Kenya Airways’ new acting CEO charts course for steady growth as he settles in

With Kenya Airways undergoing a leadership transition, Habil Waswani reveals his immediate focus is on stabilising the airline’s finances and improving its on-time performance and the passenger experience.

Waswani stepped into the role as acting CEO on 15 September, succeeding CEO George Kamal, who will formally depart the role on 30 September. Kamal served eight months as acting CEO, having previously been the airline’s Chief Operating Officer. He is leaving for personal family reasons.  

Handover of Kenya Airways’ leadership

Speaking at this year’s Aviation Africa Summit held in Nairobi at the beginning of September, Kamal urged his successor to build on the airline’s progress already made under Project Kifaro – Kenya Airways’ five-year transformation plan.

“The past 2.5 years focused heavily on stabilising operations and balancing the books,” said Kamal. “Financial restructuring is underway, with transactional advisors actively being onboarded.”

Rather than hit the reset button, he said incoming leadership must “maintain momentum,” focusing on operational efficiency and pan-African cooperation.

Habil Waswani’s legal background brings a steady hand

A corporate lawyer with 24 years’ experience, including extensive work in banking and insurance, Waswani joined Kenya’s flag carrier in 2021.

He said his new remit extends beyond advising the board on strategy, adding, “I’ve seen the pain points, the soft issues and the hard issues that need to be sorted. I have a good, clear overview of what needs to happen now.”

Waswani said the airline would have greater clarity on its “turnaround journey” over the next two months, with public announcements forthcoming.

“Ultimately, growth is on the horizon for us,” he said. “From the middle of next year, that growth path will be clearer. But in the next month or so, we’ll make public announcements on what is in the pipeline. It’s all about ensuring operational efficiency. Whatever capacity is on the ground, we need to bring it back up.”

Addressing his interim title, Waswani said the board set the strategy, not one individual. “Irrespective of who is at the top, the targets are the same,” he said. “What the airline needs to do to grow the network and fleet is clear.”

Customer experience, operational efficiency and strengthening the balance sheet remain the key priorities as the airline looks to secure a strategic investor – “which could be an airline partner or direct equity participation in the company,” revealed Waswani. He emphasised this would not, however, distract from bringing idle, cost-heavy capacity back into service.

On the search for a permanent CEO, Waswani said: “Let the process run. Let’s make sure the ship is steady. Whoever comes, whether it’s me or someone else – we will run with it!”

Exciting new chapter for Kenya Airways

Speaking on the sidelines of Aviation Africa, Julius Thairu, Chief Commercial and Customer Officer at Kenya Airways, framed the leadership change as an opportunity rather than a disruption.

“These are exciting changes for Kenya Airways,” he said. He noted that shareholders have reconstituted the board under the chairman, with a capable executive team now in place.

Waswani, who previously served as company secretary and head of legal affairs, brings that institutional knowledge into the acting CEO role.

Three-dimensional fleet growth

Thairu said the leadership change comes as the airline pursues ambitious fleet expansion plans, growing from 32 aircraft today to 60 within the next three years across three dimensions. This includes returning currently grounded aircraft to service; adding capacity to meet immediate demand, including the reintroduced Boeing 777s on the airline’s London route; and bringing in newer, more efficient aircraft.

Pointing to the airline’s relationship with Kenya Airports Authority, Thairu said the collaboration between the two state-owned entities was central to the country’s growth ambitions.

“The airline cannot grow without a secure relationship with the airport authority,” he said, citing Kenya’s geographical advantage as an East African hub and government commitment to developing aviation infrastructure as critical for the sector’s growth.