Low-cost airline Jambojet has applied
for licences to fly to destinations in 11 African countries in renewed
efforts to expand operations beyond Kenya.
The Kenya Civil Aviation
Authority (KCAA) had last year denied Jambojet a licence for
international flights. The carrier, however, now says that it has proven
its mettle locally and is ready for the regional market.
“For
us this is the next step because we have established ourselves in Kenya
already,” said Jambojet chief executive Willem Hondius in an interview.
The
company wants to fly to Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, and Kilimanjaro in
Tanzania. Jambojet wants to serve two destinations in Malawi— Blantyre
and Lilongwe.
The airline is also seeking approvals to fly to Uganda, Ethiopia, Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Jambojet’s
parent company and national carrier Kenya Airways already serves most
of these destinations. Mr Hondius said in the interview that it had not
yet been decided whether the two airlines would reach a code-sharing
agreement to serve these routes.
According to a Kenya Gazette notice by the aviation regulator on Friday, Jambojet is also seeking to expand its domestic routes.
The airline currently serves six destinations from its
Nairobi hub — Eldoret, Kisumu, Lamu, Malindi, Mombasa and Ukunda. The
airline wants to add Vipingo, Wajir and Garissa to its network.
Jambojet
is hoping to fly to some of these new routes in the second half of the
year. The new routes, Mr Hondius said, will require an expansion of its
fleet of aircraft.
The airline is currently recovering
from a crisis that left customers stranded amid flight cancellations and
delays during the last December holiday season.
Mr
Hondius wrote to customers last week apologising for the delays and
promising that new aircraft would increase operational efficiency.
Jambojet
has since ordered new aircraft to replace an older plane on its fleet.
The company has also said that it will buy one more plane by August
2017. The airline operates two Q400s and two Boeing 737s.
Jambojet
was launched in April 2014. In its second year of operation, the
company reported a profit of Sh126 million after recording a loss of
Sh287 million in 2015. The carrier recently indicated that it plans to
diversify revenue streams beyond passenger ticket sales.
Jambojet
is on the market for an ancillary manager who will drive revenues
growth from such services as onboard shopping, car hire, hotel bookings
and entertainment.
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