Kenya Airways flew more than 50 live cattle from Nairobi to Lagos, marking its first dedicated live-animal charter between Kenya and Nigeria.
The cattle left Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on a cargo charter and landed at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, with the shipment handled under the airline’s KQ Live service that provides temperature control, ventilation and animal-welfare procedures.
Cargo director Fitsum Abadi said the successful maiden operation demonstrates the carrier’s ability to meet complex specialised cargo requirements across the continent and reinforces its commitment to intra-African trade.
The airline is expanding its cargo business into higher-value niches such as pharmaceuticals, perishables, dangerous goods, live animals and e-commerce, and plans to use additional wide-body aircraft capacity and strategic partnerships to support the growth.
Kenya Airways views the move as a way to diversify cargo revenue and strengthen Nairobi’s role as a regional logistics hub, amid low intra-African trade that the African Continental Free Trade Area seeks to boost.
