Kenya Airways (KQ) has signed a short-term lease agreement with Hi Fly to meet demand for air travel during the December festivities.

The deal will see the immediate introduction of an A330 Airbus into the KQ fleet to support operational efficiency and enhance capacity in the market.

The wide-bodied aircraft has a capacity for 299 passengers, split into 24 in the business cabin and 275 in the economy class. It also has a wide belly capacity for more cargo space.

According to KQ Managing Director and CEO Allan Kilavuka, the airline needed to take practical steps in the short term to address the pertinent challenges in the market.

“With the current capacity constraints on the back of the growing demand for airline travel, we need to balance our customers immediate needs by bringing more capacity into the market.”

Its presence would also help with the expected surge in tourists after President William Ruto recently declared that all visitors to Kenya will no longer need a visa, effective January 20,24, making Kenya a visa-free nation.