Kenya's coastal tourism operators are cornering the government to get flights of the Turkish flag carrier, Turkish Airlines, to land in Mombasa again.
Direct Istanbul-Mombasa flights (and consequently all direct connections to various Italian and international airports) were suspended before the pandemic and never resumed.

The Turkish company had intended to resume them next October and had even tried to put them back on sale on its website, but has now permanently removed the possibility of booking. Only the routes to Nairobi remain, which, moreover, are the cheapest ever.
"While we continue to self-sabotage, Turkish Airlines now flies to three cities in South Africa: Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban," said the grey eminence of Kenyan hospitality, Mohamed Hersi. "In Tanzania they also fly to three cities near Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro (Arusha) and Zanzibar. In Egypt they fly to Cairo, Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh'.

Hersi, who has chaired the Kenyan Tourism Federation over the years, reminded the government that Turkish Airlines is the only airline that flies to more than 320 cities worldwide.
"In Germany alone, 15 connections, and 10 in the US, five in the UK, which means you can get to Mombasa from virtually any corner of the world. By allowing flights to Mombasa, we are also supporting and promoting Diani, Malindi, Watamu, Lamu, Tsavo and Amboseli parks," Hersi added, calling on the state to move swiftly and ensure that more airlines are allowed to fly to Mombasa to help fully open up the destination, which is trying to fully recover after the pandemic.