Kenya Airways has tapped Technik- Lufthansa’s maintenance arm, for the provision of spare parts for its Boeing as the carrier moves to avert costly delays occasioned by a shortage of aircraft components that saw the airline ground some of its fleet this year.
Early in the year, KQ grappled with a shortage of spare parts, disrupting its normal services as the carrier had to cancel or delay flights as some of the aircraft that were due for maintenance were taken out of service.
The new deal, says Kenya Airways, will give them access to a worldwide parts pool that will enable the airline to significantly increase the availability of spare parts for the Dreamliner fleet.
“We have signed a long-term contract with Technik for the supply of the aircraft components for the long haul Boeing 787-8 fleet. The contract will allow us to receive the proven Total Component Support from the maintenance, Repair and Overhaul specialist until 2028,” said the carrier.
In January, KQ said it was experiencing flight disruptions due to delays in securing aircraft components required for maintenance.
It linked the shortages to the Ukraine war crisis, which significantly crippled the Russian supply chain crucial to global aviation.
KQ cited titanium from Russia as one of the key raw materials used by the aviation industry and is crucial to the maintenance of planes.
Russia and Ukraine have been at war since last year February when Moscow invaded Kyiv, leading to global disruption of business.
KQ operates nine Boeing 787 aircraft that are mainly used for long-haul routes in different parts of the world, including the US and Europe.
The new contract with Lufthansa comes at a time when the carrier is experiencing high demand from passengers seeking to fly, a move that has seen the airline increase its frequencies to different parts of the world.