Summary
- Jambojet wants to fly directly from Mombasa to Kisumu and from Kisumu to Eldoret- Malindi-Lamu.
- Currently, Jambojet flies to two international destinations in Kigali and Entebbe.
- The airline, a subsidiary of the Kenya Airways, had planned flights to Mogadishu but did not get the desired time slot, hence suspended the route.
Budget carrier Jambojet is seeking approval to fly between
cities in Kenya without stopping at its hub in Nairobi and also expand
into cargo business.
If it secures the regulatory nod,
the carrier, for instance wants to fly directly from Mombasa to Kisumu
and from Kisumu to Eldoret- Malindi-Lamu.
Jambojet is
also seeking permission to expand its existing international
destinations, which could see it fly to Dare Salaam, Zanzibar, Moroni,
Bujumbura, Addis Ababa and Goma if the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority
(KCAA) grants the approval.
"We are waiting for the
comments from the public before taking it to our board for approval.
Once it is approved, then they will immediately commence," said KCAA
Director- General Gilbert Kibe.
Mr Kibe said the airline is seeking permission to open other bases in regional cities such as Mombasa and Kisumu.
Currently, Jambojet flies to two international destinations in
Kigali and Entebbe. The airline, a subsidiary of the Kenya Airways
, had planned flights to Mogadishu but did not get the desired time slot, hence suspended the route.
In
a gazette notice dated May 29, Jambojet also announed that it wants to
vary its licence so that it could also enter into cargo business. At the
moment, the airline only carries passenger cargo, operating from its
base at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
The
fresh request comes at a time when the aviation industry is in turmoil
following the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 that has seen airlines
grounded.
It is not clear how Jambojet will manage the
Addis Ababa route given that it is dominated by Ethiopian Airlines,
which offers relatively lower price on tickets when compared with other
carriers.
The carrier has been expanding its fleet and last year acquired four new aircraft as it sought to expand to regional countries.
According
to the gazette notice, the airline will use aircraft B737, implying
that the carrier plans to acquire a new high capacity aircraft for
regional routes.
It will also deploy DHC8 and ATR72
based at the JKIA and Mombasa, meaning that Jambojet will have some of
its airplanes based at the coastal city.
The Nairobi- Kigali route began in November last year while the Entebbe route started in 2018.
The
airline has said before it sought to enable more passengers to fly
affordably and reliably from its hub in Nairobi to the two destinations.
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