KQ Takes Delivery of Embraer E190

The first Embraer E190 aircraft to be fully purchased by Kenya Airways touched down at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi in late August. The new acquisition brings the airline closer to its vision of flying to every capital in Africa by 2016.
It currently flies to 46 destinations in Africa with Nairobi as the hub. KQ now has a fleet of 11 Embraer aircraft, comprising a mixture of both E170 and E190 models. It’s believed the new fleet will lead to fleet optimization, by freeing larger jets to operate regional and continental routes, which will translate into better customer care and boosting frequency of flights.
 Besides enhanced comfort with more shoulder room, the E190 will offer state-of-the-art in-flight entertainment technology. It also has a wider aisle and more spacious cabin than its E170 predecessor, with a capacity of 98 to 106. Kenya Airways has nine more Embraer E190 aircraft on order, with six expected to join the fleet every month from now.
The remaining three will arrive in May, August and November 2013. The airline has also ordered nine Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft to be delivered by 2014. Currently, KQ uses Embraer aircraft on domestic and short regional routes, including Kisumu, Entebbe, Kigali, Bujumbura, Addis Ababa, Djibouti, Maputo, Gaborone, Kilimanjaro and Nampula.