Kenya Airways (KQ) has announced it will add a 299-passenger aircraft into its fleet to address capacity challenges and in preparation for possible high traffic following a move by the government to open borders starting January.
In a statement Wednesday, the national carrier said it acquired the A330 Airbus plane in a short-term agreement with Hi Fly, a global lease and charter specialist airlines, to enhance operational efficiency during the peak festive season. The newly introduced aircraft was expected to begin operations on Thursday.
“With the current capacity constraints on the back of the growing demand for airline travel, we need to balance our customers’ immediate needs by bringing more capacity into the market,” said KQ’s chief executive Allan Kilavuka.
He explained that the airline was taking practical steps in the short term to support the airline’s operational efficiency, and address “the pertinent challenges in the market.”
“The arrival of the aircraft will also support the anticipated increased number of travellers following the recent announcement by His Excellency President William Ruto on ending visa requirements for all visitors to Kenya starting in January 2024 making Kenya a visa-free country,” the airline stated.
Mr Kilavuka said the addition of the aircraft was the quickest way to immediately deal with capacity challenges and added that being a wide-body aircraft provided additional belly capacity to augment the airline’s existing cargo space.
The aircraft has a capacity for 299 passengers, split into 24 in the business cabin and 275 in the economy class, KQ said in the statement.
“With the arrival of the aircraft, we expect to see improved operational stability and efficiency, as well as enhanced capacity for the convenience of our passengers,” Mr Kilavuka said.
A statement to the airline’s customers noted that the aircraft would also enhance its flexibility for the peak travel season.
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