Photo via Air Cargo Week

National Carrier, Kenya Airways (KQ), will begin flights from Juba to Khartoum from today, counter-rotating on an Embraer 190 and boosting its schedule to 10x weekly from the current 7 flights from Juba and 3x weekly flights to Khartoum.

As the region recovers from a challenging period, the expansion of the network will provide much needed opportunities to boost business, trade and movement of aid. The new service is part of the airline’s long-term commitment to growing and improving connectivity across the African continent which is critical to enhancing the movement of people and increasing intra-African trade in line with the spirit of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Commenting on the route launch, Allan Kilavuka, CEO, Kenya Airways said: “Kenya Airways is steadfast on creating free flows of trade and tourism across Africa and in other key markets because we believe our wide network and reliable services will aid in opening up opportunities across the region. The move comes as the region continues to enhance economic cooperation to drive sustainable growth across a range of sectors, in addition to boosting business between African nations.”

Julius Thairu, acting chief commercial officer at Kenya Airways said: “Growing our presence in Africa affirms our industry lead with products and services that address the dynamic needs of our customers. The new service between Juba and Khartoum is timely and gives us an opportunity to serve a range of travellers and grow our customer base in both Sudan and South Sudan.” -  Yasmin Turner, Air Cargo Week

The Republic of Rwanda updated its COVID-19 entry protocols following the news and spread of the Omicron variant, effective immediately.

All international travelers, vaccinated and unvaccinated, traveling to Rwanda must quarantine at a designated hotel after testing upon arrival. All travel between Rwanda and countries in southern Africa, including Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

All travelers must also have received a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test result that was performed within 72 hours prior to departure. Rapid tests are not accepted.

The country also began implementing booster shots for at-risk populations, including citizens over the age of 50.

Rwanda had recently reopened to international travel on November 5, 2021. Prior to the new entry rules, all travelers had to take a pre- and post-arrival COVID-19 test; fully vaccinated travelers were encouraged to self-isolate at their chosen accommodation until they received their results. - LACEY PFALZ, TravelPulse.com

A national map showing street-by-street demand for electric vehicle kerbside charging should be published by the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP) early in 2022.

Following the formation of its Kerbside Charging Group in October, the industry body is aiming to collate information gathered on around 160,000 potential and existing drivers.

The map can then be used by national and local government, as well as charging and electricity suppliers, to see where kerbside chargers are most urgently needed.

AFP chair Paul Hollick said: “It’s no exaggeration to say that the creation of the Kerbside Charging Group has created more interest than any other subject or campaign with which the AFP has become involved.

“Every day we are hearing from fleets, especially van fleets, that want to speed up the electrification of their operations but are being hampered by the problem of charging for drivers who do not have a drive or any other access to a charger.

“This is generally thought to be about 40% of drivers across all fleets but, when it comes to light commercial vehicles, we believe the figure to be nearer 70%. That means good availability of kerbside charging is essential if van electrification is going to be a success.”

Paul said that the AFP had been gathering postcode data from organisations including Royal Mail, Centrica, OpenReach, ISS, DEFRA, Kier, Mitie, VM O2, Marston Holdings, Capita, National Grid, SSE, Speedy Hire, J Murphy and Clarion Housing.

“Together, this gives us information on about x,000 potential and existing EV drivers but we are also keen to hear from other businesses who are not currently AFP members in order to include their information.

“Our plan is to be able to create a map early in the New Year that will show on a street-by-street basis where kerbside charging is required. This will be a crucial tool when it comes to making fleet electrification happen faster.”

The AFP is also holding a kerbside charging webinar at 9am on Wednesday 15th December, featuring Paul Hollick leading a discussion that will include key members of the Kerbside Charging Group. Anyone who would like to attend can now register through the AFP web site at https://www.theafp.co.uk/webinars.

The Association of Fleet Professionals is the organisation for fleet professionals.

It brings together ACFO, a non-profit making organisation representing the interests of businesses which operate cars and vans as part of their normal commercial activities; and ICFM (the Institute of Car Fleet Management), the UK’s only independent not-for-profit organisation dedicated to furthering the education, recognising the achievements, and advancing the profession of car and light commercial fleet management.