Kenya Airways to add routes, up frequencies

NAIROBI, April 30 (Reuters) - Kenya Airways (KQNA.NR: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said it will launch new routes in Africa and increase flight frequencies to current destinations.

It will launch a service to the Madagascar capital Antananarivo and boost flights to west and central Africa, Dubai and Guangzhou. African routes are a key source of business for the airline.

Kenya Airways suspended flights to Paris in February as travellers stayed away following electoral violence that wracked Kenya after a disputed poll in December. It plans to resume flights in June.

The Antananarivo flights will increase passenger numbers to the Paris route, said one analyst who asked not to named.

The airline currently flies to 30 destinations mostly in Africa, the Far East and Europe.

Kenya Airways said it spends about 20 billion shillings ($322.2 million) of its 60 billion turnover on fuel. The carrier, partially held by Air France-KLM (AIRF.PA: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), said it has hedged 50 percent of its fuel needs and was evaluating routes, frequencies and equipment utilisation to check fuel costs.

"Ultimately, we may need to look at our pricing structure and see how to recover some of our fuel costs," the statement said. (Reporting by Helen Nyambura-Mwaura; Editing by David Cowell)