Kenya Airways takes delivery of first Boing 737-800
Coastweek - - Kenya Airways has taken delivery of the first of three new generation Boeing 737-800 planes, leased from the Singapore Aircraft Leasing Enterprise.
The other two will be delivered in November and December this year.
The Boeing 737-800 is a medium-range aircraft that will replace the three aging Boeing 737-200, which have served Kenya Airways regional routes for the last 20 years.
The new aircraft will offer more passenger com-fort, efficiency and reliability.
Once the three aircraft are delivered by December, Kenya Airways will have an active all modern Boeing fleet of 21 aircrafts.
This fleet modernization plan is linked to Kenya Airways strategy to offer more services to its clients in and out of Africa.
"By bringing in this new generation 737-800 we expect to offer our passengers, more space in addition to introducing more capacity on the local and regional routes.
"We will also be able to ferry more cargo within the rapidly expanding trader routes in West and Central Africa" commented Mr. Titus Naikuni Managing Director Kenya Airways.
The Boeing 737-800 carries 145 passengers compared to the 116 available on the Boeing 737-200 and a bigger cargo capacity of 1,555 (44cu m).
This new aircraft is part of Kenya Airways fleet modernization program that has seen the airline take delivery of three new Boeing 777 aircraft in the past three years.
A fourth Boeing 777 is expected in February 2007.
In the same spirit the airline recently placed a firm order for six new Boeing 787 Dreamliners to be delivered between 2010 and 2012.
The Boeing 737-800 is not only the leading single-aisle commercial airliner available today, it is also the best selling in commercial jet airplane category, with more than 6,500 ordered by 236 customers.
The aircraft is equipped with a Heads-Up Display (HUD) system that projects key navigational data directly in front of pilots, allowing for safer operation in difficult conditions such as inclement weather or problematic navigational terrain.
