June 1 (Reuters) – KLM has cancelled flights to and from Entebbe airport near the Ugandan capital Kampala due to restrictions linked to an Ebola outbreak in Central Africa, the Dutch airline said late on Friday.
KLM said that while the area was not currently seen as an active risk zone, it could no longer operate planned routes due to travel and entry measures some countries have introduced for people who recently travelled through Entebbe, including its crew.
• Two flights between Amsterdam and Entebbe with layover in the Rwandan capital Kigali scheduled on Saturday and Monday have been cancelled, Flightradar24 data shows
• “We’re continuing to monitor the situation and looking into what’s possible,” KLM said in a travel advisory
• The WHO has declared the Ebola outbreak caused by the rare Bundibugyo version of the virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern, although it does not meet the criteria of a pandemic emergency
• The U.S. in May introduced enhanced travel screening, entry restrictions and public health measures to prevent the spread of the disease
• Brussels Airlines said last week that the restrictions prohibited crew members from entering the U.S. if they had been in DRC or Uganda in the previous 21 days
• The Belgian carrier said it would make “significant adjustments” to its crew scheduling to continue operating flights to Entebbe, Kinshasa, New York and Washington, adding it would maintain its flight schedule whenever possible
• On May 20, an Air France flight from Paris to Detroit was diverted to Montreal after a passenger from DRC boarded “in error”, several news outlets reported
• Emirates said on Thursday that travellers should check destination entry requirements before flying, citing Ebola-related measures in several countries
(Reporting by Alessandro Parodi in Gdansk, editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak)
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