Kenya Airways Passengers in Freetown Stranded

Hundreds of Kenya Airways passengers are stranded in Sierra Leone and Liberia as a result of bad weather condition.

Hazy conditions, which have severely affected visibility levels within the past few days, are causing ripples in the aviation industry in Freetown and Monrovia, with airlines having to put up with increasing cost of accommodating stranded passengers.

But Kenya Airways appears to be making the headlines more in Freetown after two of its flights were prevented from landing at Freetown's Lungi International Airport last Tuesday.

The problem started when one of the flights, which was scheduled to land at Lungi, was diverted to Monrovia's Roberts International Airport in neighbouring Liberia before being redirected to Accra.

A second flight could not land in either neighbouring countries and had to return to Accra, from where both had come en route from Nairobi.

"The difference is safety standard," said Robert Kiproto, Kenya Airways Country Manager for both Sierra Leone and Liberia.

Mr Kiproto said Kenya Airways is not the only affected airline but that they give the safety of their passengers an utmost precedence, hence the decision not "to take any chance" when the weather condition does not satisfy them.

About 145 passengers, including Kenyans, Ghanaians, Americans, Ugandans and other citizens, are stranded at the Lungi Airport, of whom 73 were said to be headed for Nairobi.

At the Roberts International Airports in Monrovia, 135 passengers are also stranded.

The first flight last Tuesday circled on Lungi before been forced to go to Liberia where, despite similar hash weather conditions, it managed to land.

Since Sierra Leone's only airport is in the outskirts of the capital, and given the difficulty in travelling through the estuary that links it to the mainland, many passengers are forced to stay at the airport in such situation.

This makes the problem of accommodation, feeding and other arising issues a little problematic.

Last Thursday, the entire senior management of the Freetown office of Kenya Airways spent the whole day at the Lungi Airport working a way out.

"Even now I can be required to go at anytime," Mr Kiproto said in an interview on Friday.

Some stranded passengers at Lungi who spoke to journalists complained of expensive food and accommodation problems.

But Mr Kiproto maintained that the airline couldn't be responsible for passengers before they board their planes. And in this case, the passengers are still at home.

Nonetheless, passengers on the two stranded flights in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, where been taken care of by the airlines, which the Kenya Airways Freetown boss said was costing them huge money.

The sad thing, however, is that there doesn't seem to be an end in sight of the problem.

"It all depends on the weather condition. We can tell the passengers to go home now and the weather gets clear or we can tell them to come and it gets bad again," he said.

Poor visibility grounds Kenya Airways as 145 passengers stranded at Lungi Airport

Some 145 passengers, 80 of whom were heading for Accra and 73 for Nairobi are presently stranded at the Freetown International Airport, Lungi as a result of hazy conditions which has severely affected visibility levels and has prevented Kenya Airways from landing and instead being presently grounded at the Roberts International Airport in neighbouring Liberia.
This has created an utter embarrassment for not only management of Kenya airways but equally passengers who have scheduled their travel since Tuesday.
Kenya Airway’s Country Manager for Sierra Leone and Liberia Robert Kipruto explained that there is a problem with visibility as a result of bad weather. He said in cognizance of international best practice, if any visibility falls below 8,000 meters or 8 kilometers a flight should not depart from the airport.
He said this warning is normally given by Air-Traffic Controllers together with the weather forecaster in situations of such natural phenomenon. He said that yesterday Kenya Airways came and circled over the Lungi Airport but was not given permission to land since visibility was too poor. As a result the flight opted for an alternate destination which happened to be the Roberts International Airport in Monrovia.
The Country Manager said on arrival in Liberia, the flight crew realized there was similar weather and even found it very difficult to land. He said at the moment 135 passengers are also stranded in Monrovia for which Kenya Airways management is mandated to take responsibility for accommodation and reprocessing of documents if the need arises.
Kipruto said the flight would have departed Monrovia yesterday Wednesday, but because the weather still remains the same, it is yet to take-off.
The Acting Director of the Department of Meteorology Alpha Bockarie said the cause for the change in weather is as a result of the hazy condition which is a suspended liquid and gaseous particle together with smoke in the atmosphere, and that it reduces visibility needed essentially by flights for landing and take-off.
He said the situation is not a new phenomenon but at times the intensity goes far above normal which is the case with the present weather condition. He said it is possible that it will clear after a few days. He said during his work at the Lungi airport 12 years ago, there was a time when the Malian and Sabena Airlines experienced similar problem.
Mr Bockarie said during that period the hazy condition lasted only for a day which is opposed to the present happening. However, he noted that the negative effect of this weather condition is not only limited to flights but humans themselves are susceptible to it. He said the gas emitted has substances that are deadly hazardous to one’s health.
Stranded passengers at Lungi are presently left in a pool of oblivion as to what the issue of the flight would be. They are left fending food, accommodation and other necessities after they were given breakfast lunch and dinner yesterday.
Joseph Cannon, a passenger heading for Accra-Ghana said “I am taking my parents (mother and sister) to Ghana for treatment but their situation is already becoming worrying as we are not told exactly when the flight would come.” He went on, “food is expensive here at least Le 40,000. Since breakfast, lunch and dinner yesterday, we have been left on our own.” Cannon said.
Another passenger Andrew Ewoku going to Uganda said “some of us cannot afford to pay 40 dollars to go back to Freetown. We prefer staying here, just in case.” Andrew said they are receiving mixed information about the flight which means their travel is not certain. Andrew and many others who were couched in reclining chairs said “this is possibly where we would be sleeping until God knows when.”
As we went to press BMI and Air France flights had landed last evening at the Lungi Airport signalling a possible return to normality.

Kenya Airways opens up for South Africa Travellers

Kenya Airways says passengers stranded in Malawi to travelling to South Africa can still use the airline but via Nairobi to OR Tambo Airport in Joburg.

The development comes at a time when the business sector and the general travelling public has complained of over-booked and unavailable air travel options to South Africa since the suspension of Air Malawi flights in November last year.

In reaction, the Economic Empowerment Action Group (EEAG) said much as the route provides an option for entrepreneurs, it could be viable if air ticket costs can be negotiated to manageable levels.

Responding to a questionnaire on Wednesday, Kenya Airways Country Manager for Malawi Ruth Maweu said the company has some solutions for those flying to South Africa.

"For stranded passengers, they can fly via Nairobi as we offer 10 weekly flights out of Lilongwe with perfect connections into Johannesburg.

"This includes three night flights that only have two hours connection time in Nairobi which is fantastic," said Maweu.

She, however, said Kenya Airways cannot fly direct to South Africa as it has not been given as an immediate point by the Bilateral Air Service Agreement between the governments of Kenya and Malawi.

"Therefore, it's not possible for Kenya Airways to fly directly to South Africa from Malawi, rather has to go through its hub Nairobi.

"However, we welcome any move by the government in allowing us to do so, Kenya Airways will gladly step in and serve the traveling public by offering a direct product," Maweu said.

But in an interview on Wednesday EEAG president Louis Chiwalo said the option by Kenya Airways can be relevant if entrepreneurs consider time and costs involved.

"Because of the pressure on the route, this would be acceptable only if it makes business sense that time and air ticket including baggage costs is negotiable.

"But still we feel Air Malawi's planes must be brought back into operation because their absence has shown that air business is there on this one route and the airline's shareholder must also seriously consider buying new aircraft to utilise this business potential which is also a forex earning avenue," Chiwalo said.

Air Malawi said it is expected to resume its flights to Johannesburg as its newly leased Boeing aircraft would be in the country this week.

Kenya Airways to add flights

Flying to Africa is set to get more exciting. Kenya Airways, which flies Mumbai-Nairobi, is looking to introduce a Boeing 787 Dreamliner on the route in 2014.

Besides, KQ (the official moniker for the airline) plans to expand presence in India in a big way by increasing frequencies from Mumbai and Delhi, perhaps this year, and adding other destinations over the next few years.

“KQ operates from 56 destinations across the globe and with the acquisition of new aircraft we hope to expand our operations substantially to Europe and within Africa. India and China are particularly our focus as they are growing markets,” chief executive officer of KQ, Titus Naikuni, told DNA.

“India is without doubt a focus area for KQ. We are hoping to double our frequency from Mumbai and Delhi. The Dreamliner boasts of the latest technology in the industry and a distinctly upgraded flying experience. We are very excited about it,” said Bennet Stephens, KQ’s area manager - India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh.

Media reports in Nairobi claimed KQ is planning to open six new destinations in India and China each, but Stephens did not confirm it. “Other destinations from India are on the anvil but not in the immediate future,” he said.

Kenya Airways seeks to expand Middle East service

With the Nairobi-Dubai route currently accounting for around 12 per cent of Kenya Airways' revenue, the African carrier is looking to expand its Middle East presence.

"We have a 10-year growth plan in which the Middle East features prominently. While we currently operate to Dubai, Muscat and Jeddah, future plans include launching services to Beirut, increasing frequency to Dubai to 14 a week, and also looking at a few other cities in the Middle East," Abraham Joseph, Kenya Airways regional manager for the Middle East and Pakistan, told Gulf News.

He added that the carrier expects to contribute a better share from the region over the next two to three years, and at present enjoys a healthy load factor of 85 per cent on the Kenya-UAE route.

Outlining improved profitability achieved by Kenya Airways in the half-year ended September 30 against the year earlier period, the carrier stated that the Middle East passenger numbers grew by 24 per cent.

"The response to our newly-launched Jeddah route has been very positive, which adds to our success," said Joseph.

Increase in turnover

The airline said last month that its half-year turnover reached 54.9 billion Kenyan shillings (Dh2.23 billion), a 33.3 per cent increase over the previous year's 41.2 billion shillings, resulting in a 2.034 billion shilling profit after tax compared to 1.436 billion shillings a year ago.

"The Middle East market is very important to Kenya Airways," said Joseph. "There is considerable trade between the UAE and various countries in Africa, and Nairobi, being a prominent hub, plays an important role.

"Oman, on the other hand, has cultural and historical links with East Africa, because of which there is sufficient passenger and cargo traffic between the two countries."

Asked about the challenges to the carrier's growth in this region, Joseph listed the availability of aircraft as the key one.

"We had ordered nine Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets, the delivery of which was to start from October 2010.

"But due to the delay at the manufacturer's end, the delivery has now been pushed to the third quarter of 2013," he said.

Joseph added that in order for the company to go ahead with its expansion plans, Kenya Airways has made alternative arrangements, so that the first of Boeing's 777-300ER (extended range) aircraft will join the Kenya Airways fleet in the second half of 2012.

"We have, in a manner of speaking, reached a saturation point and further growth is possible only when we increase our capacity on the Middle East routes," Joseph added.

Kenya Airways profit jumps 41%

Kenya Airways after-tax profits rose to KShs 2.034 billion (D82 million) in the first half of this year as compared to KShs 1.436 billion (Dh58 million) for the corresponding period last year, registering an increase of 41.3 per cent.
Earnings per share increased to KShs 4.40 from KShs 3.11 realised in the prior year.
Half year turnover reached KShs 54.9 billion (Dh2.23 billion) which is a 33.3 per cent increase on the previous year figure of KShs 41.2 billion (Dh1.67 billion) despite the challenging economic and geopolitical environment that continues to impact the aviation industry.
Management continued to invest time and resources towards maintaining high levels of safety in all its operations during the period.
High Passenger traffic growth was achieved in all regions over the period as follows: Middle East passenger numbers grew by 24 per cent and European traffic was up 13.3 per cent due to improved demand out of London, Paris and Rome that was launched in late 2010 thus, was not part of first half of prior year.
Africa grew by 15.7 per cent largely due to launch of operations into Ouagadougou and N’Djamena during the period.  There was also improved performance on routes launched last year to Southern Africa and increased frequencies to Juba.  Far East traffic to Bangkok, Hong Kong and Guangzhou increased by 24.8 per cent largely the result of increased capacity in the region.
“This is an exceptional performance,” said Abraham Joseph, Area Manager - Gulf, Middle East & Pakistan, Kenya Airways.
“The response of our newly launched Jeddah route has been very positive which adds to our success. Our half year financial results are due to the hard-work and dedication of all our staff around the world. We have relentlessly pushed to reach new markets despite of the increasing competitive environment”.
The airline’s board has taken cognisance of the cyclical traffic demand and has approved a ten year plan that will enable Kenya Airways remain competitive by positioning itself to capture the traffic flows in the future.
The ten year plan starts from this financial year to 2020/21. The plan includes new destinations roll out covering the six continents and a fleet acquisition plan. The immediate items in implementation of the plan starts with earnest within the next six months with a Rights Issue as already communicated to potential investors. The Rights Issue proceeds will form part of the initial fleet pre-delivery payments for the years 2013/14 and 2014/15 aircraft acquisitions.