Airfares on domestic routes have hit rock bottom in the wake of reduced travel following the coronavirus outbreak that has seen some local carriers like Safarilink and AirKenya stop operations.
Carriers such as Kenya Airways and its budget subsidiary, Jambojet, have grounded planes and cut frequencies to save costs amid reduced passenger numbers because of travel restrictions imposed by the government Jambojet charged Sh3,800 to Kisumu from Nairobi on the peak day of Friday while Fly 540 was charging Sh3,540 including on the Mombasa route. Its premium parent company, Kenya Airways, is also suffering from the drop in domestic travel and has cut prices.
Kenya Airways, whose charges on Mombasa and Kisumu routes rises to Sh12,000 on Fridays and weekends, has cut fares to a low of Sh6,140 on the two routes from Nairobi.
The peak Easter season that starts this week is not offering a letup to the carriers, suggesting many travellers have postponed travel plans following the coronavirus outbreak.
The high demand for passengers seeking to travel for Easter holidays last year saw Kenya Airways deploy the premium high capacity Dreamliner plane on the Mombasa route and additional flights to Kisumu from Nairobi to match the demand.
