Kenya Airways has announced plans to bring back into service three Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft that were grounded due to global supply chain problems and a shortage of aircraft engine parts.
According to Kenya Airways Managing Director Allan Kilavuka, the first Dreamliner will resume operations on July 22, 2025, at 1:34 PM (EAT).
The second aircraft is expected to return on September 25, 2025, while the third one will be back in the skies by December 19, 2025, marking the full restoration of the airline’s Dreamliner fleet.
“With safety as our number one priority and travel demand rising, we are happy to offer our passengers more capacity and comfort,” said Kilavuka. “We look forward to welcoming travelers back aboard our Dreamliner.”
Kenya Airways (KQ), the national carrier and a member of the SkyTeam Alliance, operates Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners mainly for long-distance international flights. Each aircraft has 30 business class seats and 204 economy class seats.
As of February 2025, KQ had nine Dreamliners in its fleet. However, three were grounded due to engine maintenance issues related to the GEnx engines and delays in getting spare parts—a problem that has affected airlines worldwide, including British Airways and Air New Zealand.
On June 5, 2025, the airline confirmed that the grounding had reduced its capacity by up to 25 percent.
KQ’s ongoing five-year growth plan aims to increase its total fleet from 34 to 53 aircraft by 2029 at an estimated cost of Sh51.6 billion. However, the delays caused by the grounded Dreamliners have affected the rollout of this plan.
In a public statement, the airline thanked its technical team and partners for their hard work and dedication in returning the aircraft to service.