Kenya Airways marks 40yrs impressive strides in air service

Kenya Airways, the East African toast, was formed on January 22, 1977, after the collapse of East African Airways, which left the country and the Eastern African region struggling at the time for air services.

The initial fleet, inherited from East African Airways, included a McDonnell Douglas DC9-52 and three Fokker F27 Friendship aircraft, before Boeing 707 had joined the fleet to restart long haul flights later that year. A Boeing 720 was subsequently acquired too to serve medium haul destinations such as Seychelles and Addis Ababa,

Athens, Frankfurt and London were among the key intercontinental routes, before flights to Karachi and Mumbai, then called Bombay, were added.

In 1985 Kenya Airways did acquire their first Airbus A310-300 aircraft and in late 1986 two additional aircraft were purchased from the manufacturer, followed by the third A310 in 1988 and a fourth soon afterwards.

The present fleet of 36 aircraft is made up of Boeing 787 Dreamliners, Boeing B737-700s and B737-800s and Embraer E190s.

Serving 54 destinations out of their hub in Nairobi at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Kenya Airways is East Africa’s dominant airline with multiple daily flights to Entebbe, Dar es Salaam, Kigali, Juba and Bujumbura, connecting inbound and outbound passengers through their new Terminal 1A.

There the comfort of two lounges, Pride and Simba, await premium passengers who have checked in at dedicated counters after entering the terminal through their own dedicated entrance and security check door.

New AIB boss charts path to success through inclusive leadership

Engr. Akin Olateru

The new Commissioner of Accident Investigation Bureau, AIB, Engr. Akin Olateru has pledged to take the agency to its deserved position ahead of other agencies in the industry.

According to him, the new leadership will require all hands on deck in order to set a new path to success for the benefit of the industry and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

In his acceptance speech during a handover ceremony held yesterday at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, the new commissioner appealed to the management and the entire staff to cooperate with him in order to propel the agency forward.

He commended the immediate past Commissioner, Dr. Felix Abali for keeping tabs with effective management of the agency even in the face of overwhelming challenges that would have drown the agency over the last few years.

“I thank you for keeping this place together despite the missiles. I have heard a lot about AIB. I know it is the smallest in the ministry, but, before the end of my tenure, I will ensure that the agency becomes the biggest of all. That’s my mission.

“However, for that to happen, I will require the maximum cooperation of all staff. I can’t do it alone, but we are here to make it happen. It is for the benefit of all staff of AIB if we can make this organisation to work. It’s not about size sometimes, but about efficiency and effectiveness.

Olateru also promised to make training a priority for all staff, stressing that through this, their technical know-how would improve.

“This is a new dawn and I am begging everyone to give this new administration a chance. Whatever that has happened in the past, let it be in the past. Aviation is highly technical, very expensive and the most regulated in the world. At the end of the day, we are all going to be happy because everyone will go on training and more opportunities would be given to people.”

Meanwhile, the outgone commissioner, Mr. Felix Abali, commended the entire staff for their support during his stint at the helm of affairs. He enjoined them to support the new administration for better leadership and results.

He, however, appealed to some of the disgruntled elements in the system to sheath their sword for the growth of the organisation.

“I thank the management and staff for their supports for me through thick and thin. And for those who were bent on destroying the agency, I don’t know what else to tell them to change their minds. I’ve spoken with them, but all to no avail,” he said. 

Ethiopian extends Intra-African Network to Madagascar

Africa’s largest and most efficient airline, Ethiopian Airlines, has extended its vast intra-African network to Antananarivo, Madagascar which will kick off from 28 March 2017.

Madagascar will join the ever expanding Ethiopian network of 95 worldwide destinations. Antananarivo is the capital and the largest city of Madagascar. The island nation is known as a “biodiversity hot-spot” as over 90% of its wildlife is found nowhere else on earth. Madagascar is home to lush rainforests and is famous for its curious lemurs.

Ethiopian’s new nonstop flight will operate three times weekly to and from Ethiopian’s hub at Addis Ababa, where passengers can connect to and from cities throughout the world, including Washington, London, Frankfurt, Paris, Rome, Beirut, Jeddah, Cairo, Dubai, Delhi, Mumbai, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beijing.

In a statement, the Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam, said: “Ethiopian, as a flagship carrier of Africa, is pleased to add Madagascar to its wide route network. Having started serving Africa seven decades ago with our motto ‘Bringing Africa Closer’, we are now continually enhancing our services and working to connect Africa to the World.

“As air connectivity is an essential cause and driver of a nation’s socio-economic integration, our new service will certainly contribute for a growing business and bilateral cooperation with other sisterly African cities. Moreover, travelers from Madagascar will be seamlessly connected with Ethiopian ever-expanding network across five continents. I would like to thank all who made this route possible,” the CEO added.

The airline, which prides itself with the name “Ethiopian,” is the fastest growing Airline in Africa by fleet size, routes coverage, flight integrity, safety consciousness, customer-friendly, revenue generation, on-time schedule service and expertise in operation which is attributed to its well-trained workforce.

In its seven decades of operation, Ethiopian has become one of the continent’s leading carriers, unrivalled in efficiency and operational success.

The airline commands a lion’s share in the pan-African passenger and cargo network, operating the youngest and most modern fleet to 95 international destinations across five continents.

Ethiopian is currently implementing a 15-year strategic plan called Vision 2025 that will see it become the leading aviation group in Africa with seven business centers: Ethiopian Domestic and Regional Airline; Ethiopian International Passenger Airline; Ethiopian Cargo; Ethiopian MRO; Ethiopian Aviation Academy; Ethiopian In-flight Catering Services; and Ethiopian Ground Service.

Ethiopian is a multi-award winning airline registering an average growth of 25% in the past seven years.