Kenya Airways and Canadian aerospace company Avianor have converted the passenger cabins of some of the airline’s Boeing 787 airliners to carry cargo. Kenya Airways is a public-private partnership (with the State as the biggest but not the majority shareholder) and is the country’s national flag carrier, while Avianor is a Canadian enterprise specialising in aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul and the integration and completion of cabin interiors.

This was the first time, anywhere, that passenger cabins of 787s were repurposed to carry freight. The airline operates nine 787s, of which two have undergone the modification, which is not permanent. The process started in December and was completed last month. Kenya Airways started carrying cargo in the passenger cabins of its 787s earlier last year, but with the passenger seats still fitted. This constrained the volume and weight of cargo that could be carried in the cabins.

The repurposed cabin has been certified to carry up to 16 t of cargo, which could allow the aircraft to achieve their maximum payload (when operating in air freight mode) of 46 t. Airworthiness approval has been granted by both the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) and the US Federal Aviation Administration.

“As passenger numbers are at an all-time low, airlines have had to look for alternative means of revenue to stay afloat,” pointed out KCAA director-general Captain Gilbert Kibe. “This project is economically significant as it will retain and create new jobs as well as support Kenya Airways in its recovery efforts to diversify revenues. More importantly, with the upcoming vaccination distribution, Kenya Airways has readily positioned itself to transport the vaccines destined for Africa and other destinations, therefore creating a considerable advantage for the airline and its safe operations.”

“We are excited to be part of the first ever certified cargo conversion of this type on the Boeing 787 aircraft,” enthused Kenya Airways group MD and CEO Allan Kilavuka. “It demonstrates our agility, innovation and quick thinking as well as increases our cargo capability and capacity to keep essential goods moving across the globe. Kenya Airways will keep playing its role as a catalyst for economic growth in the continent, by connecting the world to Africa, and Africa to the world for both our cargo and passenger customer segments.”

“Avianor’s team has been pioneering the main deck temporary cargo repurposing process in response to the need for rapid increase in air freight cargo capacity at the onset of the [Covid-19] pandemic,” highlighted Avianor president and CEO Matthieu Duhaime. “We are very excited to now be working with Kenya Airways to adapt this solution for their 787 aircraft. This represents a unique design and certification challenge, and we are thrilled to demonstrate, once again, our ability to find unprecedented solutions to customer needs."