Silverstone sets May date for launch of Eldoret flights

Local low-cost carrier Silverstone Air Services is set to start daily flights between Nairobi and Eldoret next month, raising the number of options for customers plying the North Rift route.

The airline, which has been operating in Kenya since 2017, said the new flights would originate from Wilson airport, Nairobi and would cost Sh10,000 for a return ticket and will run on a Dash 8-300 aircraft that carries 50 passengers.

“We are planning to introduce direct flights from Wilson Airport in Nairobi to Eldoret May 31,” said Silverstone Air sales manager Patrick Oketch in an interview yesterday.

The route is currently served by Kenya Airways, Jambojet, Fly 540, Safarilink and others.

“There will be a flight leaving Wilson at 7:15 am to arrive in Eldoret at 8:00am.

“The flight will then leave Eldoret at 8:30am to arrive at Wilson at 9:15am. There will also be another flight leaving Wilson at 4pm to arrive in Eldoret at 4:45 pm. The flight will then leave Eldoret at 7pm to arrive in Nairobi at 7:45 pm,” he said.

Carriers such as Fly540, Jambojet, Fly-Sax and Skyward Express have in recent years boosted their operations in the North Rift, and Silverstone’s entry is set to increase competition for passengers.

Silverstone Air is a fairly new entrant and has been on an aggressive expansion bid barely a few months since it established operations in the Kenyan market.

Last April, the airline increased frequencies on the Nairobi-Kisumu route to 17 trips per week, up from 14, while passengers plying Mombasa-Kisumu are now served by three weekly flights, an increase from two.