This archive report was first published on 4 August 2020.
August 4, 2020 - Kenya Airways has forecasted passenger numbers to remain at half of its capacity for the remainder of the year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the airline's CEO, Allan Kilavuka, 2020 has been a lost year for the company due to low demand, which at some point was as low as 25 percent.
Kenya Airways resumed international flights on Saturday, heading to about 30 destinations for the first time since the routes were suspended in March.
"In fact, 2020, we call it a lost year, because at some point we even see demand of 25 percent in some months, in some months we see 38 percent," Mr. Kilavuka said.
The airline expects demand to remain below 50 percent of capacity for the rest of the year but will increase flight frequencies depending on demand.
Kenya Airways has been struggling financially, posting a Sh12.9 billion loss for the financial year ended December 2019, up from Sh7.7 billion in 2018.
The COVID-19 pandemic has depressed the global aviation industry, with African carriers alone expected to lose $6 billion this year in revenue.
