Kenya Airways to develop its cargo operations
National airline Kenya Airways is boosting its cargo capacity in order to further develop its cargo division, with the acquisition of one freighter. The airline expects the freighter aircraft to be in service sometime after April 2012, and plans to increase its freighter fleet as business demands. According to Kenya Airways Group managing director & CEO Dr Titus Naikuni, the freighter will be used for intra-Africa operations. The airline intends to make the freighter available both to the wider Kenya Airways network as well as interline partners with regular intra-Africa traffic. The freighter service will be complemented by capacity offered on wide-body aircraft already serving Lusaka, Lilongwe, Harare and Kinshasa routes. The addition of the freighter follows the successful launch of a three times weekly 767-300 service to Rome. Naikuni said that the airline aims to increase its services to London to double-daily served by Boeing 777-200 as soon as slot availability permits at London Heathrow Airport. From April, the carrier will also upgrade its daily Amsterdam service from 767-300 to 777-200. Naikuni added that international aviation analysts have predicted that air cargo will grow exponentially, especially intra-Africa and between Africa and Asia, with Nairobi increasingly playing the role of a cargo hub for Africa. He called for the expansion of cargo handling infrastructure, particularly at the JKIA as well Kisumu and Moi international airports. Quelle: eyefortransport |