Kenya’s national carrier Kenya Airways is seeking to play a role in the distribution of Covid-19 vaccines in Africa.

The airline is banking on its stature as a well connected airline in Africa to take the vaccines to every region on the continent using its networks and cargo routes.

Kenya Airways chief executive officer Allan Kilavuka said cargo business is now the airline’s lifeline. The airline has been relying on cargo flights to stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic that has paralysed the global travel, tourism and aviation sectors.

Mr Kilavuka said the national carrier prepared early for a role in taking the vaccines to various countries.

“Even before the vaccine was announced, we had set up a cold room in Nairobi at our cargo centre which can store heat sensitive products like medicines,” he said.

“Our plan is to see how we can support the distribution of these vaccinations across Africa because we fly to 46 destinations worldwide but majority are in Africa.”

“When we stopped flying during the Covid-19 pandemic, the only business line that was giving us a lifeline was cargo and it has continued to do so. We have seen opportunities and we want to invest more,” he added.

In an interview in Mombasa, he said cargo is a viable business opportunity for the airline. Currently, KQ is repurposing two of its Dream liners to create space for cargo, with Mr Kilavuka saying globally, there is a shortage of aircraft to transport the vaccines.
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