The latest addition 5Y-KYT Increase capacity in the
Regional routes
May
31, 2012…. Kenya Airways has added another Embraer E190 to its
rapidly growing fleet as it expands its destinations in Africa while increasing
frequencies on existing routes.
This brings to ten the
number of Embraer aircraft operated by the national carrier. The latest acquisition
is the last delivery of the three E190’s acquired from Air Lease Corporation.
According to Kenya Airways Chief
Executive Officer Dr. Titus Naikuni, increasing the number of Embraer aircraft
in Kenya Airways will help the airline consolidate its presence on the
continent where it flies to 45 destinations.
“With a four-hour flight range, Embraer is a
versatile aircraft that we have identified as suitable for our plans to
consolidate our presence in the African routes. It has indeed proved very
valuable in supporting our ongoing growth plans for Africa,” explained Dr
Naikuni.
Registered as 5Y-KYT, the
new aircraft has a capacity of 96 passengers, 12 business class and 84 economy.
The aircraft arrived in Kenya early this week flown by a team of 3pilots Capt Isaac
Onyango and Capt Ashwyn Mehri in command and First Officer Alex Ngotho Mbugua.
Currently, KQ uses Embraer aircraft on
domestic and short regional routes including Kisumu, Entebbe, Kigali, Bujumbura,
Addis Ababa, Djibouti, Maputo, Gaborone, and Nampula. The airline plans to open
two new destinations to Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and Eldoret in Kenya in July. Kenya
Airways also plans to open a new route to Beirut by the end of the year.
The acquisition of Embraer, a narrow body
aircraft, is significant in that it complements Kenya Airways’ wide-body fleet
while allowing the airline to fly on short to medium range routes with lower
fuel costs. Embraer is manufactured in San Jose Dos
Campos, Brazil.