Kenya Airways leases two Embraer 190s to Congo Airways

Kenya Airways PLC (KQ), has signed an aircraft lease agreement and begun operating a cargo codeshare partnership with Congo Airways.

The agreement will see Kenya Airways lease two Embraer E190 jets to Congo Airways, boosting domestic operations and flight frequencies in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

In addition, Kenya Airways has today commenced direct cargo flights from Johannesburg to Lubumbashi.

Kenya Airways will also offer courses through its Pride Centre and explore the exchange of technical personnel in various areas to ensure skills transfer between the two airlines.

The partnership strengthens collaboration and bolsters aviation ties between Kenya and the DRC, actualizing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Kenya Airways and Congo Airways signed in April 2021 in Kinshasa and witnessed by Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta and DRC’s President Felix Tshisekedi.

KQ currently operates an Embraer maintenance service centre – through its Technical Department – having flown the Embraer jets since 2008. Its Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) has two state-of-the-art hangers, mechanical and avionics workshops, and extensive warehousing capable of handling line and base maintenance of several aircraft models, including Boeing 737s E-Jets, and Boeing 787.

The International Air Transport Associations (IATA) estimates that African airlines saw a combined loss of USD 2 billion due to reduced passenger travel in 2020. Kenya Airways continues to diversify its services and operations in response to the ongoing impact of COVID19 on the aviation sector.

Congo Airways was established on August 15, 2014 with the first flight was flown on October 20, 2015.

Kenya Airways aircraft slide show:

Source: https://worldairlinenews.com/2021/09/15/kenya-airways-leases-two-embraer-190s-to-congo-airways/