@ Mukiri stop dreaming there is nothing to manipulate about KQ, it's horrible in the airline world - Read European Debt crisis. You saw Qantas shed most of it's European routes to Emirates. My only fear is that I had called a bail out FY 14/15 but I would be very scared if it happens this June.
@ Muchr, spend time differentiating between the various aircraft lease types. There is no homework required on our side. A leased plane makes a lot of sense of KQ. Leases especially wet leases which KQ uses are paid on hours the aircraft operates but you also pay for the rest of the operating costs associated with the plane such as parking, crew etc. Obviously if you are working within the realms of scarce resources obviously you want to pay when you have made some money. When acquiring a plane you place an order, put in a deposit, put in place financing etc. the associated costs are opportunity cost if the plane is not delivered on time, facility cost of the undrawn amount etc. Once the plane is in place you still pay the same costs as the leased plane. Obviously it's in real sense cheaper to lease.
Let's go to KQ (do your homework). Embraers are by and large sub optimal planes for KQ's business model and that is why they have to keep juggling 767's and 777's in africa routes. You make a very poor and basic assumption that all travellers within Africa are going on work related business, holiday or 'oshago' to sight see or visit loved ones and so only need a suite case which fits in the belly of an Embraer. You are WRONG, most of KQ travellers within Africa are largely traders shipping in goods from the East. Belly space in the passenger plane is of paramount importance for KQ. No airline runs a scheduled cargo network. Cargo works on volumes, if there are volumes the plane goes. Certainly as a trader you want to arrive with your cargo or latest one day delay else it impacts on your business. Remember on some busy routes KQ is going head to head with other savvy carriers who use belly space to their advantage. Certainly Emirates has dominated KQ on the Asia- Uganda, Asia - lagos, Assia - Accra routes for this simple reason. They do so well that they actually do 'wing to wing' 777's on the lagos route - a 777 carrying passengers and another 777 carrying cargo all landing within minutes of each other. Just how is KQ supposed to pinch market share with an Embraer on this route.