Nairobi: Kenya Airways posts 4.8 pc growth in passenger air traffic

Kenya Airways (KQ) uplifted 1.12million passengers in the three months to December, 2016, a 4.8 per cent growth from the number carried during a similar period the year before.

KQ transported 102,749 to Europe, representing a growth of 2.8 per cent, despite a 0.7 per cent capacity decline, driving the seat occupancy level to a higher Cabin Factor of 83 per cent compared to prior year’s 80 per cent.

The airline attributed the jump in passenger air traffic to the ongoing turnaround strategy, Operation Pride – which has seen it put up its key assets like land, lease out some aircrafts as well as retrench several employees in a bid to cut down operation costs.

The national carrier had in May last year signed an agreement with Turkish Airlines for its delivery of the first B777-300ER aircraft for subleasing in a move that saw the aircraft deregistered in Kenya and subsequently re-registered in Turkey. KQ had also signed a sale agreement with Omni Air International (Omni) for two B777-200ERs and a sublease agreement with Oman Air for two B787-8s.

The airline early in the year sent home 38 employees in the second phase of an ongoing wide cost-cutting measure expected to reduce its payroll by about Sh2 billion annually – after rendering 80 of its staff jobless in the first phase conducted in July 2016.