Kenya’s national carrier is taking steps to address capacity constraints and meet customer demand this holiday season, Kenya Airways announced Tuesday.
The airline has signed a short-term lease agreement with Portuguese aviation company Hi Fly to add an Airbus A330 aircraft to its fleet.
“With the current capacity constraints on the back of the growing demand for airline travel, we need to balance our customers’ immediate needs by bringing more capacity into the market,” said Kenya Airways CEO Allan Kilavuka in the statement.
The 299-seat aircraft — with 24 business class and 275 economy seats — will allow the airline to handle increased passenger volumes more efficiently, Kilavuka said. It also provides additional belly cargo capacity.
The lease comes ahead of Kenya lifting visa requirements for international travelers starting January 1, a move President William Ruto announced this fall to boost tourism. Kilavuka cited the anticipated traffic increase after the new visa-free travel policy takes effect.
Bringing in an aircraft that is “ready to fly” from Hi Fly was “the quickest way to immediately deal with capacity challenges,” he said.
With the extra capacity, Kilavuka said he expects to see “improved operational stability and efficiency, as well as enhanced capacity for the convenience of our passengers.”
