Kenya Airways (KQ, Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta) could base up to three E190s at its Accra base as it pursues its strategy to establish a secondary hub in Ghana, chief executive officer Allan Kilavuka told the Aviation Week.

"The project will be decided next year. We are planning to base three Embraer aircraft [in Accra]. But this would be just the beginning," he said.

The Kenyan airline has adopted a multi-hub strategy as part of its growth plan. It has formally petitioned the Ghanaian government for approvals to operate out of Accra in mid-2025. Kilavuka told ch-aviation in an interview earlier this year that the E190s could be great route openers for the second hub, although the regional jets are slated for a retirement by the end of this decade.

In the Aviation Week interview, the CEO elaborated that Kenya Airways would aim to grow through partnerships rather than solely via subsidiaries, like its regional rival Ethiopian Airlines.

"What we want is to collaborate more with African carriers, to have a lot of mini hubs. It is not necessary to open our own companies. But with existing carriers, this is what we want to do, to build a stronger network," he explained.

Kenya Airways currently operates a "mini-hub" at Accra with two fifth-freedom routes: to Freetown and Monrovia Roberts. It also connects the Ghanaian capital daily with its main hub at Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta.