Welcome to the KQ Fact Checker. This page contains
a selection of mainstream news features about
Kenya Airways, our opinion on their level of accuracy,
and additional context on our official position.
Fact Checker
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Thu, 14 Dec 2023, 18:39
Kenya Airways cancels flights on crew shortage
Kenya Airways wishes to clarify as FALSE the assertion by Nation Media Group outlets (Daily Nation, NTV and Business Daily), that cabin crew shortage is resulting in flight disruptions. The articles further assert that “The shortfall in the number of cabin crew workers comes after KQ let go of some of its staff members in 2020 to cut costs due to depressed earnings caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.”
The journalist neglected to mention that we have added more than 314 cabin crew and 91% of those whose contracts had not been renewed during COVID have since been recalled. KQ adheres to industry regulations, meticulously following the operational guidelines outlined by the regulatory authority, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, to ensure the highest standards of right staffing, safety and service. Kenya Airways currently has 853 Cabin Crew compared to 936 pre-COVID.
Moreover, it’s worth noting that the recent flight delays acknowledged by the airline are primarily attributable to logistical challenges related to the on-time delivery of spare parts, as transparently communicated earlier. Kenya Airways remains dedicated to resolving these challenges swiftly and diligently, assuring its valued passengers of continued operational excellence in line with its unwavering commitment to the highest safety standards.
Like any other organisation, sometimes employees are unable to turn up for work for varied reason, sickness, family emergency, etc. In this scenario the crew scheduling team will reach out to those not rostered through phone calls or WhatsApp messages on their availability. It is important to state that this is an industry practice world over. It is therefore unethical and very unprofessional to reference regular WhatsApp messages and imply that it is a contribution to Cabin crew shortage.
Kenya Airways is also currently addressing pilot shortages due to multiple pilots calling in sick. We are committed to overcoming these challenges swiftly to maintain operational excellence.
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Tue, 08 Aug 2023, 07:22
Kenya Airways and Delta Airlines expand codeshare partnership
KQ confirms the recent expansion of the codeshare partnership with Delta Air Liines, as reported in the Business Daily newspaper. This collaboration marks an important step in enhancing travel options and connectivity for KQ passengers. By extending the codeshare agreement, KQ and Delta Air Lines are further committed to providing seamless and efficient travel experiences.
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Tue, 04 Jul 2023, 06:58
Bad weather, technical issues affect Kenya Airways operations
KQ released a statement regarding expected flight changes resulting from adverse weather conditions, leading to turn-backs/diversions, as well as unscheduled technical maintenance affecting three of our aircraft. All three aircrafts returned to service as of the evening of Monday, 3rd July 2023. Flight operations resumed normalcy as of 6th July 2023.
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Mon, 03 Jul 2023, 09:55
Kenya Airways set sights on business recovery by 2024
KQ confirms that the article on Times Aerospace regarding its business recovery plans is indeed factual. As stated, the airline has set its sights on achieving a turnaround by 2024. Despite facing challenges such as increased fuel costs and currency fluctuations, mains resilient and committed to implementing strategic initiatives to optimise performance. With the support of customers, employees, the Government of Kenya, and other stakeholders, KQ is confident in our ability to build a strong and sustainable business for future success.
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Mon, 03 Jul 2023, 08:52
All Boeing Future: Kenya Airways To Retire Its Embraer & Bombardier Aircraft
During the 47th Annual General Meeting (AGM), KQ CEO, Allan Kilavuka, announced plans to replace the existing Embraer and Bombardier fleet with Boeing aircraft as part of the "mono fleeting" strategy. This strategic decision is in line with the airline's long-term goals for fleet and route development, with the aim of improving cost management and operational efficiency.
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Thu, 22 Jun 2023, 06:47
Kenya Airways Bags 2023 Africa Best Airline Staff Award
As reported in Pan African Visions, KQ confirms that it indeed received best airline staff award at the 2023 World Airline Awards. Tom Shivo, the Chief People Officer, expressed the airline's gratitude for receiving the award and highlighted their dedication to delivering exceptional service.
The Skytrax World Airline Awards are the most coveted Quality accolades for airlines and represent a global benchmark of excellence. The awards were announced in a gala ceremony held in the Air and Space Museum at the Paris Air Show.
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Tue, 20 Jun 2023, 04:45
Kenya Airways resumes daily New York flights
KQ has resumed daily direct flights to New York, as reported by The East African. This is to capitalise on the anticipated increase in air travel demand during the summer season. Previously, Kenya Airways operated five daily flights on the US route, but the frequency was adjusted due to lower passenger demand during the winter season in the Americas. With the summer season now underway, Kenya Airways aims to meet the rising demand for air travel by reestablishing daily flights to New York.
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Wed, 14 Jun 2023, 05:49
Kenya Airways unveils 'exciting' loyalty rewards to charm customers
KQ has indeed launched its own loyalty programme, Asante Rewards. The programme is designed to reward KQ customers through redeemable points.
Customers can redeem their accumulated points for various benefits, including reward ticket flights, seat upgrades, extra baggage allowance, priority services, and seat selections, among other offerings.
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Tue, 13 Jun 2023, 08:32
KQ flies in with Sh20m Rally Star sponsorship
In a bid to invest in young talent in motorsports, Kenya Airways confirms its in-kind sponsorship towards the three FIA Rally Stars who participated in this year’s WRC Safari Rally. The support that KQ has given has been beneficial to the young rally drivers, their support teams, and officials in travelling to rally competitions not just in Kenya but also within Africa and Europe.
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Mon, 12 Jun 2023, 07:17
Kenya Airways signs interline deal with Emirates
KQ confirms the establishment of an interline partnership with Emirates, as reported in Business Daily. This agreement expands travel options for passengers and offers seamless baggage check-in to (multiple) final destinations.
Kenya Airways passengers from Nairobi and Mombasa will now connect through Dubai to 23 destinations across West and South Asia, the Far East, the Indian Ocean, and the Middle East.
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Fri, 02 Jun 2023, 06:25
John Ngumi Resigns As Kenya Airways Independent Director
KQ confirms the story published on Citizen Digital regarding the resignation of John Ngumi from the company's board of directors as an independent director. Following John Ngumi’s resignation, Kenya Airways Board Chairman, Michael Joseph, announced the appointment of James David Kabereri as an independent non-executive director.
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Thu, 25 May 2023, 07:15
Kenya Airways Competes Among 22 Airlines in 2023 Sustainable Aviation Fuel Flight Challenge to Europe
KQ indeed participated in The Sustainable Flight Challenge, a competition that brought together 16 SkyTeam Alliance members.
KQ gave submissions on several initiatives on a sustainably curated in-flight menu, a carbon offsetting program for customers, E-mobility for guests, a travel light policy, waste management initiatives, among others.
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Fri, 31 Mar 2023, 22:27
KQ drops sale deal with Delta for South Africa Airways venture
Kenya Airways would like to clarify that there is no truth to the story in The East African. Kenya Airways has not entered into such a deal, and therefore cannot be said to have dropped it.
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Wed, 05 Jul 2023, 22:27
Kenya Airways sees aircraft availability improving amid spare parts pressures
Kenya Airways (KQ) disclosed that the availability of its aircrafts had improved following an update on service disruption attributed to shortage of parts. We continued to recover our aircraft on scheduled and unscheduled maintenance as and when we received the parts and discussions were held with our suppliers on the delivery timelines for all the components required for the maintenance tasks.
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Wed, 05 Jul 2023, 22:27
Kenya Airways Expands its Route Network
Kenya Airways (KQ) enhanced its networks by increasing frequencies on eight (8) routes, adding capacity on one (1) route, and introducing two (2) new routes. This was in response to increased demand in the market and to offer customers more travel options. The network enhancement was routine and informed by the return to air travel as the aviation industry recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic and in support of Tourism sector in Kenya.
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Wed, 05 Jul 2023, 22:27
Kenya Airways announced a special fare discount of 30% on all tickets as it celebrates its 46th anniversary.
Kenya Airways (KQ) announced a special discount of 30% on all tickets as we celebrated our 46th anniversary as an appreciation to our customers for their support and loyalty. The offer was open for booking between 19th and 24th January 2023. We are committed to increasing our connectivity through new routes, increased frequencies and network expansions; interline agreements and codeshare agreements with our partners.
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Wed, 05 Jul 2023, 22:27
KQ Pilots given 14 days for labor dispute talks
Kenya Airways (KQ) welcomed the decision by the Employment and Labour Relations Court that directed immediate resumption to work by all pilots by 9th November 2022. The expeditious ruling allowed KQ to resume its normal operations as conciliation meetings took place between management and KALPA leaders.
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Wed, 05 Jul 2023, 22:27
KQ gives Mang’u Boeing to boost aviation skills
Kenya Airways (KQ) is committed to giving back to the community and supporting education. For this reason, we are donating an aircraft to Mang’u High School which will provide aviation students with hands-on experiences and opportunities to explore the world of aviation. We believe that investing in the education of young people is investing in the future of our community and industry. We are honored to play a role in fostering the next generation of pilots and aviation professionals.
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Wed, 05 Jul 2023, 22:27
KQ to launch Accra-Dakar flights from December 11
Kenya Airways (KQ) announced the introduction of a new service between Accra and Dakar effective 11th December 2022. Kenya Airways is the only carrier to offer this connection which taps into the travel demand from corporate travelers, traders as well as leisure travelers between Ghana and Senegal. Kenya Airways flies a B737-800 two times a week from Nairobi to Accra to Dakar and return to Nairobi via Accra. This new connection offers customers within the Kenya Airways network more flight options and choices within West Africa and in and out of East Africa as well as provide seamless connections through Nairobi to Middle East, India, China, Europe and USA.
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Wed, 05 Jul 2023, 22:27
KQ independent non-executive director Angus Clarke quits
The Board of Directors of Kenya Airways PLC (KQ) announced the resignation of Mr. Angus John Clarke as a director of the company effective 30th November 2022. This followed Mr. Clarke’s recent appointment as the Chief Commercial Officer of Air France KLM Group, which created a conflict of interest with his current position at Kenya Airways PLC.
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Wed, 05 Jul 2023, 22:27
First in Africa: IATA Certifies Kenya Airways Pride Centre in DGT
Kenya Airways (KQ) training facility, Pride Centre has become first training facility in Africa to receive the much-coveted Excellence certification from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for meeting Dangerous Goods Training requirements using a competency-based training and assessment (CBTA) approach. Kenya Airways Pride Centre is the 7th training centre in the world to receive this certification.
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Tue, 01 Aug 2023, 13:20
Kenya Airways and Saudi Arabian Airlines Expand Codeshare Agreement to Include Direct Mombasa Flights
Kenya Airways (KQ) and Saudi Arabian Airlines (SV), the national carrier of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, have expanded their codeshare agreement to include the recently announced Mombasa-Dubai direct flights. This code share extension will allow seamless connections on one ticket to and from the Saudi Arabian Airlines network, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, among other points in the Middle East, via Kenya Airways flights from Dubai to Mombasa.
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Tue, 01 Aug 2023, 13:26
Kenya Airways Suspends Ticket Sales In Malawi
The headline and the story in Capital Business says Kenya Airways (KQ) announced the suspension of ticket sales in Malawi due to the challenge of repatriation of funds from Malawi.
The suspension will only affect reservations made in Malawi. However, travellers can still book and buy tickets online KQ has, throughout the year, actively engaged Malawi authorities to find a solution for the repatriation of significant amount of its blocked funds. However, KQ has found it challenging to meet its operational costs and maintain the commercial viability of its operations in Malawi
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Tue, 01 Aug 2023, 13:29
Kenya Airways to begin Mombasa-Dubai direct flights
Kenya Airways started operating non-stop flights from the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa to Dubai on the 15th of December 2022. KQ will operate a Boeing 737-800, four times a week.
The introduction of this route is in response to demand from the market and is expected to boost the Kenyan coastal region tourism industry through direct access to and from the Middle East.
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Tue, 01 Aug 2023, 13:48
KQ inks deal with Royal Air Maroc to grow deal
Kenya Airways (KQ) and Royal Air Maroc (RAM), signed an agreement on 5th of December 2022 to resume their Codeshare partnership, previously initiated in 2016 and discontinued in 2019. Under the new agreement, Royal Air Maroc passengers will be able to travel to Nairobi, Zanzibar and Johannesburg on Kenya Airways network.
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Tue, 01 Aug 2023, 13:50
KQ to return to profit in 2024 – CEO
Following the publication in People Daily, Kenya Airways is assuredly on its financial recovery path, as evidenced by the improving business performance metric of narrowing losses.
Additionally, several bounce-back strategies, including a cost-cutting and optimization program to ensure that only the critical needs are financed.
There are also partnerships and agreements with airlines across Africa and the world to position the brand as a provider of great travel and connectivity options.Key to note is the ongoing KQ-SAA partnership, whose goal is to form a Pan-African airline in 2024, the same period KQ aspires to be the preferred carrier of choice.
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Sat, 10 Dec 2022, 19:06
Kenya Airways could make a return to sponsoring Kenyan rugby
As reported on NTV, KQ has a great history of sports right from the safari rally to rugby previously. These sports partnerships are hinged on KQ’s access to multiple destinations and in-kind sponsorships where tickets to sports teams, partners, and stakeholders are offered.
As the Pride of Africa, KQ’s sports sponsorship portfolio is borne out of an acknowledgment and the need to harness the country’s rich sporting talent.
The partnerships also involves looking at the sports ecosystem and finding new and innovative solutions that can mitigate the adverse effects of prevailing challenges.
