Kenya Air CE open to SAA pact as ailing carriers restructure

Kenya Airways could cosy up to rival South African Airways as the embattled companies seek to narrow the gap with the continent’s biggest carrier, Ethiopian Airlines. Kenya Air views a closer relationship with SAA as a possibility amid turnaround efforts at the unprofitable operators, CE Sebastian Mikosz said. Mikosz said he has spoken with Peter Davies, the restructuring expert recruited by the South African carrier last year, to see “what we can do together.” Kenya Air was taken under govt control in November after posting the biggest loss in the nation’s corporate history in 2016 and is cutting routes and planes to help revive earnings. SAA, under an eighth CE since 2010, reported a seventh straight annual loss this month and is seeking emergency funding even as it targets break even by 2021. <br/>