As far back as July 2023, it was reported that KQ was considering doing away with the narrow-body, twin-engine jet aircraft manufactured by Embraer, a Brazilian aerospace company
National carrier Kenya Airways (KQ) on Monday, August 19 provided an update on plans to abandon all its 13 Embraer aircraft in favour of its Boeing fleet in a method known as ‘mono-fleeting’ to continue its recent upward trend in terms of its fortunes.
As far back as July 2023, it was reported that KQ was considering doing away with the narrow-body, twin-engine jet aircraft manufactured by Embraer, a Brazilian aerospace company, which would allow the airline to operate sizeable aircraft, with the Embraers being deemed too small.
Allan Kilavuka, CEO of Kenya Airways, cited an unavailability of the Boeing 737 variant of aircraft which would have been a befitting replacement for the Embraers, which have been used popularly for short-haul flights both domestic and international flights within the African continent.
Inside a Kenya Airways Embraer E190 plane. /LIVE AND LET’S FLY
This unavailability in the global aviation sector has put plans by KQ to replace the Embraers on hold, as well as exploring how the planes can be used in other capacities.
“We had a plan on how we are going to re-fleet or remove the Embraer fleet from our fleet but because of the unavailability of the 737, we cannot for sure say when, and that’s how the industry is at the moment,” Kilavuka confessed during a virtual presentation of KQ’s half-year results for 2024.
“It is very volatile because of the unavailability of suitable aircraft because the original plan that we had was very clear going forward and even how we were going to use the Embraer that we currently have for other purposes but now, we are no longer completely clear particularly because of unavailability of aircraft.”
However, Kilavuka assured that the airline would not hesitate to replace the Embraer fleet upon being assured that replacements by Boeing would be made available.
“As and when we get aircraft, then we craft a plan of replacement of the existing Embraer fleet,” he added.
Reuters reported on June 14, 2024, that Boeing had revealed to suppliers that it was delaying a key production milestone for its 737 jet family by three months, as it continues to struggle with a crisis that is hurting output.
A new Boeing supplier schedule communicated to the industry calls for 737 output to reach 42 a month in September, compared with a previous target of reaching that output in June.
Boeing’s jet production has slowed sharply in the face of increased scrutiny from regulators, airlines and lawmakers following an incident whereby a door plug blew out of a United States (US)-based Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 when the two-month-old plane was flying at 16,000 feet.
KQ’s mono-fleeting plans to phase out the Embraer fleet and opt for purely Boeing planes tipped to ease its fleet operational maintenance and training costs on crew and engineers, hang in the balance, and it now remains to be seen how the airline will handle growing criticism on the matter from almost all quarters.
Roads and Transport Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir, during his vetting for the role by the National Assembly Committee on Appointments on August 2, pointed out that KQ’s current fleet, which includes the 13 Embraer aircraft, does not meet the demands of long-haul flights, thereby limiting the airline’s competitive edge.
“It is self-defeating to have the highest fleet of about 13 Embraer aeroplanes. Customers have to choose alternating flights when they might have wanted to actually fly on Kenya Airways,” he hit out.
In 2023, Kilavuka lamented that the current Embraer was too small and thus unable to carry all the luggage needed by the airline, which is aiming to increase the capacity of its narrow-body fleet.
In 2022, KQ operated 39 aircraft, both owned and leased, including nine Boeing 787 wide-body jets, eight Boeing 737 narrow-body jets, 13 Embraer regional jets, two Boeing 737 freighters and seven Bombardier Dash 8-400 jets.
Kenya Airways planes at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi. /FILE
