Summary
- Kenya Airways has added a Boeing 737-800 Freighter to its fleet to handle growing cargo demand.
- Despite global cargo demand increasing, African airlines had poor performance in recent months.
Kenya Airways is expanding its cargo capability by adding its first Boeing 737-800 Freighter. The move comes because the airline responds to the growing cargo demand inside the region despite Africa recording a decrease in cargo volumes in August.
The aircraft might be deployed on several routes inside Africa, India, and the United Arab Emirates. It’s the third 737 freighter to hitch the carrier’s fleet, with a fourth set to be delivered next yr.
Increasing cargo volumes
Speaking on the Global Logistics Conference in Kenya earlier this week, Allan Kilavuka, the Managing Director and CEO of Kenya Airways Group, commented on the airline’s cargo operations, saying:
“As Africa continues to unravel the trade opportunities available inside the continent, there’s consensus that there’s a need to speculate in sustainable freight systems that may enable us to succeed in our full potential for socio-economic development. One in all these is the necessity for a well-developed and capable air cargo system to support trade.
Kilavuka noted that, with the addition of the freighter, the carrier would now have the ability to supply increased cargo capability to existing routes while also offering recent cargo destinations.
Planned routes
Kenya Airways Cargo (KQ Cargo) didn’t disclose any details on the aircraft or its identity. Fleet information sites similar to ch-aviation and Planespotters.net also don’t list any newly-added 737-800 freighters. Nevertheless, the airline shared that the 737-800F can be used on flights to the next destinations:
- Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE)
- Dubai World Central, UAE
- Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
- Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,
- Dakar, Senegal
- Lagos, Nigeria
- Ndjamena, Chad
- Mogadishu, Somalia
- Mumbai, India
- Freetown, Sierra Leone
- Monrovia, Liberia
The brand new aircraft has a cargo capability of 20 tons and a spread of as much as seven hours. KQ Cargo also revealed that it plans so as to add yet one more 737-800F to its fleet, with this second aircraft to be delivered by February 2024. Currently, the airline operates two 737-300Fs, meaning its current cargo capability will increase significantly in the approaching months.
Global demand is up, but performance in Africa is poor
Data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) released in August showed that global cargo demand increased for the primary time in 19 months. In comparison with August 2022, global demand measured in cargo tonne-kilometers increased by 1.5%, while capability was up nearly 12% for international operations.
said IATA’s Director General, Willie Walsh. Walsh added that many uncertainties remain, but that things were moving in the suitable direction – particularly significant with the upcoming traditional peak year-end season for air cargo.
Photo: Kenya Airways
Despite the rise in global demand, airlines in Africa reportedly had the weakest performance during August, with a decline in cargo volumes by nearly 5% in comparison with the identical period the yr prior. In 2022, KQ Cargo carried greater than 68,000 tons of cargo, primarily comprised of fresh produce, textiles, electronics, spare parts, pharmaceutical products, and live animals.