Kenya Airways (KQ) has reported a sharp increase in passenger demand, attributing the surge to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which has disrupted travel patterns and rerouted global passenger flows. The airline said on Monday that demand for seats across its network has risen significantly, with the bulk of the increase coming from key long-haul markets in Europe, the United States and Asia.
According to nation.africa, the US-Israeli war on Iran has upset the global aviation industry, prompting some airlines to raise fares and change their schedules to reduce stops at airports in the Middle East, or to cancel flights altogether. Kenya Airways said demand for seats on its flights, known as load factor, was now almost at 100 percent from around 70 percent in January. “We were like this … until February. Then it significantly increased. We reached up to 90 percent total, 90, 99,” George Kamal, acting CEO of Kenya Airways, told reporters.
“And so the most we see the gains are coming from Europe, from the US and Asia. Those routes are contributing positively, very positively, to our network now,” Kamal added, without giving any further details. Kenya Airways has about 56 days of jet fuel supply and is making efforts to obtain more from India, its flight operations head Paul Njoroge said.
