Strategies Pursued by Kenya Airways Corporation During Covid 19 Pandemic Period

Abstract

The business environment is unprecedented, unpredictable and uncertain and it is ever changing. Organizations need to scan the environment in order to understand what go beyond its walls. The environment is dynamic and for a firm to be competitive in its environment, it needs to develop strategy that match the changing environment. Because today’s strategies might be rendered, obsolete tomorrow. The aviation industry has endured most of the devastation of the corona virus pandemic due to border closures, ban and other restrictions around the world to curb the spread of the disease. The research analyzed the strategies that Kenya Airways Corporation pursued during the Covid-19 pandemic. The objective of the study was to determine the strategies that Kenya Airways Corporation pursued during the covid-19 pandemic. The study was anchored on environmental dependency and resource-based view theories. The researcher used the case study research design. Both primary and secondary data were used. The primary data was gathered using the face-to-face interview guide while data was analyzed using the content analysis. The study concludes that the airline experienced a turbulent environment due to the pandemic and measures such as border closures and restrictions to movement together with virus variants further made air transportation worsen. The study established that to survive the pandemic, Kenya Airways formulated several strategies to match this environment. These strategies included; formation of partnerships with other airlines, grounding, sale and leasing out some of its aircrafts. The research established that the airline also reduced its workforce from above 4300 to below 3200. The carrier stopped taking its fleet abroad for maintenance after it built the capacity to do the maintenance at its hangers. All these undertakings saved the airline on costs during the pandemic crisis. The study recommends the company to embrace all the strategies it had formulated into the future until the environment stabilizes. The government should continue protecting the company against stiff competition from Ethiopia, British and gulf carriers (emirates, Etihad and Qatar airways). The management of the company should be looked into as it has been blamed on the woes the company had faced for many years. Kenya government should renationalize the company so that it can be competitive and profit making like other state-owned carriers. Kenya airways should also embrace new aviation industry technologies to boost on its operation. The company business should be diversified in order to spread the risk in future.