The Dutch carrier KLM announced Friday evening it has suspended service to Uganda’s Entebbe airport, located near Kampala, because of restrictions related to an Ebola outbreak affecting Central Africa.
According to the airline, although the region is not presently considered an active danger zone, operations to the planned destinations are no longer feasible due to travel and entry protocols that various nations have implemented for individuals who have recently visited Entebbe, affecting both passengers and airline personnel.
Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 indicates that two scheduled routes connecting Amsterdam and Entebbe, with a stop in Rwanda’s capital Kigali, set for Saturday and Monday have been scrapped.
“We’re continuing to monitor the situation and looking into what’s possible,” KLM stated in a travel advisory.
The World Health Organization has classified the Ebola outbreak, caused by the uncommon Bundibugyo strain of the virus affecting the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, as a public health emergency of international concern, though it falls short of pandemic emergency status.
In May, the United States implemented heightened travel screening, entry limitations and public health protocols to help prevent the disease’s transmission.
Multiple news sources reported that on May 20, an Air France aircraft traveling from Paris to Detroit was rerouted to Montreal after a traveler from the Democratic Republic of Congo boarded “in error.”
Emirates advised Thursday that passengers should verify destination entry requirements prior to travel, referencing Ebola-related restrictions in multiple countries.
