Founded in 1977, following the dissolution of East African Airways, Kenya Airways is the national flag carrier of the East African nation of Kenya. The airline is headquartered in the central Nairobi business district of Embakasi and has its main operating hub at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO). Kenya Airways has nine Boeing 787s. Photo: Getty Images Until 1996, Kenya Airways was wholly owned by the government of Kenya before becoming the first African flag carrier to privatize successfully. Despite being listed on the Nairobi Stock Exchange, the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange, and the Uganda Securities Exchange, the Kenyan government still maintains a 48.9% stake.
A consortium of banks owns 38.1%, and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has a 7.8% stake in the airline. Private individuals own the outstanding shares. Kenya Airways joined several other national flag carriers when it became a member of the SkyTeam alliance in 2010. Kenya Airways has 36 planes
Historically, Kenya Airways operated a mixed fleet of Airbus, Boeing, McDonnell Douglas, Fokker, Embraer, and ATR aircraft. Today the East African Airline operates a slimmed-down fleet of 36 aircraft made up of planes from Boeing and Embraer. According to the aviation data and statistics website, ch-aviation , Air Kenya’s fleet is comprised of the following aircraft: 2 x Boeing 737-300 freighters
2 x Boeing 737-700s
8 x Boeing 737-800s
9 x Boeing 787 Dreamliners
15 x ERJ 190-100ARs
Of these aircraft, Kenya Airways owns 19 planes and leases the other 17 from lessors that include Nordic Aviation Capital and GECAS. With its aircraft, Kenya Airways serves 41 destinations in Africa and 13 destinations further afield, utilizing its flagship Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Kenya Airways operates one of the youngest fleets of aircraft in Africa, with an average age of 9.6 years. Before the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically affected air travel, Kenya Airways flew over four million passengers per year. Leadership wants consolidation
Before the global medical emergency decimated the airline industry, Kenya Airways was looking to expand its fleet to better compete with African powerhouse Ethiopian Airlines. Today that is the last thing on Kenya Airways CEO Allan Kilavuka’s mind. Kenya Airways CEO Allan Kilavuka. Photo: Kenya Airways As things stand in a post-COVID-19 world, there will not be enough passenger demand to support the number of airlines currently operating on the African continent. The fact is that recovery to 2019 passenger numbers could take years to […]
