Kenya Airways expects to report an improvement in operating profit and narrower losses for the year ending in March because of savings made by reducing the size of its fleet and lower fuel costs, its chief executive officer said.

Mbuvi Ngunze also told Reuters that the airline expects to receive the second $100 million tranche of its $200 million bridging loan within a month, part of a broader plan to keep the carrier flying after three and a half years of financial losses.

The airline, one of Africa's biggest carriers, is also considering cutting the number of staff after a review of staffing needs, he said without giving details.

"The loss will reduce but we will of course have some big hits," the CEO said in an interview, citing the weakening of the Kenyan shilling by more than 10 percent against the dollar last year.

Operating profit "will see an improvement this year," he said. "Fuel is a big driver clearly but we have also been working a lot on cost reduction, we have cut back capacity."

Last year, the airline drew down $100 million of a bridging loan from Cairo-based Afreximbank. Ngunze said the airline was in final discussions to release the second tranche. "In the next month we should be able to draw down," he said.

Ngunze said he expected transaction adviser PJT Partners to outline a plan for new debt and equity funds by the end of April, with cash raising to take six to nine months after that.

Credit: Reuters