Nairobi, 22nd April 2008……Kenya Airways (KQ) has suspended its codeshare agreement with Rwanda Air to allow time to resolve operational safety issues.

In a statement, the airline’s Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Mr. Titus Naikuni clarified that the codeshare arrangement had only been suspended not cancelled as widely reported.

Mr. Naikuni said that KQ, which is an International Air Transport Association Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certified carrier, has had a Codeshare contract with Rwanda Air since April 2003.
This contract provides that before the latter enters into a code share contract with a 3rd party airline, the 3rd party airline has to either be IOSA certified or to have passed a safety audit by Kenya Airways.  The 3rd party airline in this instance is neither IOSA certified nor had it been audited by KQ, hence the suspension of the Codeshare.
 

The CEO went on to explain this process by saying, “This whole safety certification process is also required of us by other airlines with whom we operate code shares as well as by our Skyteam partners.  If we flout this regulation like in the case of Rwanda Air, then we run the risk of losing our code shares. In view of this, and following discussions with top Rwanda Air management a decision was made by KQ to temporarily suspend this codeshare to allow for time to address these concerns.”

He went on to clarify that KQ passengers are no longer required to sign the indemnification forms since “all our passengers have since been re-routed onto KQ flights.”  The indemnity forms explained Mr. Naikuni were to “ bring to the attention to our passengers and to give them the option of making the decision whether they would want to fly with the 3rd party airline with or without any liability on the part of KQ.” This indemnification was not in any way “meant to imply that the 3rd party carrier is unsafe.”

KQ, which operates daily flights to Kigali also, and to over 30 African destinations currently operates Codeshares with Air Mauritius, Precision Air, Korean Air, Mozambique Airlines, KLM and Air France.