National carrier, Kenya Airways incurred Sh8 billion ($75 million) losses on aircraft repairs due to damages from bird strikes at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in the last four years, its top official has said.
Such incidents can cause extensive damage spanning engine failure to the windshield, wings and landing gear.
Kenya Airways Chief Executive Officer Alan Kilavuka told the Senate Committee on Roads, Transportation, and Public Works that bird strikes have been on the rise straining the airline’s finances as it struggles to remain afloat.
He said KQ has engaged the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) management to install bird radar as soon as possible to help pilots detect the creatures while taking off and landing.
“KQ has incurred costs totaling $75 million due to bird strikes at the airport since 2020. We want KAA to install the bird radar with immediate effect,” Mr Kilavuka said.
“KAA said they have bought a bird radar, but they are yet to install it. We have been waiting for them to install the equipment.”
Bird strikes have been linked to emergency landings at both JKIA and Moi International airport in Mombasa.
Kenya’s aerodromes lack specialised equipment to effectively deter birds, resulting in serious damage to aircraft.
The KAA, the agency that manages the airports, has in the past announced plans to rehabilitate drainage and sewer systems along the Ruai flight to deal with bird strikes.
The plan was to stop open sewer ponds at the Administration Police Training College that attract large birds to the facility.
The authority said the works would be carried out as part of JKIA runway rehabilitation project.
Airlines have complained about bird strikes in airports across the country, a trend partly blamed on the existence of garbage dumps on flight paths in major towns including Nairobi, Kisumu, Eldoret, Mombasa, and Malindi.
Mr Kilavuka appeared before the committee chaired by Kiambu Senator Karungo Thangwa to provide the status of KQ’s financial performance, flight disruptions and delays, details of the current fleet of aircraft, loan guarantees, and bailouts.
The official said KQ currently has a fleet of 43 aircraft, including 25 Boeing 787 Dreamliner leased aircraft and 18 aircraft wholly owned or under a finance lease arrangement.
KQ owns six Boeing 787-8 and one Boeing 777-300 airplanes financed by City Bank, JP Morgan Chase Bank, and US Afrexim Bank.
Mr Kilavuka said KQ owns nine Embraer 190 financed by China Development Bank, Nedbank Ltd, Afrexim Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, and Afrexim Bank.
He said the national carrier fully owns two Boeing 737-300. “KQ operates an extensive network of international, regional, and domestic destinations, facilitated by its fleet of various aircraft types,” Mr Kilavuka said.
“KQ covers 40 destinations across four continents. KQ operates approximately 120 flights per day to four continents globally.”
Mr Kilavuka said KQ had made several complaints that need to be addressed by the KAA including inadequate screening machines, faulty air conditioning, lack of electric door access to boarding gates, leaking roofs and unworking baggage handling system.
Others are lack of adequate security screening manpower and marshallers, unserviceable airbridge, bird menace, poor condition of the apron, lack of priority parking stands, and inadequate public address system.
