THREE MORE DREAMLINERS TO JOIN KENYA AIRWAYS FLEET THIS YEAR
(Posted 05th January 2015)
A source close to Kenya Airways has over the weekend confirmed that the airline will take delivery of three more Boeing B787-8 Dreamliners as planned. The airline had a few weeks ago announced major losses for the first half of their financial year 2014/15 prompting some speculation about their financial ability to pay for the new aircraft.
The initial deliveries last year of six such state of the art aircraft replaced the aged B767-300 fleet but the three joining this year will serve to expand capacity of the airline and allow for the opening of new routes and an increase in frequencies to destinations where traffic volumes are up.
The new aircraft will be boosting the bottom line of the airline’s balance sheet as the operating cost are over 20 percent lower compared to the former B767 and the significantly lower aviation fuel cost over the past few weeks will no doubt also help to save money.
There has however been speculation if Kenya Airways had hedged fuel contracts and if so, what effect this might have vis a vis the falling prices for JetA1, the commonly used aviation fuel for jet aircraft.
Also joining the fleet this year will be additional B737-800NG’s.
The following graphs, taken from the airline’s strategic plan which was published two years ago, shows the anticipated growth in the fleet over the next 6 years, which combined with the graph for expected new destinations maps out the way forward for Kenya’s national airline towards the end of the decade and beyond.
