Aviation firm Renegade Air Limited will start direct flights to Homa Bay next week, nearly two years after it ditched similar plans targeting travellers on the route not served by any airline.
The company, which currently operates flights to Wajir and Kisumu, said it would fly to Kabunde Airstrip in Homa Bay from its hub at Wilson Airport in Nairobi three times a week.
Passengers will pay an average Sh7,600 for a one-way air ticket.
“We are finally set to launch Homa Bay flights next week on Monday from Wilson Airport in Nairobi,” the airline’s sales and marketing manager Patrick Oketch told Business Daily in an interview Thursday.
“The decision to start operations on this route is informed by numerous requests we have received from our customers,” he said.
The carrier will deploy a Dash8-Q200 type of aircraft with a capacity of 37 passengers.
The flights will be operating on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays, leaving Nairobi at 8 am and arriving in Homa Bay at 8.40 am. The return trip starts at 9 am to arrive in Nairobi at 9.40 am.
“This is also an opportunity for us to promote tourism in the counties. Remember, we will be the only airline that will be operating scheduled passenger flights on this route,” said Mr Oketch.
The route was previously served by now defunct Silverstone Air Services and Fly540 airlines until 2019. Mombasa Air also stopped operations on the route early last year.
Renegade Air, which mainly operates charter services and cargo, adds the Homa Bay flights about two years since it started passenger flights to Kisumu and Wajir.
Passengers on the Kisumu routes are currently paying between Sh5,500 to Sh8,500 for a one-way air ticket.
Passengers to Wajir pay around Sh12,000 for a one-way air ticket.
