Kenya's budget airline to begin daily flights to the 'Pearl of Africa'

The pearl of Africa is now just a few minutes away and a lot cheaper thanks to Kenyas low cost airlines.

Jambojet will on February 15 start operating two daily flights between Entebbe (Uganda) and Nairobi, in what will mark the low cost carrier’s expansion outside Kenya.

“We are delighted to launch direct service to Entebbe, a much-anticipated addition to our network where we will offer frequent and new flyers even more affordable fares,” Willem Hondius, Jambojet’s chief executive, said in a statement Monday.

The budget carrier which is a subsidiary of Kenya Airways says a one-way ticket will cost customers an “introductory price” of $110 (Ksh 11,330\Ush 400,000 – incl. taxes).

Flights will depart the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) at 09:10am and 5:30pm every day while those flying out of Entebbe International Airport will leave at 11:00am and 19:20pm daily.

“This new route will connect businesses in Kenya and Uganda while also appealing to leisure travellers, offering them the opportunity to experience the ‘Pearl of Africa’.”

The flight time is 80 minutes.

In recent years, the airline has expanded its wings to new local destinations and increased frequencies across all its routes in the country including acquiring brand new Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 next generation aircraft in an effort to offer additional flight choices to its customers.

Jambojet was in May 2016 granted regulatory approval to fly to 16 routes including Entebbe, Addis Ababa, Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Kilimanjaro, Mwanza, Kigali, Juba, Bujumbura, Hargeisa, Mogadishu, Goma, Kisangani and Moroni.

The low cost carrier, which flies between 45,000 and 50,000 passengers per month in Kenya, hopes to use the new destination to lift up its profits.

The airline reported a pre-tax loss of Sh25 million for the year to March, reversing a pre-tax profit of Sh126 million recorded the previous year.

“We are optimistic that the regional flight will spur the airline’s growth as well as foster regional integration at a national level,” said Mr Hondius.