Jambojet maintains ticket prices ahead of flights return

Jambojet has revealed ticket prices for flights to Kisumu, Mombasa, Eldoret and Malindi from its Nairobi hub as it prepares to resume flights on July 15.

Passengers will pay Sh4,800 on a one-way ticket to Kisumu, Mombasa, Eldoret and Malindi from Nairobi following the lifting of restrictions on movement in and out of the capital and resumption of air travel.

The budget carrier, a subsidiary of the national airline Kenya Airways, will charge Sh6,800 for one-way ticket from Nairobi to the tourist hotspot Diani.

Domestic passenger flights are scheduled to restart on July 15 while international travel will resume from August 1.

This a boost to Kenya Airways, which had lost an estimated Sh10.6 billion in revenues in the six months to June.

Jambojet stopped operations on April 7, after President Uhuru Kenyatta’s ordered for the cessation of movement by road, rail or air in and out of Nairobi, Mombasa, Kilifi and Kwale counties to curb the spread of coronavirus.

“Jambojet, is set to resume flights to five local destinations on July 15. We will operate three daily flights to Mombasa, and two to Kisumu,” said the airline’s acting managing director Karanja Ndegwa in a statement yesterday.

The low-cost carrier will also operate two daily flights to Eldoret, one to Malindi and four weekly flights to Diani, he added.

Mr Ndegwa said the frequencies will be reviewed regularly to respond to the changes in demand across the markets.

“We want to assure our customers that we will follow the safety guidelines put in place to offer our customers a safe and pleasant flying experience,” said Mr Ndegwa.

The aviation sector has been one of the hardest hit industry, taking a brunt of the economic meltdown brought by the coronavirus.

Airlines across the world have suspended flights, sent workers home and asked governments for bailouts.

Kenya Airways said it would reduce its assets and network and layoff an unspecified number of workers to limit losses from Covid-19.

The coronavirus disease, which originated in Wuhan, China in December 2019, has infected more than 11 million people worldwide and resulted in over 540,000 deaths.

The World Health Organisation declared it a pandemic on March 11, 2020.

By Tuesday, Kenya had confirmed 8,250 cases and over 164 deaths. Recovered stand at 2,414.

The resumption of air travel is welcome news for domestic carriers who will not be compelled to keep some seats empty in line with public health regulations.