Delta Airlines Flights Cancellation to Kenya is a blow to Kenyan Tourism Industry

By James Asudi

The recent last minute cancellation of the awaited with enthusiasm, the first Delta Airlines direct flight
from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport – Atlanta, USA to Nairobi - Kenya via Dakar – Senegal
has spelled doom in the Kenya tourism industry which is on a nose dive due to the world economic
crunch. Kenya tour operators were fully prepared to receive the Delta Airlines inauguration flight into
Kenya's Jomo Kenyatta international airport with pomp and dance but at the last minute, the flight was
cancelled due to security reasons.
Victoria safaris, one of the tour operator firms in Nairobi had an elaborate cultural and community
based packages into western Kenya readiness for those passengers in the Delta Airlines inaugural
Flight which was never to be.(www.victoriasafaris.com)

Last year, Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga visited Washington where the two countries signed two
agreements thus; The Bilateral Air Service Agreement and Open Skies Agreement. These agreements
were to open up direct flights by Delta Airlines from Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport
- USA to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport - Nairobi – Kenya via Dakar – Senegal.
Effects of the Cancellation of Delta Airlines Flights to Nairobi - Kenya
The Kenya tourism Industry was headed for a tremendous increase in tourism revenue from the
consequent four weekly Delta Airlines flights scheduled from Atlanta to Nairobi. It is cheaper to fly
direct into Africa from USA than go round to Europe then to into Africa as it is today. Following the
election of President Barack Obama whose ancestry is Kenyan, the Delta Airline had been expected to
be a key player in linking Kenya and US in an attempt to gain from the expected tourism surge.

With the indefinite postponement of Delta Airlines plans to launch flights to Kenya after Washington's
Homeland Security ordered more checks on the Airline flights to Kenya, Kenyan Tour Operators are
left gaping on the next action to take since their expectation for a tourism boom from America has hit a
snag. The Kenya Tourism Board in collaboration with Kenya Association of tour Operators (KATO)
and the other stakeholders had to cancel all preparations at the last minute for the inauguration flight
with a lot of regret and loss. Kenya, as a state depends mostly from the tourism revenue to finance its
budget. Tourism is the leading revenue earner followed by agriculture, the cancellation of the Delta
Airlines flights to Kenya has denied the Kenya Exchequer additional government revenue for its
budget for the year 2009 /2010.

The US envoy, Ranneberger regretted the cancellation and said that he was in touch with Washington to
ensure the planned flights by Delta Airlines resume soonest.