Following a six-month suspension, direct flights have been permitted between Mogadishu and Nairobi again, as a result of a recent meeting between President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed of Somalia and Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta. Prior to the move, flights from Mogadishu had to make a stop in Wajir before continuing on to their final destination in Kenya.
The two African countries also agreed to normalise bilateral relations starting with the restoration of issuance of travel visas on arrival for citizens of the two nations, says a report in the Somaliland newspaper.
The move represents a small thawing in the political relations between the two countries and comes in spite of an existing maritime boundary case which is being heard at the International Court of Justice. The diplomatic ties between Mogadishu and Nairobi had become further strained in October when an aircraft from Kenya landed in Kisimayu in Somalia without going through the routine security check-in Mogadishu.
The first direct Kenya Airways (KQ, Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta) flight between the two cities was reportedly operated on November 22. Currently, the African carrier offers a daily E145 service from Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta to Mogadishu, with the 541-nautical mile (1,003-kilometre) sector operated on a wet-lease agreement with ALS - Aircraft Leasing Services (Nairobi Wilson).
Jambojet (JM, Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta) also has daily flights on sale between Nairobi and Mogadishu, but according to its website these are not planned to start until February 1, 2020, and at this time still indicate a stop in Wajir.
Not all flights from Somalia can now fly direct to Kenya. According to Kenyan Civil Aviation Authority Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) all flights from the Somalian capital "may fly direct to Nairobi Wilson or Jomo Kenyatta, however, any services originating from other airports in Somalia must still route via Wajir for security checks."
