MAKE A DATE WITH KENYA AIRWAYS’ FIRST B787 DREAMLINER
(Posted 14th February 2014)
Kenya Airways has named the 04th of April as the tentative date for the expected arrival of their first B787-8 Dreamliner, which is now in the final stages of assembly. This delivery, overdue by more than 3 years as a result of production problems over the complex new technologies which is using composite materials to reduce weight, will be the first of as many as 6 of these new planes in 2014, with three more of the initial order of 9 due for delivery in 2015.
The new aircraft has been registered with the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority as 5Y – KZA and will very likely be ‘named’ at a special ceremony soon after arriving in Nairobi.
Dr. Titus Naikuni recently in fact confirmed that once the delivery of the new B787-8 models, which Kenya Airways ordered, goes underway, their ageing B767-300ER fleet will be progressively retired from service, taking full advantage of the new aircraft’s higher payloads, longer range and most important, over 20 percent fuel savings compared to the aged planes.
The B787 Dreamliner made a first appearance in Nairobi in December 2011 when Boeing had embarked on a worldwide tour with the aircraft to showcase it to airline customers, their corporate clientele and the local media. It is understood from usually well informed sources that Kenya Airways did manage to negotiate a comprehensive package with Boeing over the delays encountered with the delivery of these aircrafts and while the first delivery was slotted for March this year, there will be some relief in the corporate headquarters in Embakasi that a date has finally been set. In fact, in private two regular sources close to Kenya Airways expressed almost relief that KQ was NOT the African launch customer since the aircraft was dogged with problems over the use of the unproven Ion Lithium battery technology which led to a three month global ban early last year, costing the airlines which had already taken delivery of the B787 millions of dollars.
With those issues, by and large, now resolved, Plan Mawingo, the airline’s strategic 10 year plan, will receive a boost as the B787-8, together with the B777-300ER will form the backbone of the long haul fleet of Kenya Airways over the next two decades at least and support the expansion of destinations from presently 65 to 115 by the year 2021 as the fleet will progressively grow from the present 45 aircraft to 119, including several freighters. Watch this space and be sure to get life updates from the arrival of the B787 at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport come April 04th.
(Kenya Airways’ first B787-8 still under assembly and then fresh out of the paintshop)
