TRAVEL & LEISURE • Kenya Airways Sees Slow Recovery Cuts Half of International Flights • Khusoko

Kenya Airways does not expect a full recovery when it resumes international flights from August 1st.

As a result, it would cut its flight plan by 50 percent which will dramatically affect its direct flights to the United States and China.

In addition, it says it will cut the frequency of flights to some destinations with passenger demand expected to remain depressed for at least 18 months.

“We plan to resume flights to 27 destinations in August. This represents close to 50 percent of our routes pre-Covid,” said KQ chief executive officer Allan Kilavuka in an interview with the Business Daily.

Kenya Airways started direct flights to the US in October 2018, cutting the journey to 15 hours on the long haul route. On January 31 suspended all flights to and from China.

It operates a fleet of 36 planes but expects over the next five years, 11 passenger aircraft will exit the fleet as their leases expire.

“The Company has begun exploring the market for possible replacements to the retiring fleet, with a focus on reduced ownership and operational costs.”

Domestic commercial and passenger flights resumed July 15 after the restrictions were lifted.

During Kenya Airways 44th Annual General Meeting, Kilavuka had disclosed that they will undertake rationalisation of their network to respond to the suppressed demand. This has led it to lose an estimated KSh10 billion in revenue as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Kenya Airways sank deeper into losses for the full year that ended in December 2019, hurt by fuel, personnel, and aircraft costs.