Another charter flight, which before the pandemic brought tourists to the Kenyan coast, has resumed its weekly schedule after more than two years of stoppage.

This is the German airline Condor, which in March 2020 had, like all international airlines, suspended flights to and from the African country that had closed its air borders. However, after the resumption of tourist travel, Condor decided to wait for the outcome of the national elections in Kenya and the post-voting, which had been turbulent in the past. After seeing that the Kenyan people behaved in an exemplary manner following the announcement of the results and the proclamation of the new President William Ruto, the company decided to reintroduce the African tourist destinations Mombasa and Zanzibar, with a direct flight from Germany.
The German Condor has also been used in the past by many Italian tourists who preferred the Frankfurt (or in some cases Munich)-Mombasa route, rather than the insecurity of Turkish, which continues for licensing reasons to divert flights initially scheduled to Mombasa to Nairobi, or the increased prices by Ethiopian Airways, which currently remains the only foreign flag carrier to land in Mombasa.

This week, 88 German tourists arrived at Mombasa's Moi International Airport, while more than half of the passengers on the same flight continued on to Zanzibar.

"The resumption of Condor operations is a good sign of recovery and confidence," Kenya Association of Hotelkeepers and Caterers (KAHC) coastal director Sam Ikwaye told Daily Nation. "Germany has been one of our major source markets and Condor's exit from the scene has been a problem in serving beach destinations. We hope to regain our international market more quickly'.

According to the tourism association, occupancy on the coast, particularly in Mombasa County, has risen to 60 per cent and is expected to soar again as winter approaches and tour operators who had stopped selling Kenyan holiday destinations get back into the market.