Gearing up: Kenya Airways carries medical supplies from China to Nairobi
The government of Kenya received critical medical supplies from China, which was transported by Kenya Airways in its B787 Dreamliner.
April 18, 2020: The government of Kenya received critical medical supplies from China, which was transported by Kenya Airways in its B787 Dreamliner.
The cargo reached Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), Nairobi and was received by cabinet secretaries Fred Matiang'i, Mutahi Kagwe, and James Macharia.
Recently, Kenya Airways operated its passenger freighter using a B787-8 on April 16 to London carrying fresh produce, after flying with medical supplies to Johannesburg on April 12.
During a webinar by Logistics Update Africa recently on 'How Last-Mile delivery services can keep up with Covid-19 demand for critical medical and food shipments, Jacob Bwana, commercial manager - cargo at Kenya Airports Authority pointed out the reliance on Nairobi for cargo to the landlocked neighbouring countries and European countries. "Probably, Kenya Airways may continue to uplift the medical kits and essentials goods," he noted.
Recently, the airline has been hit hard by the decision of the country government who signed a deal with Ethiopian Airlines to operate passenger planes for shipment of cargo between JKIA, Nairobi to Europe and Asia. The deal allows Ethiopian Airlines to fly cargo using six of its passenger planes from Mombasa to Nairobi and Asia and Europe, posing a threat to the Kenya Airways (KQ) cargo business.