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Jambojet gets new aircraft amid busy holiday season

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Travellers disembark from a Jambojet plane. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Low-cost airline Jambojet on Thursday received one of two planes it purchased last month at a cost of Sh6.6 billion to cater for increased demand this Christmas season.

The airline, a subsidiary of Kenya Airways #ticker:KQ, said the remaining plane will arrive later this month.

The two planes have been leased from Danish firm Nordic Aviation Capital.

“The arrival of our newest aircraft underscores the depth of our resolve to make a huge difference in Kenya and the region. Basically, we are matching our expansion agenda with the right equipment to ensure that we deliver the best service to our growing customer base,” Jambojet chief executive Willem Hondius said in a statement today.

The arrival of Bombardier Dash8 Q400, dubbed Heroe, and another one expected in two weeks is part of the airline’s fleet upgrade push in line with growth strategy.

READ: Jambojet set to receive two Sh6.6b planes by Christmas

The addition of the two aircraft brings Jambojet’s fleet to six – two Q400 planes which it acquired earlier in the year and two Boeing 737s leased from Kenya Airways, its parent company.

“For the past couple of years we have been using the Dash 8 Q400 and we are really impressed with how the aircrafts have served us,” Mr Hondius said.

Jambojet presently plies the Nairobi to Mombasa, Eldoret, Kisumu, Malindi and Ukunda (Diani) routes.

The airline in May got regulatory approval to fly to 16 regional routes, including Entebbe, Addis Ababa, Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Kilimanjaro, Mwanza, Kigali, Juba, Bujumbura, Hargeisa, Mogadishu, Goma, Kisangani and Moroni.

READ: Jambojet improves its record on punctuality