National carrier Kenya Airways has recorded a 28 percent rise in passenger numbers in West Africa to 85,079 in the period ended June 2016. In Central Africa there was a 20% increase of passengers to 44,887 while North Africa increased by a marginal 2% to 48,628. On average, the listed airline increased its capacity on African routes by 15% which was within its African target.
In a statement, the Airline said “The African market compared positively with prior year with Western Africa reporting the highest increase at 15 percent due to resumption of flights after the Ebola epidemic, coupled with the reintroduction of flights into Bangui. Further the increase in frequency in Djibouti via Addis Ababa represented an increase of 9 percent in the Northern African region”
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The Airline attributes the increase to recommencement of flights to West Africa after an interruption last year caused by the Ebola epidemic which affected several West African countries. During the period, the Airline disposed the older B777s & adopted smaller & productive fleet.
Overally, passenger numbers grew slightly by 0.6 percent to 894,240 passengers during the period, There was a 6 percent and 7 percent decline in passengers for Far East and Europe respectively. Cabin factor improved to 66.3 percent from 65.2 percent during the period.
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Despite reduced capacity, KQ increased the seats flown during the period by 1.6% to 1.58 million due to efficient use of aircrafts. In Quarter 1 of this year, the airline reviewed its network in order to improve its connectivity across Africa through its Nairobi hub.KQ said it will continue to implement its ‘Operation Pride’ turnaround strategy with an objective of returning to profitability.
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