AfricaPress-Tanzania: AIR Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL) has temporarily suspended all regional flights effective from today due to increased entry restrictions and lockdowns by countries, which strive to stop mass transmission of the coronavirus disease.
The Tanzanian national carrier made the announcement yesterday, listing the affected routes as Entebbe (Uganda), Bujumbura (Burundi), Hahaya (Comoro), Lusaka (Zambia) and Harare (Zimbabwe).
“ATCL regrets to inform our esteemed customers and the entire public that from 25th March, 2020 all regional flights will be temporarily suspended,” said in a statement issued yesterday.
“This is due to the ban and entry restrictions imposed by several governments and locking down their countries in relation to the COVID-19 outbreak,” the statement signed by ATCL Managing Director and CEO, Eng Ladislaus Matindi, added.
However, Eng Matindi said all other domestic flights on the ATCL network will not be affected by the announcement, though there would be frequency reduction due to shrinking of volumes on some routes.
“Most travellers were taking precautions on an unnecessary trip,” he said while apologising for any inconvenience caused to passengers.
The coronavirus, which started in China, has in recent days made its way across the continent, largely spread by passengers travelling across borders.
Eng Matindi said the ATCL was taking precautions and necessary measures to protect their passengers from contracting the deadly virus, which has killed more than 15,000 people, a chunky of them in Asia, Europe.
“We wish to assure our esteemed customers that Air Tanzania has taken measures ensuring safety and health of our passengers by disinfecting all aircrafts and positioning sanitizers in all essential areas like offices, airport before boarding and inside the aircrafts,” he noted adding that all their staff have been instructed to wear service gears (gloves and masks) during flight.
The Airline has updated its cancellation, rebooking and refund policy to all passengers holding ATCL tickets.
“The airline will waive all penalties on reservation changes, re-issues and refunds to affected passengers,” pledged Eng Matindi.
The ATCL had already cancelled flights to Mumbai, India while abandoning plans for maiden trip to China.
East African Community (EAC) member countries are taking drastic measures to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
While governments of Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, South Sudan and Burundi, each on their own, have suspended international flights, with Burundi going the extra mile by suspending even domestic flights as all its neighbours have reported Covid-19 cases.
President Paul Kagame’s government in Rwanda has taken several measures to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus as the number of confirmed cases rose to 17 since March 14.
The latest measure came into force at midnight March 20 as it suspended arrival and departure of commercial flights for an initial period of 30 days that also affects national carrier – RwandAir.
Uganda that registered its first Covid-19 case on the weekend, has taken several measures including closing its borders.
No person is allowed to enter the country starting yesterday in a bid to prevent introduction of coronavirus to the landlocked East African nation.
“We have decided to prohibit all passenger planes coming from outside Uganda from landing at any of the airports of Uganda.
Only cargo planes will be allowed to fly in and out of Uganda,” President Yoweri Museveni said in a televised address to the nation over the weekend.
President Museveni added that relief and emergency planes belonging to the United Nations (UN) and humanitarian agencies will be allowed to land at specified locations.
He further ordered that no Ugandan or foreign national be allowed to enter the country through its land or any other entry, except for cargo truck drivers whose crew members should not exceed three people.
“No buses, mini-buses, private cars, or motorbike taxis will be allowed to enter the country,” Mr Museveni said.
Meanwhile, Burundi’s Minister of Public Security, Mr Alain-Guillaume Bunyoni, announced suspension of all flights in and out of the country, including Melchior Ndadaye International Airport at Bujumbura.
“The borders will remain open and we strongly advise citizens not to travel to countries that already have COVID-19 cases,” said Mr Bunyoni of the country that is one of 15 countries in Africa to not yet register any positive case of the coronavirus.
