Kenya Airways reports profit for first time since 2017

One of Africa’s largest airlines, Kenya Airways, made an operating profit in 2023 – the first time since 2017.

Chairman Michael Joseph called the $80m (£63m) excess a "significant milestone", the AFP news agency quotes him as saying.

Part of the reason for the success was a more than 50% jump in revenue thanks to an increase in passenger numbers.

Kenya Airways, which is partly owned by the government, has had troubled recent past with huge debts and it was hit hard by the fallout from the Covid pandemic.

"These figures highlight the airline's remarkable performance over the year and provide encouraging signs of continued recovery within the air transportation sector," Mr Joseph said in a statement reported by AFP.