Fastjet halts Nairobi-Kilimanjaro flights on low passenger numbers

CORPORATE NEWS

Jimmy Kibati, Fastjet general manager for East Africa. PHOTO | FILE 

By MUGAMBI MUTEGI
Fastjet has suspended its flights between Nairobi and Kilimanjaro due to low passenger numbers, the second time the airline is reviewing its operations on the route since launching three months ago.

In mid-February, the UK budget airline suspended flights on the Nairobi-Kilimanjaro route but reversed the decision after a few days opting to operate a Friday and Sunday flight, down from a daily operation.The low-cost carrier says it suspended flights between the Tanzanian city and Kenya’s capital on March 21 and has diverted this extra capacity to boost its flights between Nairobi and Dar es Salaam.

The airline last month increased the number of flights between Nairobi and Dar es Salaam to two daily trips (up from one every day), with management citing rising demand as the reason behind the alteration.

“Two weeks ago, we made the decision to suspend flights between Kilimanjaro and Nairobi due to suppressed demand,” Jimmy Kibati, Fastjet general manager for East Africa, told theBusiness Daily.

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“We will continue to monitor the suspended route and re-introduce it when demand picks. The single airplane we operate on the Kenya-Tanzania route has been used to increase our frequency on the Dar es Salaam route.”

The carrier on January 11 launched daily flights from Dar es Salaam and Kilimanjaro to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi at prices relatively lower than those offered by Kenya Airways and its associate Precision Air.

Fastjet’s entry on the route precipitated a marketing blitz from both carriers, prompting a warning from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority over misleading advertising.

The regulator warned airlines, including Fastjet and KQ, against publishing adverts that indicate ticket prices which exclude taxes and fees in a bid to attract customers. The airlines have since complied with the directive.