Allan Kilavuka, Kenya Airways Group Managing Director & CEO
Kenya Airways received its thirty fifth aircraft on the morning of Wednesday the 19th of February 2025 – a Boeing 737-800.
According to https://www.planespotters.net/ , the aircraft, with the Manufacturer Serial Number MSN 39604, and powered by two CFMI engines, was produced in its Renton factory – Washington State, in 2012. It then had its first flight on the 16th of August that year, according to https://www.airfleets.net/. It first flew for Brazilian low cost carrier GOL Linhas Aereas then went on to fly for Australian regional carrier Rex Airlines. Kenya Airways has acquired the aircraft through a lease-deal agreement with the UAE Company Dubai Aerospace Enterprise
The plane has now been registered as 5Y-CYF. According to https://www.flightradar24.com , it first flew in from Accra (Ghana) to Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport as Flight KQ7493 on the 16th of February. Then as from the 19th of February, it has plied several major routes across East Africa, having already visited Mombasa, Zanzibar, and Entebbe.
Kenya Airways currently holds a total of 13 aircraft of the Boeing 737 type, 9 of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner and 13 of the Embraer ERJ-190 type, bringing it to a grand fleet size of 35 with a relatively young average age of 13 years. Having been founded in 1977 after the dissolution of East African Airways, the carrier has seen both seasons of profit and times of challenge in its long history. However, as recently as March of 2024, the airline recorded an operating profit of KES. 10.5 billion for the year ended 31st December 2023, marking an incredible growth by 287% up from its operational loss of KES 5.6 billion incurred in the year prior.
The airline intends to increase its fleet size by 50 within the next five years and boost its cargo capacity as it grows, according to Kenya Airways CEO Allan KIlavuka.
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