Kenya aviation news – Kenya Airways cargo operations commence in two weeks

TIME FRAME FOR KENYA AIRWAYS CARGO OPERATIONS CONFIRMED
The Kenyan national airline has now given a clear indication that their recently leased B747-400F will arrive over the next two weeks in Nairobi and then be immediately available for cargo operations. The aircraft has been wetleased as presently no Kenya Airways pilots hold qualifications for this type of aircraft.
Two B737-400F will then join the fleet in early 2012 to complete the lineup of aircraft which will see Kenya Airways cargo division take off in earnest. The smaller B737s will feed and de-feed palletized cargo to airports where the use of the larger B747 is not viable and where Kenya Airways wide body fleet does not fly to, mainly to the nearer and more distant regional airports where cargo demand nevertheless exists for exports and imports but not in quantities to make it interesting for international air cargo haulers.
Nairobi has become Africas most in demand air cargo centre and a number of international cargo airlines, including Martinair of Holland, Lufthansa Cargo from Germany and of late even British Airways Cargo are flying almost scheduled services, often combined with Johannesburg, to deliver perishable goods to the consumer markets of Europe and carry urgent deliveries south bound. Emirates Cargo too is a regular visitor to Nairobi, a sign of confidence in the air cargo market on which much of Africa depends in the absence of reliable road or rail delivery. Watch this space.