Kenya Airways Airlines

  About Kenya Airways

Kenya Airways Ltd., or better known as Kenya Airways, is the national flag carrier of Kenya. The airline was founded in 1977 after the disbandment of the East African Airways. Kenya Airways' headquarters is in Embakasi, Nairobi and its hub is at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, the international airport of Nairobi. The airline was initially owned by the Government of Kenya. However, with privatisation taking place, the airline became the first African flag carrier to transform into a private entity, in 1996 successfully. Currently, the airline follows a public-private partnership model with the Government of Kenya holding the largest share of about 48.9 per cent. Meanwhile, KQ Lenders Company 2017 Ltd., owns 38.1 per cent of the shares, followed by KLM, which holds a 7.8 per cent stake in the airline. The remaining shares of the company are held by private owners. Kenya Airways' shares are traded on the Nairobi Stock Exchange, Uganda Securities Exchange and Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange. In 2010, the airline became a part of the SkyTeam airline alliance. It is also a member of the African Airlines Association and has been part of the same since 1977.

Kenya Airways was established in 1977 by the government of Kenya following the subsequent dissolution of East African Airways. The airline leased two Boeing 707-321s from British Midland Airways to inaugurate operations. It served the international route of Nairobi-Frankfurt-London as its first operation. The carrier also started regional and domestic route functions by deploying aircraft that were formerly a part of East African Airways' fleet. These included one Douglas DC-9-52 and three Fokker F-27-200s. In the early years of the airline, Aer Lingus offered technical and management backing to enhance its operations. Following the airline's privatisation, Swissair became the first company to offer the airline with privatisation advice. In the financial year of 1993-94, Kenya Airways recorded its first profit since commercialisation. International Finance Corporation was brought into the picture in 1994 to help provide assistance in the transition of the airline's privatisation process. Following the privatisation, several major airline players such as Lufthansa, British Airways, South African Airways and KLM expressed interest in acquiring stakes in Kenya Airways.

Eventually, the privatisation of the company was awarded to the Dutch airline company KLM, which enabled restructuring of the debt model. The airline also purchased 26 per cent of the shares in Kenya Airways to become the largest shareholder. The airline was also listed in the stock exchange with shares floating about. Meanwhile, the Kenya Government continued to hold 23 percent of its stake in the airline. In 2013, the airline brought forth low-cost carrier Jambojet, a subsidiary, wholly owned by Kenya Airways. The company also introduced African Cargo Handling Limited as part of its subsidiaries. As of 2018, the former CEO of LOT Polish Airlines, Sebastian Mikosz, has been appointed as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Kenya Airways Group. The airline has also announced that they plan to start high-end flights to cater to luxury-tourism destinations across the Indian Ocean. They are also planning to collaborate with South African Airways for route-sharing and aircraft-maintenance. In 2005, the airline changed its livery from the four stripes that ran through the length of the fuselage to the company's slogan, Pride of Africa. Meanwhile, Kenya Airways' logo was also replaced with a stylised K and an encircled with a Q.

Fleet size of Kenya Airways

Kenya Airways has a fleet size of 40 with only Boeing aircraft and about 15 Embraer 190AR. Much of the fleet's aircraft include Boeing 737-700, Boeing 737-800, Boeing 777-300ER and Boeing 787-8. As per recent developments, four of the converted Boeing 737-300s were delivered by the parent company to Kenya Airways in 2013. Kenya Airways aims to use this aircraft and fly to African routes which are currently being served by Embraer 190s. The plan is to boost the cargo capacity for the airline. In 2011, the airline had nine Boeing 787 Dreamliners on order. The company had considered cancelling the aircraft order owing to the consistent delays in delivery dates. Following the handover of its first Boeing 787 took place in 2014, following which, the airline introduced the Nairobi-Paris route. Eventually, Kenya Airways managed to phase out its Boeing 777 aircraft by 2015. There were several losses and debts incurred due to which the airline had to take such a step. They leased the Boeing 777-300ER fleet to Turkish Airlines in 2016 as a means to pay off some of the debts.

Baggage Allowance

The baggage allowance on Kenya Airways is standard compared to the other international airlines. The passenger is allowed to carry 32 kg per piece of baggage for business class. The weight should not exceed the weight as mentioned by the airline. Kenya Airways allows the purchase of extra baggage on its website as well as the check-in counter. As for passengers travelling in economy class, the weight of baggage should not exceed 23 kg per piece of baggage. The airline does allow a maximum of two pieces of baggage to both business and economy class ticket holders. There are provisions to purchase extra baggage, but even with the additional purchase, there are some exceptions. Details of the same can be received at the airline's website. Frequent flyer members who have a membership with SkyTeam get additional perks in terms of baggage allowance. Passengers can carry three instead of two pieces of baggage with the same weight and dimensions as set by the airline. Hand baggage rules are slightly different as the airline does not allow more than specific dimensions that have been stated for varied aircraft.

In-flight services

Kenya Airways promises exquisite in-flight services for its business class and economy class cabins. When you travel to their business class, be assured that the experience is going to be every bit luxe as one can expect. The seats in the business class are extremely comfortable and even recline. The same can be expected from the economy class cabin too as the leather seats are comfortable and have enough leg room provisions. One can even upgrade the seats to a better one with more legroom. The Dreamliner has by far the best benefits and in-flight services compared to other Kenya Airways fleets. The airline's official website even has a map of the seating layout that prospective passengers can check out before they pick a seat.

Depending on the aircraft, the seating configuration and type of seats are mentioned. Other in-flight services and benefits include a dedicated entertainment deck installed at every seat. Passengers can get access to some of the most recent entertainment content such as movies, music, TV shows and more. Depending on whether it is a short/medium/long haul flight, the airline also provides complimentary in-flight meal service. You will be able to relish global cuisine while you travel from the airline's flight. The stewards and flight attendants provide exemplary hospitality and are very friendly. Passengers can approach them for any requirement. Blankets, pillows, noise-cancelling earphones and other such amenities can also be requested in the flight. The airline will provide the necessary kit to the passenger.

Popular routes and top cities for Kenya Airways

The initial years of Kenya Airways witnessed popular international route connectivity to destinations such as Addis Ababa, Cairo, Bombay, Frankfurt, London, Rome, Jeddah, Zurich, Seychelles, Copenhagen, Athens, Mauritius, Salisbury, Kampala, Karachi and more. Domestic routes of Kenya Airways included flights to Kisumu, Mumias, Mombasa and Malindi. In 1982, the airline also launched a direct non-stop flight between Nairobi and Bombay while using a Boeing 707-320Bs. Following the success and reception of the flights to European destinations, the airline further invested in boosting the said international route by accommodating an Airbus A310-200 that was leased from Condor. Owing to cost-cutting measures, the airline announced in 2012 that they will be suspending services to Rome and Muscat, following a tremendous drop of 50 per cent profit in the financial year 2011-12. Flight connections to Delhi were also terminated in 2014. Meanwhile, newer routes connecting to cities such as Livingstone, Zambia, Cape Town, Abuja, were added.

Currently, the airline serves about 53 destinations across 41 countries. Some of the destinations include Bangui, Douala, Moroni, Abidjan, Kisangani, Lubumbashi, Cairo, Addis Ababa, Paris, Accra, Mumbai, Rome, Malindi, Mombasa, Lilongwe, Port Louis, Maputo, Amsterdam, Mahe, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Geneva, Kilimanjaro, Bangkok, Dubai, London, New York City, Ndola, Hanoi and Victoria Falls.

Why travel by Kenya Airways?

Kenya Airways has expanded tremendously in the last few years, following some upgrades and addition of facilities. They have extended their domestic route connectivity by adding more cities and destinations. Similarly, the airline has also terminated some of its previous international routes to accommodate new connections. Booking a Kenya Airways flight online is quite easy as it is available on all travel portals. Even their official website caters to all flight booking, web check-in, flight status and other such facilities. Travellers can know more about Kenya Airways' flight schedules too on their website. The baggage allowance is standard as per global aviation protocols. However, with its great connectivity and in-flight services, Kenya Airways is the best airline to choose for travelling within the African continent.