NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 28 – KLM now says it sent the claim on civil unrest in Kenya erroneously and pointed out that it was meant for customers in Tanzania.
While apologizing to the government for the damage the alert caused, the airline pointed out that “flights in and out of Nairobi remain as per schedule and no interruptions are anticipated.”
It explained that KLM has since communicated to the relevant government authorities through its Nairobi office.
“The said alert which was meant for our customers in Tanzania was inadvertently and erroneously also shared with our customers in Kenya. We made a mistake in our rebook policy and initially included Kenya. This is incorrect and we would like to apologize for this,” the airline pointed out.
“KLM reiterates its commitment to conecting our customers in Kenya with the rest of the world as we have done so in the last 54 years.”
The statement came even as Transport and Roads Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the country will escalate its protest on KLM airline through diplomatic channels.
Murkomen who talked to KLM’s Country Representative protested the claims posted on KLM’s social media about purported civil unrest in the country.
“We are therefore shocked that the airline would spread such fabricated, malicious and false allegations without fact-checking and considering the probable effects to our country’s image and economy,” he said.
Although the post has been withdrawn from the Dutch airline social media pages. The Transport CS asserted the need to look into the situation to avoid a recurrence.
He mentioned that Kenya and the Netherlands enjoy very good diplomatic relations and there was a need to look into the ‘fabricated’ remarks.
“I have officially registered my protest with the airline against this unfounded, false, insensitive and misleading information that paints Kenya in bad light,” Murkomen said.
“Kenya is and will continue to be a peaceful, hospitable and welcoming country and a regional hub for trade, investment and tourism,” he added.
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, is the flag carrier airline of the Netherlands, with its hub at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.
It is one of the major international airlines that offers scheduled commercial flights between Kenya and The Netherlands.
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