Kenya Airways Ltd, popularly known as Kenya Airways, is the flag carrier of Kenya. It was founded in 1977, immediately after the dissolution of East African Airways. Headquartered in Embakasi, Nairobi, this airline was wholly owned by the Kenyan government till April 1995. It went on to become a private operator in 1996, becoming the first African flag airline to do so. Nonetheless, the largest stakeholder in the company is the Kenyan government, holding around 29.8%, with the KLM group owning another 26.73% stake. The remaining shares are held by private owners. Shares of Kenya Airways are traded on the Nairobi Stock Exchange, Dar-es-Salaam Stock Exchange and Uganda Securities Exchange.
Today, Kenya Airways is considered to be one of the leading Sub-Saharan operators. As of January 2013, it ranked fourth in the list of the top ten operators in Africa in terms of seat capacity. Since June 2010, the airline has been a part of the SkyTeam alliance, and is also a member of the African Airlines Association since its inception.
Fleet
Kenya Airways has over 40 aircraft as part of its fleet. These include the Boeing 737-300, Boeing 737-700, Boeing 737-800, Boeing 777-200ER, Boeing 777-300ER, Boeing 787-8 and Embraer 190. The Boeing 777-200ER and the Boeing 777-300ER are its largest aircraft, with passenger capacity of 322 and 400, respectively. Apart from this, the airline also has a Boeing 737-300F dedicated to cargo. The company has expansion plans to add Boeing 787 Dreamliners to its fleet in the near future.
Destinations
Kenya, being a tourist attraction owing to its game-parks and wildlife sanctuaries, offers extensive connectivity for leisure travelers. Through its SkyTeam alliance and codeshare agreements, the Kenya Airways covers an extensive network of destinations. Operating from its primary hub in Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, it has direct service to many countries in Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia. Popular African countries include Mozambique, Nigeria, Cameroon, Tanzania and Zambia. The Middle East destinations include Jeddah, Oman, Muscat, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, to name a few. Other notable destinations include India, Sweden, the UK, France, Seychelles, Pakistan, Netherlands, Mauritius, Madagascar, Greece, Hong Kong, Germany and China.
In-Flight Services
Kenya Airways offers spacious flat-bed seats for its premium class passengers on board the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Boeing 777-300 ER and Boeing 777-200 ER flights. These passengers also have access to Premier World’s Simba Lounge at Nairobi Airport.
International flights have hot meals served, with the option to pre-book special meal requirements beforehand. Also, in-flight entertainment is available depending on the travel class. The Boeing 767-300ER, Boeing 777-200ER and Boeing 777-300ER/Boeing 787-8 have personal TVs with both AVOD and NVOD. The Kenya Airways Cool Kids Club provides assistance to travelers with infants and unaccompanied minors.