KQ will have an all-jet fleet by 2008.Nairobi, Kenya (PANA) - Kenya Airways said Monday it had finalised a deal with US plane maker, General Electric and Commercial Aviation Services (GECAS), to lease three new 75-seater EMBRAER 170 jets.
The airline said the new planes would be delivered in mid-2007 to replace the SAAB A340's which will be retired from the Kenya Airways fleet in early 2008.
"As we continue to focus on our network expansion, the selection of the right aircraft type is evidently a key issue," said Titus Naikuni, Kenya Airways managing director and chief executive officer.
He said the deal was sealed following a thorough technical and operational evaluation of what the market has to offer.
The EMBRAER 170s were selected as the perfect choice for our environment and would be deployed on regional routes, Naikuni said.
Frederico Fleury Curado, GECAS executive vice president for Airline Market, called the lease a "strategic breakthrough", noting that the deal would enable the plane manufacturer penetrate "an enviable and promising market in Africa.
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