Grounded Aircraft Slash Kenya Airways Seat Capacity by Up to 18pc

NAIROBI, Kenya, June 12 — National carrier Kenya Airways says grounded aircraft are cutting its available seat capacity by 15 to 18 per cent as the airline works to restore fleet operations and stabilize flight schedules.

Speaking during the airline’s 50th Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, Chief Executive Officer George Kamal said the impact is primarily reflected in reduced seat supply, though the situation is expected to ease as more aircraft return to service.

According to Kamal, the airline has already returned several aircraft to operation following earlier disruptions, with further improvements expected in the coming months as additional planes are reinstated.

“In December, we brought three aircrafts back up in the air, in December and January, and we got one 787 recently back up, so the impact of the remaining aircrafts is about 15% to 18%, which will be reduced 15 to 18% of the number of seats offered in the market. I’m not speaking about cash.”

“We will be having another aircraft up, and that will give us a good margin, would remain with one on the ground.”

Kamal said the capacity shortfall is expected to narrow further to between 6 and 8 per cent once a key wide-body aircraft is fully reinstated.

He added that Kenya Airways has slowed its fleet expansion programme due to geopolitical uncertainty and rising fuel prices, which have increased operating risk and forced a reassessment of near-term investment plans.

As part of the revised strategy, the airline has pushed some aircraft deliveries to 2027, prioritizing financial caution over rapid capacity growth.

Despite the slowdown, Kamal reaffirmed the carrier’s long-term expansion plan, targeting a fleet of about 60 aircraft by 2030 and up to 100 aircraft by 2035 through a mix of owned and leased aircraft.

He also noted that fuel hedging has become increasingly risky amid volatile global oil prices, limiting the airline’s use of aggressive hedging strategies.

On network planning, Kamal said Kenya Airways continues to dynamically review its routes based on seasonality, demand trends and fuel costs, with some destinations likely to be consolidated rather than permanently dropped.

The airline said its approach is aimed at maintaining operational resilience while protecting margins in an uncertain global aviation environment.