The latest performance marks a reversal for one of Africa’s leading airlines, which had only recently recorded its first pre-tax profit in more than a decade in 2024, raising hopes of a sustained recovery.
According to the airline, total income dropped significantly to 161.47 billion shillings in 2025, down from 188.50 billion shillings the previous year. The decline reflects broader challenges facing the carrier, including reduced capacity and external market pressures.
Chief Financial Officer Mary Mwenga attributed part of the downturn to disruptions in global supply chains, which led to the temporary grounding of three of the airline’s wide-body Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner jets. The grounding affected long-haul operations and revenue generation.
The airline’s 2024 return to profitability had been buoyed in part by foreign-exchange gains, as the Kenyan shilling strengthened by more than 20 percent against the U.S. dollar during that period—an advantage that did not carry into the latest financial year.
The renewed losses underscore the fragility of recovery efforts within the aviation sector, as airlines continue to grapple with fluctuating currencies, supply chain constraints, and shifting global demand.