Low-cost airline Jambojet has ventured into cargo operations with the Dash 8-400 passenger aircraft to its eight destinations within Kenya; Nairobi, Mombasa, Eldoret, Kisumu, Mombasa, Malindi, Ukunda, Lamu, and Goma in Eastern DRC.
A report by International Air Transport Association (IATA), the Air Cargo Market Analysis for December 2021, showed demand and growth in cargo capacity in Africa of up to 7.6 percent. Well above the long-term average growth trend of 4.7 percent.
‘’Jambojet has a fleet of 6 De Havilland Canada Dash 8 Q-400, and operates an average of 280 flights weekly across the network. Each flight has cargo hold capacity of 1.2tonne, most of which flies empty. With the introduction of cargo operations, we can seamlessly connect the Coastal destinations rich in fish and sea food to Nairobi,’’
Mr. Karanja Ndegwa, Jambojet Managing Director and CEO
Jambojet started the Nairobi-Goma in Democratic Republic of the Congo in September 2021, becoming the first low-cost carrier to fly the route, and also the only direct flight between Nairobi and the Eastern DRC city. The airline started with 2 frequencies weekly, which have since grown to 3.
This came after the signing of a four-part bilateral agreement between the Government of Kenya and that of the DRC covering investment, and policy development in several economic sectors including tourism, agriculture, education, energy, infrastructure development among others.
Jambojet has also signed agreements with airlines such as Kenya Airways and Astral Aviation that allow for seamless connection of cargo from local destinations to international markets. The Jambojet Cargo product portfolio includes JM General Cargo, JM Express, JM Pharma, JM Live, JM Fresh and JM Repatriation.
In a bid to diversify its product offering and complement its scheduled operations, Jambojet launched Charter services in October 2020 which allows one to charter a Jambojet aircraft to various destinations.
Since inception in 2014, Jambojet, which is IOSA certified (IATA Operational Safety Audit registration), has achieved undeniable business growth with a fleet of 6 brand new De Havilland Dash 8-400 and flown over 4.7 million passengers across all its destinations.