Kenya Airways (KQ) has rejoined the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) six years after it quit, citing what it termed as mismanagement and administrative system failures, the association said here Friday in a statement. The airline’s managing director, Mr. Titus Naikuni, announced the return to the AFRAA membership when he visited its headquarters in the capital, Nairobi, at the invitation of the new Secretary-General, Mr. Nick Fadugba. The purpose of the visit was to re-establish close and cordial relations between Kenya Airways and AFRAA after six years withdrawal, the statement said.

Naikuni told the new AFRAA chief that Kenya’s national carrier was compelled to rescind its membership due to its principled views on certain issues. Fadugba regretted the non-participation of Kenya Airways in AFRAA activities in the past six years, saying membership annulment was a major drawback to the aviation industry in Africa as it was one of a few with a wide continental and global reach.

Fadugba was elected AFRAA secretary general during its 41st annual general Assembly in Maputo, Mozambique, in November to replace Christian Folly-Kossi, whose second and final term in office expired last month. He took up his new assignment at the headquarters in Nairobi on 18 February.

Naikuni also paid the airline’s membership subscription that had been in arrears for six years and promised not to interfere in the association activities and operations. Fadugba said his tenure would focus on safety and security, training, liberalization, co-operation and the establishment of a research unit to focus on African airline data collection and analysis. With the return of the national airline of the host country of the African Airlines Association, there is optimism that other African airlines that had withdrawn their membership will soon return.