Kenya Airways to soon fly B787 preighters to meet cargo demand

• It is the first ever cargo repurpose of this type to be performed on the B787.
  
• The repurposed cabin has been certified to carry up to 16 tonnes of cargo.
  

February 03, 2021: Kenya Airways and Avianor have reached an agreement to collectively repurpose its aircraft cabins into cargo transportation on the B787. The repurposing of this first Dreamliner has since been completed and Kenya Airways has received air worthiness approval from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCCA) and Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) and will soon begin cargo flights on the first ever repurposed certified Dreamliner in the world.

This joint effort is a worldwide breakthrough as it is the first ever cargo repurpose of this type to be performed on the B787. The repurposed cabin has been certified to carry up to 16 tonnes of cargo, potentially enabling the aircraft to reach its maximum payload while in cargo operation of 46 tonnes. The repurposing began in December 2020 and was completed in January 2021.

This joint effort is in response to the growing demand and need for increased cargo capacity. Kenya Airways is prepared to respond to the ongoing demand for essential and medical goods and supporting future commercial opportunities thereby contributing to the stimulation of the local and regional economies.

“We are excited to be part of the first ever certified cargo conversion of this type on the Boeing 787 aircraft. It demonstrates our agility, innovation and quick thinking as well as increases our cargo capability and capacity to keep essential goods moving across the globe. Kenya Airways will keep playing its role as a catalyst for economic growth in the continent, by connecting the world to Africa, and Africa to the world for both our cargo and passenger customer segments,” said Allan Kilavuka, group managing director & CEO, Kenya Airways.

This new collaboration demonstrates the airline’s confidence in Avianor, an affiliate of DRAKKAR Aerospace & Ground Transportation. Kenya Airways currently has nine Dreamliners in its fleet, which are primarily used for passenger flights.

In 2020, Kenya Airways used some of its B787 aircraft for cargo transportation, aircraft seats remained, limiting the space for an increased freight capacity. With their expertise and engineering certifications, Avianor supervised Kenya Airways’ modifications on the full cabin repurposing of two of their B787s.

“Avianor’s team has been pioneering the main deck temporary cargo repurposing process in response to the need for rapid increase in air freight cargo capacity at the onset of the pandemic. We are very excited to now be working with Kenya Airways to adapt this solution for their 787 aircraft. This represents a unique design and certification challenge, and we are thrilled to demonstrate, once again, our ability to find unprecedented solutions to customer needs,” said Matthieu Duhaime, president and CEO Avianor.

On his part Gilbert Kibe, director general Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA), commended Kenya Airways for taking a bold innovative step to address the need for additional capacity for cargo and facilitating trade even as the aviation industry recovers through a difficult period.

“As passenger numbers are at an all-time low, airlines have had to look for alternative means of revenue to stay afloat. This project is economically significant as it will retain and create new jobs as well as support Kenya Airways in its recovery efforts to diversify revenues. More importantly, with the upcoming vaccination distribution, Kenya Airways has readily positioned itself to transport the vaccines destined for Africa and other destinations, therefore creating a considerable advantage for the airline and its’ safe operations” said Kibe.