Kenya Airways Blames Ukraine War Crisis For Ongoing Flight Disruptions

By Citizen Reporter

Kenya Airways now says the current flight disruptions being experienced by the airline are as a result of delays in getting back its aircraft which are undergoing scheduled maintenance.

In a statement issued on Monday evening Kenya Airways CEO Allan Kilavuka said there has been a global challenge in securing some aircraft components a scenario he said has been occasioned by the Ukraine war crisis.

“This has constrained our aircraft availability because we do not have extra aircraft capacity to help alleviate the delays. These challenges are global and affect not only Kenya Airways but all airlines globally,” said Kilavuka.

“The challenges have been occasioned by the Ukraine war crisis which has significantly crippled the Russian supply chain crucial to global aviation. The aviation supply chain is highly dependent on raw materials from many countries including Russia.”

The KQ CEO pointed out that for instance 100% titanium used on Embraer and 35% titanium used on Boeing are sourced from Russia.

“With a limited inventory, airlines have had to look worldwide to find the parts they need,” he said.

“Additionally, in Europe and North America, where most airlines get their components, manufacturers are looking to ramp up production of aircraft components to overcome delivery delays. However, that is proving to be difficult because of a shortage of qualified workers,” added Kilavuka.

According to the KQ CEO, in the event that supply chain challenges persist, the national carrier will be forced to make changes in flight schedules with reductions in some frequencies.