KLM mistakenly issued travel advice for Kenya and Tanzania

Airlines operate in a macro-socio-economic environment where stability can sometimes be disturbed even by mistake. This is the case, for example, of Dutch national carrier KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, which mistakenly published two travel advisories warning of possible travel disruptions to Kenya and Tanzania. Let’s take a closer look at the details of the story.

Kenya and Tanzania are angry with KLM

It is standard praxis for airlines worldwide to publish travel advisories to inform passengers of flight disruptions in certain countries. Airlines typically provide a brief explanation of the reason for a flight delay or cancellation affecting the customer’s journey.

But Dutch flag carrier KLM has threatened diplomatic relations with Kenya and Tanzania after posting two travel advisories on its website citing civil unrest in the two African countries. In two statements, Dutch Airlines advised of travel disruptions between Friday 27 January and Monday 30 January, including delays and cancellations for flights from Amsterdam to destinations in Kenya and Tanzania.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace I light flight

However, shortly after publishing the two advisories, the airline amended them, removing the reference to Kenya and commenting on an unknown environmental threat in Tanzania. However, the news had already reached the governments of the two African countries, who reacted angrily to the mistake made by the Dutch airline.

The response of African governments

Kenya and Tanzania are two popular tourist destinations. In the year In 2019, the former received nearly two million tourists, while the latter received 1.5 million visitors. Therefore, the governments of the two countries advised passengers to ignore KLM’s baseless travel advisories. But let’s take a closer look at how Kenya and Tanzania have embraced KLM’s mistakes.

Kenya’s Minister of Transport, Kipchumba Murkomen, made a statement on Saturday that, apart from officially registering the protest, he spoke to the airline’s representative in Kenya.

In the statement, Mr. Murkomen mentioned the good diplomatic relations between the Netherlands and Kenya and KLM is a highly respected company in the country. For this reason, the Kenyan Minister of Transport used the word “”.He was shocked“Describing the response of the government and the entire country in the face of the airline’s false message. In particular, Mr. Murkomen criticized KLM’s unwillingness to deal with the public unrest and the potential damage caused by the travel advisory. Considering the impact on the country’s economy and reputation, KLM’s actions, Minister Murkomen similarly He is determined to work diplomatically to ensure that this does not happen again.

On the other hand, the Tanzanian government also had a statement on the matter. The Minister of Works and Transport, Makame Mbarawa, said that there is no truth in what KLM said in the travel advisory. Apart from supporting it with evidence, Minister Mbawa underlined how KLM’s statement created unnecessary fear and panic among the public.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace I light flight

KLM apologized to the Kenyan government on Saturday after realizing the mistake. The airline said the travel advisory for Kenya should never have been published as it was only intended for passengers bound for Tanzania.

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  KLM

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  KL/KLM

  Airline Type:

  Full service provider

  Contact(s):

  Amsterdam Schiphol Airport

  Year of Establishment:

  In 1919

  Combination:

  SkyTeam

  Airline Group:

  Air France-KLM

  General Manager:

  Marjan Rintel

  Country:

  Netherlands