Kenya Airways eyeing B777Fs, E2s - report

Kenya Airways (KQ, Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta) is considering adding two or more B777-200Fs to supplement its cargo fleet, while also talking to Boeing about potentially adding more B737s and Embraer about the E2.

Acting group managing director and CEO George Kamal told Air Transport World that the number and specific variant of the B777 freighter would depend on "what we find in the market," indicating they would be pre-owned or leased aircraft.

In May, Kamal already told ch-aviation that Kenya Airways Cargo would swap a B747-400(BCF) capacity agreement with Terra Avia (T8, Chisinau International) for B767 and B777 capacity to maintain 180 to 200 tons per day capacity.

As previously reported, the airline will not proceed with acquiring B767 freighters, despite earlier consideration, as introducing a new aircraft type would significantly increase costs for training, tools, and maintenance.

Kenya Airways' in-house narrowbody cargo fleet includes two company-owned B737-300(SF)s and two leased B737-800(SF)s.

E2 being considered

Of a fleet of eleven E190s, Kenya Airways has sold four, while two remain in maintenance and five are in active service, according to ch-aviation and ADS-B data.

The airline has long planned to phase out its E190s to address payload and baggage limits on regional routes from Nairobi with its hot-and-high conditions. The aim has always also been to simplify the fleet.

Kamal told ATW that the E2 may be considered as a replacement for the E190. The E2 "looks good. We are not saying that we will acquire them, but we are looking into it positively. Kenya Airways is the only African country with an Embraer [maintenance] centre."

In other fleet developments, as reported previously, Kenya Airways plans to return a B777-300ER leased to Turkish Airlines to its own network on July 17 for deployment on the Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta-London Heathrow route.

Two leased B737-800NGs are due in 2026, with ATW reporting that one will be leased from Aerolíneas Argentinas in November 2026.

Plans to lease six B737-8s have been delayed to 2027 due to part and engine shortages and liquidity constraints.

In total, the current fleet includes nine B737-800s, nine B787-8s (of which three remain AOG due to engine supply chain delays), eleven E190s, and the four B737 freighters, according to ADS-B data.

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