Back in June 2022, EASA revoked the Part 145 aircraft maintenance license for KQ after the airline failed a compliance audit
National airline, Kenya Airways (KQ) on Thursday, January 30 celebrated a significant milestone with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) by being awarded the highly coveted EASA Part-145 Certification.
The move is another sign of a turnaround in fortunes for the flag carrier. Back in June 2022, EASA revoked the Part 145 aircraft maintenance license for KQ after the airline failed a compliance audit, a big blow given that the airline was deemed unable to carry out maintenance on European aircraft.
A Part 145 maintenance license is the European standard for granting maintenance rights, essentially allowing a company or airline to conduct maintenance on European-registered planes. According to ThomasNet, “European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Part 145 Approval is a company level certification to the European Commission Regulation standards of design, production, maintenance and operation of aircraft components. An aircraft component is described as any product, part, or appliance installed in European aircraft.”
The latest award will see KQ return to what it was allowed to do when it wielded the special licence. “This accreditation allows KQ to expand its Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) services to include European-registered aircraft, a distinction achieved by only a few regional airlines,” a press release seen by Viral Tea reads in part.
From left: Gilbert Bett- General Manager/Director Technical, Kenya Airways Plc, Allan Kilavuka – Group Managing Director and CEO, George Khamal -Chief Operating Officer. /KENYA AIRWAYS
With this certification, the airline is now authorized to perform heavy and light maintenance and repairs and overhauls on certified components for European-registered aircraft and other jurisdictions. The globally recognized certification ensures that components maintained by Kenya Airways can be installed on aircraft worldwide.
The certification grants Kenya Airways approved maintenance organization (AMO) approval to perform:
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Base Maintenance on Embraer E190 and Boeing 737-700/800/900 aircraft.
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Line Maintenance for Boeing 787-8, Embraer E190, and Boeing 737-700/800/900 models.
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Aircraft Component Maintenance in the C14 category.
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Special Services in category D1 for Non-Destructive Testing (NDT)
During the event to mark the milestone, Kenya Airways CEO Allan Kilavuka remarked, “Today we take a bold step forward in transforming Kenya Airways into a leading maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul provider in Africa and beyond.
“The EASA certification is expected to open new business opportunities for Kenya Airways, allowing the airline to attract maintenance contracts from European operators and beyond and strategically position KQ’s as the go-to Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul organization in Africa,” he remarked.
The accreditation journey began on November 21, 2022, with the strategic goal of establishing a sustainable, globally recognized maintenance organization. The process involved identifying and addressing 415 compliance actions, including facility upgrades, staff recruitment, procedural updates, and equipment acquisitions.
However, KQ would be stripped of this license. The airline responded by stating that the Kenyan climate negates the need for advanced temperature controls. During the certification audit, the agency requested that KQ separate some of its general storage and install a temperature control device in compliance with European standards.
“As you may know we are in the tropics and our manuals do not require us to have temperature controls such as those in Europe where there are extremes,” KQ director for technical Gilbert Bett told the Business Daily at the time, adding that “We are, however, working on compliance.”
Through cross-functional collaboration and dedicated leadership, Kenya Airways revealed that it successfully aligned with the EASA standards within nine months and officially applied for approval in January 2024.
“Kenya Airways AMO (Approved Maintenance Organization) remains committed to continuous improvement, with plans to expand its certification scope in component repair and overhaul services,” added the statement.
The European Aviation Safety Agency is the centrepiece of the European Union’s strategy for aviation safety. Its mission is to promote the highest common standards of safety and environmental protection in civil aviation.
The Agency develops common safety and environmental rules at the European level, monitors the implementation of standards through inspections in the Member States and provides the necessary technical expertise, training and research. It works closely with the national authorities, which carry out many operational tasks, such as certifying individual aircraft or licensing pilots.
As part of this progress, KQ successfully operated its first flight with a fully EASA-accredited crew on September 13, 2024- Flight KQ554, from Nairobi to Kinshasa, a crew which was part of a team of 71 staff members who completed specialized training to earn the EASA Attestation Certificate, affirming their expertise in safety and service on European-registered aircraft.
The KQ crew holding up the EASA Attestation Certificate. /KENYA AIRWAYS