Kenya Airways to double fleet size in five years

Kenya Airways plans to double its fleet in the next five years as part of a 10-year plan aimed at extending its network to every African nation, its chief executive said on Tuesday.

Kenya Airways plans to double its fleet in the next five years as part of a 10-year plan aimed at extending its network to every African nation, its chief executive said on Tuesday.

The airline, 26 percent owned by Air France-KLM, aims to connect all African travelers to the rest of the world through its Nairobi hub.

“Our strategy has been to grow in Africa, try and get in all capital cities in Africa and also increase frequencies… We are looking at doubling our fleet in the next five years,” Titus Naikuni told a news conference.

Kenya Airways, which is one of the largest carriers in Africa, along with Ethiopian Airlines and South African Airways, operates a fleet of around 27 planes, made up of Boeing aircraft and seven Embraer jets.

Naikuni spoke after signing a confirmation deal with Brazil’s Embraer for 10 E-190 jets, due for delivery between July next year and 2013.

The deal was first announced during the Paris Airshow this year, when Kenya Airways offered a letter of intent.

The Brazilian plane maker has seen steady growth in orders from African carriers, which demand a smaller optimum capacity of 70-120 passengers per plane.

The value of the deal between Kenya Airways and Embraer, which has sold 149 planes to 47 operators in 19 African countries thus far, was not disclosed.

Kenya Airways signed a deal for the purchase of nine 787-8 Dreamliner planes with Boeing in April this year to replace its ageing fleet and expand routes and flight frequencies.

It is in the process of seeking regulatory approval to raise capital to fund the acquisition of the new planes.

Kenya Airways, “The Pride of Africa,” has positioned itself as a key driver in the development of transport links across Africa. The airline seeks to be the carrier of choice on the continent, connecting various African cities and linking Africa to the world through the airlines hub in Nairobi. Kenya Airways is set to commence flights to its 54th global destination, Ndjamena, Chad, later this month.

About Kenya Airways: Kenya Airways is the flag carrier of Kenya established in 1977 and headquartered at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Part of the SkyTeam Alliance, the airline operates to over 46 scheduled destinations throughout Africa, Europe, Indian subcontinent and Asia.

Kenya Airways Equipment: The Kenya Airways fleet is composed of four Boeing 777-200Ers, six Boeing 767-300Ers, five Boeing 737-800s, four Boeing 737-700s, five Boeing 737-300s and six Embraer E17LRs…30 aircraft in total.

Kenya Airways Route Overview: Kenya Airways is based in Nairobi, Kenya and operates scheduled service to:

Africa: Abidjan, Accra, Addis Ababa, Antananarivo, Bamako, Bangui, Brazzaville, Bujumbura, Cairo, Cotonou, Dakar, Dar-es-Salaam, Djibouti, Douala, Dzaoudzi, Entebbe, Freetown, Gaborone, Harare, Johannesburg, Khartoum, Kigali, Kilimanjaro, Kinshasa, Lagos, Libreville, Lilongwe, Lubumbashi, Lusaka, Luanda, Mahe, Malabo, Monrovia, Moroni, Ndola, N’djamena, Ouagadougou, Yaounde, Zanzibar.

Far East, Asia, Middle East: Bangkok, Dubai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Muscat.

Europe: Amsterdam, Paris, London, Rome.

Domestic: Kisumu, Mombasa, Malindi, Nairobi (HUB).

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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