Air France lands in Z’bar, marks route resumption

ZANZIBAR: AN Air France aircraft landed at Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (AAKIA) on Tuesday morning carrying a total of 248 passengers.

Of the total passengers, 125 disembarked in Zanzibar, while 123 had boarded earlier at Kilimanjaro International Airport on mainland Tanzania.

The airline will now operate three weekly flights to Zanzibar -on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The resumption of these flights officially dispels rumours that Air France and KLM had permanently suspended their Zanzibar routes.

The rumours, which had been circulating widely on social media, were dismissed by the Director General of the Zanzibar Airports Authority (ZAA), Mr Seif Abdalla Juma.

He clarified that the claims were false and likely fueled by the recent introduction of a mandatory travel insurance fee for all incoming visitors, including tourists.

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According to Mr Juma, official communication from the airlines indicated that Air France had only temporarily suspended its Paris–Zanzibar route from March 22 to May 25, 2025, due to the “green season” a traditionally low travel period.

Similarly, KLM paused its Amsterdam–Zanzibar service during the IATA summer season (March to October 2025), with plans to resume operations in the IATA winter season (October to March).

Both airlines clarified that these suspensions were standard seasonal adjustments based on demand trends and had nothing to do with the travel insurance requirement,” said Mr. Juma. “We urge the public to disregard misleading claims from unofficial sources and to rely on official airline announcements or trusted media outlets for accurate flight information.