Wealthy Kenyans are chartering entire commercial planes for private celebrations such as weddings, contributing to the growth of a niche, lucrative business for Kenya Airways (KQ).
For years, well-heeled Kenyans and foreign investors with stakes in East Africa have been flying private, chartering smaller aircraft like a Cessna or a Beechcraft King Air 200 for trips to Mombasa, safari escapes or a discreet business trip to Kampala.
Chartering larger capacity planes such as Embraer E190, Boeing 737 and Boeing 786 Dreamliners is, however, a relatively new trend.
Their reason for chartering a Boeing plane? To fly in their friends, relatives or colleagues for weddings, holidays, private business summits, or to just have boardroom meetings or networking retreats in the sky.
Industry players attribute this trend to several factors, including the surge in the number of Kenyan millionaires now able to afford the smaller charter flights, hence raising the demand, forcing the ultra-wealthy traveller to start playing differently.
“If you are hosting 50 guests for a destination wedding in Zanzibar, why split the party into three small planes when you can board one wide-body jet and even turn the journey itself into part of the celebration? Imagine a bride and groom walking down the aisle at 35,000 feet. Champagne flowing. A curated playlist. Business deals are being discussed,” Mercy Makunyi, the optimisation manager at KQ and in charge of routes, tells the BDLife.
“These are some of the scenarios that we have witnessed,” Another factor is bigger jets mean fewer stops, longer flights, more privacy, and space, ideal for meetings or celebrations in the sky. For those striking deals, a boardroom meeting in the sky goes on uninterrupted.
Comfort is another factor. Bigger jets offer stand-up cabins, private suites, full-service galleys, and plenty of room to move around without bumping elbows.
KQ started seeing a surge in private aircraft charters after the Covid-19 lockdown was lifted.
“In 2022, we established a dedicated charter department for our fleet, realising that this was a niche that needed more attention. Currently, 70 percent of our charter business is repeat clients, with 30 percent being ad hoc,”Ms Makunyi says.
Even at the height of the pandemic, a few wealthy people still rented entire planes.
“We had individuals who wanted to continue with their lives and make them feel as normal as possible. During the lockdown, commercial travel was restricted, yet some individuals urgently needed to get to the destinations that we normally operate or outside our regular network. Many of these routes were too far for smaller aircraft,” Ms Makunyi says.
The emerging customers
But KQ’s charter flights are not just for the wealthy, corporates are increasingly hopping on board as well.
“We realised that many governments and corporates also preferred this type of service,” she says, adding, “with a charter, you customise your schedule. You are not tied to commercial flight timings. You can have dedicated check-in counters. You can brand the aircraft for your event if you want. You can customise the food and beverage menu exactly to your preferences and even have with you your chef on board and things like that. That level of control is another factor that is driving demand for the larger jets.”
To serve this niche clientele, KQ draws from its fleet of about 40 aircraft comprising Boeing 787 Dreamliners, Boeing 737s, and Embraer E190S.
“The Embraer E190 is our smallest aircraft, with a capacity of 96 passengers. We also offer the Boeing 737, which carries up to 145 passengers, and the Dreamliner, which accommodates up to 234 passengers. So your origin and destination determine the kind of aircraft you will get and the cost,” she says.
However, the client is also at will to request a particular type of aircraft as long as timing does not interfere with the operations of the airline.
“As well as the airport of origin and the destination can handle the aircraft requested,” adds Ms Makunyi.
The Boeing has been the most requested aircraft by clients. “The most preferred could be the Boeings, either the 737 or the Dreamliner, and it’s simply because of their bigger capacity and the long-haul flying range,” Ms Makunyi says.
Erick Okeyo, the KQ charters manager, notes that for most of the Boeing charter flights they have secured, the requests have majorly been from the corporates while the wealthy individuals go for the E190.
“The E190 are a favourite among private individuals because of the range they can cover, which is mostly regional flights,” Mr Okeyo says.
The annual Muslim pilgrimage visits to Mecca in Saudi Arabia have also emerged as another key client, with Boeing 737 being the most preferred.
The top routes
So, which top routes are these wealthy people flying to? Being ad hoc flights, Mr Okeyo notes that it is not easy to pinpoint the most frequented destinations.
“With charter flights, the business comes and sometimes disappears. For the Muslims its repeat business because going to Saudi Arabia for Hajj is mostly an annual event, of which we do 15 to 20 operations in a year. We have also done several charter flights for the UN and the Kenyan government,” he says.
For the individuals doing the KQ charters, leisure and celebration events make up the bulk of the requests.
“It’s mostly charters for weddings, and what we have noticed is that the demand for this is mostly to fly to South Africa for these celebrations. We have had some go to Europe and the US as well,” adds Mr Okeyo.
How much it costs
He maintains that the price varies depending on the clientele's needs.
“I can't really give an exact cost because this type of service is a customised product where we look at exactly what you are requesting for us to be able to come up with the costing. Do you want business class catering? Do you want headrest branding? What type of drinks and menu will you need? And I can tell you requests vary from client to client,” he says.
He adds, “For example, for the Muslims going for Hajj to Saudi Arabia, we charge a return ticket of $1,200 (Sh154,000) per head. Such charters are significantly lower than the luxury ones, such as the lavish weddings or leisure. I know when people hear about charter, they immediately think it's a luxury product, but in reality, it depends on the need. What makes it costly is the add-ons.”
“We normally look at what is the direct operational cost for a particular operation. Are there any additional costs? Like, for example, will we need additional insurance and then we put a small markup to come up with a total cost,” Mr Okeyo adds.
The most interesting requests
And some of the requests, according to Ms Makunyi, have been interesting.
“One of the most interesting requests was for a wedding on board. The passengers needed to do their vows in the skies, so they needed us to rearrange the seating capacity for the business class to have a makeshift podium where the priest could marry the bride and the bridegroom. They also wanted a specific in-flight entertainment, a customised Indian type of food, and they also needed some specific flowers on the aisle of the seats. On board were 90 passengers who witnessed the spectacle,” she says.
Another request was from an individual who chartered the E190. “It was a client who chartered the 96-seater, He just wanted to fly from Dubai to Mombasa for some private function and back. He was with a friend, and so just the two of them had the entire aircraft for themselves. Another interesting request was from a client who wanted a red carpet and business class service for all invited passengers. There were also specific giveaways for the invite-only guests aboard,” she says.
A growing appetite
Danie Joubert, vice president of sales in Africa for JetCraft, an international broker, notes that the appetite for large jets continues to grow tremendously.
“Interest in business jets has soared across Africa, and the business case for private aviation has gained in strength. At JetCraft, we’re now receiving three times as many enquiries from potential new aircraft owners in Africa as before the pandemic. In Kenya, which already has a strong installed base of short-range private aircraft used for tourism, we’re seeing growing interest in larger jets for longer missions. In Southern and West Africa, we’re seeing demand for light jets such as Bombardier’s Learjet 45 and 75, suited to shorter-range, regional operations,” he noted on their website.
According to Mr Joubert, the vast distances involved in travelling around the African continent mean medium- to long-range jets such as Embraer’s Legacy series, and Dassault’s Falcon 900 models attract high levels of interest from clientele.
“The continent’s business links with Europe and the Middle East are also growing, thus requiring aircraft that can serve this operational need,” he said.
