Jambojet direct Kisumu-Mombasa flights to start in October

Budget carrier Jambojet will start flying between cities in Kenya without stopping at its hub in Nairobi on October 2 following approval by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA).

The carrier, a subsidiary of the national airline Kenya Airways #ticker:KQ, on Monday said one-way ticket from Mombasa to Eldoret and Kisumu will cost Sh8,900. The return trip from Eldoret and Kisumu to Mombasa will cost the same.

“We are happy that we can now connect the Western region to the Coastal region with the introduction of these direct flights,” said the airline’s head of sales and marketing Titus Oboogi.

The carrier resumed domestic air travel mid-July after the grounding of operations since April due to Covid-19 travel restrictions.

Mr Oboogi said that the carrier will operate the two routes every Friday and Sunday with flights departing Mombasa at 1.15pm to arrive in Eldoret at 3.05pm and 3.55pm in Kisumu.

Flights from Eldoret depart at 3.25pm, and Kisumu 4.15pm, to arrive in Mombasa at 6.05pm.

While Jambojet did not indicate the type of aircraft that will be deployed on the route, it uses the Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 for its domestic flights.

The direct flight plan comes at a time when the aviation industry is in turmoil following the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 that saw airlines around the world grounded.

Jambojet is yet to start international flights because of strict health guidelines issued by Rwanda and Uganda.

Last week, Jambojet expanded its payment channels to ease bookings for customers under the Covid-19 pandemic hit economy by partnering with Safaricom #ticker:SCOM.

In the deal, passengers on the domestic routes can purchase air tickets using Safaricom’s loyalty awards at the rate one Bonga point for 20 cents.