Nairobi, Aug. 19 -- Kenya Airways' (KQ) losses are projected to widen in the half-year to June 2026, as a 72 percent surge in fuel costs due to the Middle East conflict compounded the impact of prolonged aircraft groundings and maintenance delays.

The national carrier said its operating environment has worsened this year due to the US-Israel war against Iran, which has not only raised its fuel consumption due to rerouting of aircraft, but also raised its spending on fuel by up to 72 percent.

Fuel costs now account for up to 55 percent of the carrier's costs, up from about 40 percent last year, compounding the effects of prolonged fleet groundings that began last year due to a global aircraft parts shortage.

"The fuel price increase was...