Kenya Airways has embarked on an aggressive campaign for cost savings and premium passengers, after years of losses following a slump in tourism and large debts incurred to buy new aircraft. The U.S. route will compete with indirect flights from established players such as Emirates [EMIRA.UL], British Airways and Ethiopian Airlines [ETHA.UL] and test Kenya Airways’ ability to reshape its image from an Africa-focused carrier. A former executive at Kenya Airways, who helped return it to profitability after years of losses in the early 1990s, said the new strategy was sensible, but held some risks. Forty-year-old Kenya Airlines, which flies to 53 destinations with 38 Boeing and Embraer planes, has not said when it will return to profit. The government has guaranteed some of the airline’s debts and Mikosz and his team have 10 years to clear them.

Source: Ethiopian News March 07, 2018 00:00 UTC