.

There are claims some of the dead had their hands tied behind their backs.

BURUNDI: Don't Go To Burundi, Kenya Airways, RwandAir Cancel Flights After Military Bases Attack

Kenya Airways and RwandAir cancelled their flights to the Burundian capital on Friday, officials said, after gunmen launched attacks on military bases in Bujumbura in the early hours of the morning.

"The reason we could not land is that there is no personnel," said Kenya Airways Corporate Communications Manager Wanjiku Mugo, adding that all three of its daily flights were cancelled.

A RwandAir official said its flight to Bujumbura on Friday had also been cancelled. It was not immediately clear if the airport had officially been shut.

"Bujumbura airport is not closed but some airlines have cancelled their flights to Bujumbura," said presidential media adviser Willy Nyamitwe.

Twelve insurgents who launched the attacks were killed and 20 others were arrested, an army spokesman said.

Speaking to state radio, army spokesman Gaspard Baratuza said five soldiers were also wounded when assailants tried to storm military bases to seize weapons to free people held in prison.

Soldiers, speaking on condition of anonymity, had earlier said that at least five soldiers were killed in the attacks.

BURUNDI: Heavy Gun Fire In Bujumbura, Flights Cancelled

Kenya Airways and RwandAir cancelled their flights to the Burundian capital on Friday, officials said, after gunmen launched attacks on military bases in Bujumbura in the early hours of the morning.

"The reason we could not land is that there is no personnel," said Kenya Airways Corporate Communications Manager Wanjiku Mugo, adding that all three of its daily flights were cancelled.

A RwandAir official said its flight to Bujumbura on Friday had also been cancelled. It was not immediately clear if the airport had officially been shut.

Dozens of people were killed in coordinated assaults on two army barracks in the Burundi capital Bujumbura early Friday, according to witnesses and a military source.

Fighting began at around 4:00 am (0600 GMT) when "heavily armed men" attacked a base at Ngagara in the north of the city and a military training college in the south, according to a senior military officer, who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity.

"After more than two hours of clashes, the army repulsed the southern attack, while virtually all the attackers were killed in Ngagara base," the officer said.

"There are dozens of deaths among the attackers, and we also have losses," he said, adding the situation would soon be brought "completely" under control.

The attacks on the army base in Ngagara and the ISCAM Higher Institute of Military Training in Musaga were confirmed by 10 witnesses contacted by telephone. All spoke of heavy firing, including the sounds of artillery, lasting several hours.

The fighting is the heaviest since a failed coup in May, sparked by President Pierre Nkurunziza's bid for a third term which he later won in disputed elections in July.

A government spokesman confirmed the attacks on Twitter, referring to the gunmen as "Sindumuja", meaning "I am not a slave", a name sometimes used for the insurgents.

"Tonight the #Sindumuja tried to attack military camps but they failed," Willy Nyamitwe, media advisor to the president, wrote early on Friday.

Pacific Nininahazwe, an exiled civil society activist and anti-Nkurunziza protest leader said that, "at least two camps were attacked" and weapons looted and claimed that "soldiers have joined the rebels".

Exchanges of fire could still be heard in several neighbourhoods of Bujumbura by 8:30 early on Friday, when most people would be heading to work. Instead, the streets were empty as city residents stayed home.

"All bridges are under army control and no movement is being permitted from one area to another," the senior military officer said.

The UN and several foreign embassies on Friday urged their employees to stay at home and lock their doors.

"This is a very worrying escalation because it is genuine military, or paramilitary, operations taking place in the capital," said one European diplomat.

BURUNDI: Beligium Advises Its Citizens To Leave Burundi Amid Daily Killings

PRESIDENT PIERRE NKURUNZIZA

Belgium's foreign ministry on Friday advised its citizens in Burundi to leave unless they have an essential reason for staying, following a wave of political violence in the central African nation.

"We advise Belgians who are currently in Burundi and whose presence is not essential to leave the country as soon as normal measures allow," the ministry said in updated travel advice on its website.

A foreign ministry spokesman said that around 500 Belgians were currently in Burundi.

"It is not a general evacuation order but we advise Belgians to consider their situation and leave if they do not have to be there," the spokesman said.

The United Nations moved on Thursday to pull Burundi back from the brink of "possible genocide," adopting a resolution that called for urgent talks and laid the groundwork for peacekeepers to be sent to stop the killings.

Burundi descended into violence after President Pierre Nkurunziza launched a controversial bid to prolong his term in office in April. At least 240 people have been killed in Burundi and more than 200,000 have fled the tiny landlocked nation.

BURUNDI: Tourism At A Total Halt As Killings Continue, US State Department Advises Avoiding Non Essential Travel To Burundi

Two years ago was Burundi the up and coming destination in Eastern Africa, when under the stewardship of Carmen Nibigira, then Director General of the Burundia National Tourist Office a new vision for the country was rolled out and the country was trending in Eastern Africa, buzzing with excitement over new initiatives.

The powergrab of President Nkurunziza for what most countries in the region, in Africa and across the world continue to view as illegal under the constitution of the country and under the Arusha Peace Agreement, which saw institutions manipulated and key opponents driven into exile before a sham election gave the regime a third term.

In the run up already, Ms. Nibigira had since left to complete her Ph.D. studies, were Visa regulations changed, demanding Visa in advance, ostensibly to keep journalists and suspected human rights activists out of the country, already leading to a free fall in tourist arrival numbers. The cost of initially 90 US Dollars, more recently downsized to 50 US Dollars, too contributed to visitors staying away from Burundi and the nascent tourism industry took a heavy beating.

Now has the United States’ State Department added to the country’s woes when yesterday a sharpish notice was published advising against all but essential travel to the country, which has descended into a cycle of pro and anti regime violence with both targeted and random killings.

Burundi Travel Warning

LAST UPDATED: NOVEMBER 3, 2015

The State Department continues to warn U.S. citizens of the risks of travel to Burundi and recommends U.S. citizens avoid non-essential travel. This Travel Warning also informs U.S. citizens that the Department of State has terminated the Ordered Departure status, allowing eligible family members and non-emergency personnel who departed Burundi to return. This replaces the Travel Warning issued on May 14.

Travel outside Bujumbura presents significant risks, especially after nightfall. The U.S. embassy limits and monitors the travel of its personnel in Burundi. All movement by embassy employees outside the city from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. is prohibited. Likewise, U.S. citizens should not travel on national highways from dusk to dawn. Armed criminals ambush vehicles, particularly on the roads leading out of Bujumbura. Keep vehicle doors locked and windows up when stopped in heavy traffic.

Corruption is endemic in Burundi and contributes to an environment where the rule of law is not respected. Criminals who have bribed local officials may operate with impunity.

Coinciding with the ongoing World Travel Market in London, one of the worlds’ top travel trade shows, is this seen as the final nail in the coffin of Burundi’ tourism industry, with investments laying idle and accomplishments made two years ago crumbling into dust.

One contributor from Burundi, more regular in the past than now understandable, called the new ‘heartbreaking’ before adding ‘Can’t express my sadness’. Sad indeed and the East African Community block is also said to be quietly considering punitive action against the regime for last week’s horrendous treatment of visiting EAC Secretary General Dr. Richard Sezibera which provoked an instant diplomatic protest from the East African Community headquarters in Arusha to the Burundian regime. Watch this space for breaking and regular news about tourism across the East African region.

RWANDA: Rwanda Air To Route Flights To India And China Via Dubai

Information received from an aviation source in Dubai suggests that RwandAir, due to receive two Airbus A330 wide body aircraft next year, may consider routing the planned flights to Guangzhou and Mumbai via Dubai.

Plans by RwandAir to launch Mumbai flights, using a B737-800NG via Dar es Salaam, came to naught when the Tanzanian aviation regulators denied the airline fifth freedom rights, claiming their own national airline was planning to launch flights, a preposterous suggestion causing widespread amusement considering the moribund state of Air Tanzania.

The Airbus order however puts paid to that plan as RwandAir will be able to launch flights from Kigali directly to Mumbai, but given that the airline apparently holds fifth freedom rights out of Dubai, may it well be a viable option to route is East bound intercontinental flights via DXB and pick up additional traffic from there.

The source attributed the information to RwandAir’s Deputy CEO Mr. Jean-Paul Nyirubutama, who is in the UAE for the Dubai Air Show, where he reportedly spoke to the media.

To boost continental flights from across Africa, key to feeding traffic into their planned intercontinental services to China, India and Europe, will a further two Boeing B737-800NG SkyInterior be joining the fleet in 2016 as well, very likely staged to arrive prior to the two A330’s which are due in Kigali in September and December next year respectively. RwandAir presently serves the West African destinations of Brazzaville, Libreville, Douala, Lagos and Accra while in Southern Africa flying daily to Johannesburg, a flight which presently routes three times a week via Lusaka. In Eastern Africa does RwandAir serve Bujumbura, Entebbe, Juba, Kilimanjaro, Dar es Salaam, Nairobi, Mombasa and, as a sole domestic destination, Kamembe in the south east of the country at the border to Congo.

Dubai is served daily too with three flights routing via Mombasa, where the airline again has fifth freedom rights in both directions.

KENYA: Lufthansa’s Return To Nairobi, Bad Start

Lufthansa, which forced partner Brussels Airlines off the Nairobi route in exchange for flights to Accra / Ghana, is coming under severe and sustained critique for their apparent U-turn to scale back the number of services operated from the envisaged four to just three, in addition to which a smaller aircraft is now scheduled to operate the Frankfurt to Nairobi flights from mid October.

The news a few months ago that Brussels Airlines, which operated an Airbus A330-200 from Brussels via either Bujumbura or Kigali to Nairobi before returning to Brussels nonstop, had been pushed to accept a deal reportedly forced upon them by senior partner Lufthansa, to yield the route to Kenya to them, had caused some serious consternation among travelers and travel agents alike.

At the end of the 1990’s did Lufthansa ditch the Nairobi route under the flimsy pretext of not having a suitable aircraft after the sale of their Airbus A310 fleet, though insiders at the time speculated that the Africa management forced the decision over revenues as flights to destinations like Asmara and Addis Ababa continued uninterrupted. ‘They could not stand the competitive heat over low fares, that is the truth about what happened back then’ volunteered a Nairobi based travel agent before adding ‘We were happy with Brussels Airlines. They were punctual, offered good fares and good service. Many of us are sad that they were pushed out of Nairobi and the latest news about Lufthansa now scaling back flights from four to three is just a reminder how they abandoned Nairobi 15 years ago. In fact, if the rumours are true that they intend to use a small single aisle aircraft they are very mistaken if they think they will make an impact in Kenya. Airlines like Qatar or Etihad use the Airbus A320 but that is only for a flight of about 5 hours. Frankfurt to Nairobi is eight plus hours and squeezing people into a small aircraft will be self-defeating. The Gulf airlines, BA, KLM, Turkish will all have a field day to demolish Lufthansa’s sales efforts’.

Another senior travel agent rubbished the Lufthansa return altogether when commenting on the emerging news that the airline planned to scrap the Sunday flight and change the aircraft from a wide body to a Boeing B737-700: ‘For one an airline like Lufthansa is expected to operate daily flights and absorb the startup cost until the route is profitable. Secondly, reducing the already ridiculous four flights to three is doing their reputation a lot of extra damage. People are asking why do you come back with a very limited service? Thirdly, the distance is just too long to use a single aisle aircraft for the route, a very bad way to relaunch and re-enter Kenya. Fourthly, even when they eventually bring a wide body it is an old Airbus A340, in other words they offload their rubbish equipment on the Kenyan market. Why, and I asked you that before, did they not just let things be as they were. They codeshared with Swiss and Brussels Airlines and it worked well. This is just an ego trip for them it seems and the way they are starting up makes them a laughing stock. You wait and see how the likes of Emirates, Qatar, Turkish, KLM and BA will take them apart. Foolish, very foolish’.

Wait and see it for sure is as all eyes are on the inaugural flight and what whoever comes to Nairobi to represent Lufthansa on the occasion will have to say in mitigation of such poorly planned changes sprung on the Kenyan market at the very last moment.

‘We had high hopes for a big global airline like Lufthansa to come back to Nairobi’ said a regular source close to the Kenya Tourism Board before adding ‘Now it seems for whatever commercial reasons they have they are not delivering what they promised. That is a big letdown because the net effect, after Brussels Airlines goes away, is a loss of available seats, not an increase as we were told. This is very disappointing from a company like Lufthansa, very disappointing’.

No doubt will the airline now use spin doctors and local PR links to mitigate this rather unmitigated re-entry disaster and everyone will watch their next moves and the reasons they will give to the public.

TANZANIA: Explore Lake Tanganyika

Lake Tanganyika is shared between the four diverse countries Tanzania, Burundi, DR Congo and Zambia. The enormous lake offers unique sports fishing, wildlife, swims, vibrant African villages and cities and a fairytale colonial ferry.
Lake Tanganyika is not just any lake. It is the longest fresh water lake in the world - 677 kilometres long - and the second deepest after lake Baikal in Russia, reaching a depth of 1,433 metres. Being extremely old and isolated, it hosts over 300 endemic fish species.

Its mere size makes it a small universe of its own, providing the traveller with large cultural and natural variety. Exploring the shores of Lake Tanganyika is a pleasant experience that can take a lifetime.

However, the legendary old ferry MV Liemba does not take a lifetime. Once a week, this boat stemming from German colonial times still cruises up and down the lake. The Liemba, known as Graf von Götzen until 1917, definitively is the best way to travel on Lake Tanganyika.

The ferry, operational since 1913, was made world famous by its role in the 1951 film "African Queen", was carefully sunk by its German crew in 1917 to prevent it from falling into British enemy hands. It was lifted again in 1924, put into traffic in 1927 and overhauled in 1970 and 1993. Read more about the fascinating story of the Liemba and its current state here.

Kigoma, Tanzania
The somewhat run-down ferry has its main base in Kigoma, the main Tanzanian city on the shores of Lake Tanganyika and a regional centre. The bustling town is a charming destination by itself, surrounded by rugged mountains and lush forests.

Accommodation,including the Tanganyika Beach Hotel, and good food is available and, where crowded, you can swim in the lake. However only go swimming where the locals go, as they know where there are no crocodiles. If you have time, you may want to use it to organise a sports fishing trip into the lake.

Kigoma is connected to Dar-es-Salaam by rail and air, making it one of the easiest places to start your Lake Tanganyika journey. It is also close to several other "secret" Tanzanian destinations, including chimpanzee safaris in both Gombe Stream National Park - made world famous by Jane Goodall - and Mahale Mountains National Park.

The Gombe park, also bordering Lake Tanganyika north of Kigoma, is an absolute highlight. It can be reached by lake taxis or chartered boats from Kigoma. Here, small groups are guided through the mountainous forests in search of chimpanzee families and other primates. Views are spectacular and the park also is perfect for hiking and swimming. Accommodation is available.

On the MV Liemba
Back to Kigoma, the MV Liemba currently heads south towards Mpulungu in Zambia every Wednesday afternoon, but timetables are often changing. There are 1st, 2nd and 3rd class cabins, all at a reasonable price.

Between Kigoma and Mpulungu, the MV Liemba stops at 19 small Tanzanian towns, most of which do not have a quay. Small boats gather at the ferry's side, serving as taxi boats for passengers and goods for and bringing food and drink sellers onboard the ferry.

Time on the Liemba is spent gazing at the views, relaxing with a good book, chatting with local travellers or in the bar and restaurant. To get access to the latter, you need a first class ticket. Here, beers and soft drinks are cold and food is tasty but the menu is limited.

Mpulungu, Zambia's only port, is worth a short stay. The fishermen town offers fresh lake delicacies, and Mpulungu is a good destination to arrange sports fishing trips into the lake. Catches include Goliath tigerfish, Nile perch and many of the lake's endemic fish species.

The Zambian town also offers one of the best opportunities to take a swim in Lake Tanganyika. Most of the shores are unsafe because of crocodiles, but noisy and trafficked Mpulungu is considered safe from both reptiles and the bilharzia parasite disease (all of Lake Tanganyika is bilharzia-free). Bathing temperatures are heavenly and the water is lovely.

Mpulungu also has a long and tiring road connection to Lusaka and the rest of Zambia and Southern Africa. The region south of Mpulungu boasts of several national parks and game reserves, well equipped with tourist lodges and safari guides.

Burundi and DR Congo

From Kigoma, there is also a passenger ferry to Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi. The daily MV Mwongozo uses about 14 hours on the trip, but services are suspended from time to time. Also this ferry has three classes, all reasonably priced, with the first class including private cabins providing for quite a pleasant trip.

Here, in the northern part of Lake Tanganyika, landscapes are greener and more rugged that in the south. Actually, most agree it is the most beautiful part of the lake, with Burundi and eastern Congo being very interesting travel destinations.

It therefore is a petty that security issues leave you best advised to avoid both Bujumbura and the western, Congolese shore of Lake Tanganyika. Both countries are theoretically consolidating peace, but there may be very sudden rushes of uncontrolled violence in Burundi - including the capital - and all of eastern DR Congo.

Going there anyway, you must be very well oriented about current political risks and you should have local contacts that can provide you with information and protection in case anything happens.

On the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika, in Tanzania and Zambia, you should not meet any such problems. Here, you can be on a total holiday mode, fully exploiting the riches of this great lake.

BURUNDI: Army Chief Escaped Death By A Whisker

The head of Burundi's armed forces has survived an assassination attempt in the capital Bujumbura, police said, adding that at least seven other people were killed in the attack.

"There was an attack against the armed forces chief, General Prime Niyongabo, but happily he was unharmed," Burundi's deputy police chief, General Godefroid Bizimana announced.

He said two attackers were killed in the clash, and a third arrested.

Another senior police source said four bodyguards were also killed, as well as a female police officer.

"Reinforcements have arrived. We are pursuing the remainder of the commandos," Bizimana said.

Another senior police source, who asked not to be named, said the attack appeared to have been well prepared.

It was sudden and violent. Four bodyguards were killed instantly. He managed to survive only because the driver managed to overtake a bus transporting police officers to work, and the attackers could not keep up, said the source, adding that the attackers were wearing military uniforms and travelling in a military vehicle.

Tensions remain high in the central African nation following President Pierre Nkurunziza's successful bid for a third term in power in July.

Nkurunziza won a highly-controversial third term in July in polls the United Nations said were not free or fair.

His bid sparked an attempted coup and months of civil unrest led by opposition groups, who condemned his re-election bid as unconstitutional.

There has also been a string of killings since his re-election, including the assassination of his top security chief in a rocket attack last month.

Many have raised alarm bells at the risk of renewed conflict in Burundi, which lies in the heart of central Africa's troubled Great Lakes region.

At least 300,000 people were killed in a civil war there which ran from 1993-2006.

At the moment, no known tourists are interested in visiting Burundi, this all because of political confusion and resulting insecurity.

BURUNDI: Burundi Releases Rwandans, Complains Its Citizens Held In Kigali

Burundi has released some Rwandans held incommunicado after Kigali appealed to the Bujumbura government, while accusing its northern neighbour of detaining its citizens on similar suspicions of espionage.

Dozens of Rwandans are being held in Bujumbura and Cibitoke on suspicion that they were spying for the Rwandan government. 14 of the more than 30 Rwandan nationals who were arrested in Burundi were released last week.

Burundi in turn says Rwanda is detaining its citizens on similar accusations. At least 29 Burundians are thought to be held by Rwandan authorities on suspicion of spying for Bujumbura.

The Burundian ambassador to Rwanda Alexis Ntukamazina confirmed to The EastAfrican that Burundian nationals are being detained in Rwanda but said that the two governments are working together to see how they can be released.

“Yes, I can confirm that we are aware of some Burundians who are detained in Rwanda and we are working to see how this matter can be resolved,” said Mr Ntukamazina, without specifying the number or reasons they were arrested.

“As you might have seen in the media, some Rwandans who were detained in Burundi have already been released. I am confident the remaining ones will be released too. We are brothers and sisters and we believe this matter will be resolved in a short time,” he added.

The Rwanda National Police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Celestin Twahirwa could not confirm the development, instead referring to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to sources, the Burundians were arrested between April and August after they were suspected of spying for the Burundian government.

“Most of them came in masquerading as refugees, but they would later be suspected or found to be spies or members of Imbonerakure (a pro-government militia group) who were sent to spy on fellow countrymen seeking refuge in Rwanda,” a Burundian refugee, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.

Diplomatic ties between Rwanda and Burundi have not been good over the past months after Kigali expressed concern over the violence in the country.

Burundi in turn accused Rwanda, which is hosting over 70,000 Burundian refugees, of allowing opposition members a safe haven to regroup and wage war against the government.

Bujumbura has accused Kigali of supporting rebel groups planning to wage war against President Pierre Nkurunziza’s government, accusations that the Rwandan government has vehemently denied.

The two countries previously shared warm relations and depended on each other for cross-border trade while social relations thrived.