NAIROBI, Nov. 11, 2009 (Xinhua News Agency) -- Kenya's national carrier, Kenya Airways, said Wednesday it has acquired a sixth Boeing (NYSE:BA) 767-300 ER to increase its aircraft fleet.
The B767, which is leased from International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC), replaces an older B767 whose lease expired earlier in the year and the aircraft was returned to the owner.
"Kenya Airways has optimized its network through capacity rationalization, introduction of new destinations, staff training, improving connectivity and enhancing both crew and aircraft utilization," Group CEO Titus Naikuni said in a statement.
The decision to lease the aircraft was necessitated by the delays in the production and delivery of Boeing 787 Dreamliners, whose maiden flight is expected by early next year.
The B787 was a part of the Kenya Airways fleet development and modernization plan. The aircraft registered as 5Y-KYY is expected to ply medium-haul regional routes to bolster the current wide- body fleet.
The national flag carrier has leased the aircraft for 18 months with an option to renew the agreement further if required.
The B767 which landed at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport from Miami, the United States, via Dakar, Senegal, brings to 26 the total number of aircraft in the Kenya Airways fleet.
The 5Y-KYY seats 20 passengers in business class and 215 in economy class, with a generous 32-inch pitch in economy and 55- inch in business class.
Kenya Airways serves over three million passenger a year and flies to over 47 destinations worldwide, 39 of them African including direct flights to Amsterdam, Paris and London and select destinations in Asia, including Dubai, Mumbai, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Bangkok.
"Our main goal is to interconnect Africa and link the entire continent to the rest of the world," Naikuni added, saying that the airline currently covers over 70 percent of the continent.
The KQ fleet includes four Boeing 777-200ER, six Boeing 767- 300ER, five Boeing 737-800, four Boeing 737-700, four Boeing 737- 300 and three Embraer (NYSE:ERJ) 170LR.
Kenya Airways has embarked on an aggressive network expansion program to cater for the growing customer needs.
The route expansion has been accompanied by fleet modernization and a commitment to safety and the growing aviation standards in the continent.
There have been over 1,000 Boeing 767s ordered with over 900 delivered as of today. The 300ER models are the most popular variants, accounting for about two-thirds of all 767s ordered.
There was a total of 864 Boeing 767s in service with 48 different airlines as of July 2009.
