Kenya Airways will spend US$3.6 billion over the next five years on new aircraft and routes, mainly aimed at connecting Africa and Asia, its chief executive said has said.

Titus Naikuni said trade between Africa and China and India had soared in recent years, growing at an annual rate of about 200 per cent, creating huge opportunities.

“We are still not a mature market in Africa therefore there is growth,” he said, adding the cargo business would also grow
due to the new freighter the airline leased this financial year. He said total revenue from cargo was 8 per cent, but that may rise to 10-11 per cent by the end of the next financial year.

“We are looking at African markets. We are looking at Asia, India and we need to connect these three land masses,” Naikuni said according to a Reuters report. The airline – 26 per cent owned by
KLM – is looking to nearly double its passenger fleet to 68 planes and add eight freighters. Currently it operates a sole, leased B747-400 freighter. Extra aircraft would enable the carrier to start six new routes to China, six new routes to India, a service to
Madrid, as well as increase frequencies on its numerous African routes. “We are starting Delhi in the next two months. In fact if I had aircraft I would put a double daily to Mumbai,” he said.

Kenya Airways’ strategy hinges on connecting Africa with the outside world through its Nairobi hub. The main stumbling block facing the carrier’s plan is the expansion of Nairobi’s main airport, which although built in 1978 to handle 2.5 million passengers a year, now manages five million without any expansion.

“This airport must be expanded quickly … Let’s break the ground quickly because if we continue talking, another year could go by,” Naikuni said, adding that the new facility should have a capacity of 20 million passengers.