Kenya Airways has recorded increased passenger numbers.
The national carrier recorded a marginal increase in passenger numbers in the last quarter of 2016. The numbers rose in the wake of sweeping changes effected by the airline’s new management team late last year to stand at 1.12 million, a 4.8 per cent growth.
KQ achieved a cabin factor – ratio of occupied seats per trip of public transport services such as airlines – of 72 per cent compared to 68 per cent achieved during the same period last year.
The capacity offered into Europe, using the Boeing 787 in the last quarter of 2016, remained largely unchanged while the capacity offered into the Middle East, China and India declined compared to the same period a year earlier.
This was attributed to the airline’s adoption of the Boeing 787-8 and Boeing 737-800 aircraft, which are much smaller than the larger Boeing 777-300 largely used in the previous year.
“Additional frequencies offered by Jambojet into Ukunda, Malindi and Lamu saw capacity on the domestic front grow by 1.5 per cent during this quarter compared to the same period the previous year,” said the airline.