According to Kenya Flower Council (KFC) CEO Clement Tulezi, KQ appears focused on growing passenger numbers as opposed to promoting trade through provision of space for cargo. “One thing we are looking at is how much of cargo space they (KQ) will have to airlift flowers from this country to the US. At the moment, we are not sure because in their business strategy, they are more focused on passenger numbers than cargo,” he said.
Speaking in Nairobi after the opening of the International Flower Trade Expo, Mr Tulezi said flower exporters were in talks with KQ to help them leverage on direct flights to grow trade.
At the same event, Trade Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo said he was also keen to see KQ commit some space for cargo - even though he was still in the dark on the issue, just like the exporters.
“We have optimism, even though when I spoke to the KQ chief executive (Sebastian Mikosz), he did not seem to give me good indication that we are actually going to carry flowers directly. We are really hoping that our flowers will be carried directly,” he said.