The Kenyan government has given permission for two European charter airlines to operate direct flights to Mombasa.

Tui Airlines Netherlands and Travel Service from the Czech Republic have been given the go-ahead to operate weekly flights, which is expected to boost tourism at the coast.

Tui Airlines Netherlands will fly between Warsaw and Mombasa and Travel Service will operate between Prague and Mombasa. This follows Tui Airlines Netherlands’ announcement in May that it would operate the direct flights from November this year.

Recently, the Kenyan government allowed some African and European airlines to start direct flights to Moi International Airport in Mombasa and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi in a bid to improve air connectivity in the country.

Over the years, tourism players have lobbied the government to open the skies in Mombasa to enable more international tourists to fly direct to the coast for holidays. Since August, charter flights from Europe have increased to 15 a week compared with seven flights a week in the same period last year.

Currently, Neos Air, Blue Panorama and Meridiana Fly operate charter flights between Italy and Mombasa, and Enter Air flies between Warsaw and Mombasa. German holiday airline, Condor, flies from Frankfurt and Munich to Mombasa.

Turkish Airlines is the only airline from Europe that operates scheduled flights between Istanbul and Mombasa.