TUI cleared to launch charter flights from Amsterdam to Mombasa and Zanzibar

Europe’s largest tour airline, TUI Airlines, has secured regulatory approval to operate charter flights to Kenya, ending months of unsuccessful attempts to obtain a permit. The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) has granted TUI a one-year licence, effective 10 November 2025, to operate tour charter services on the Amsterdam–Zanzibar–Mombasa–Amsterdam routing.

Under the approval, TUI will operate two weekly charter frequencies using Boeing 787 aircraft based in Amsterdam. The flights will be conducted without traffic rights between Zanzibar and Mombasa, meaning passengers cannot be picked up or dropped off on that sector, in line with First and Second Freedom of the Air provisions.

The decision follows a renewed application submitted by TUI in August 2025, after an earlier request was rejected in June. With the permit now in place, the airline aims to capitalise on the recovery of international tourism, particularly demand from Europe for Indian Ocean and East African leisure destinations.

The approval has not been without controversy. Kenyan tourism associations previously raised concerns that vertically integrated foreign tour operators could undercut local airlines, tour companies and hotels by bundling flights and accommodation, potentially reducing in-country spending. Regulators, however, have defended the move as necessary to boost capacity and competitiveness, noting that Kenya’s coast continues to lag behind rival destinations that have successfully attracted European charter traffic during the winter season.

For TUI, the licence strengthens its global charter network across Africa, Asia and the Americas, while for Kenya it represents a bid to revive inbound tourism volumes through increased direct air access from Europe.