Inaugural Flight Arrives in Entebbe, Uganda.
Entry expected to boost regional tourism and business travel Kampala.
Jambojet inaugural flight to Uganda touched down at Entebbe Airport at about 11am, ushering in renewed competition and a promise of lower rates for frequent flyers in Uganda.
The inaugural flight was met by State Minister for Transport Hon. Aggrey Bagiire, Uganda Civil Aviation Managing Director Dr. David Kakuba, Uganda Tourism Board Managing Director Stephen Asiimwe and Jambojet CEO, Willem Hondius, amongst others.
With the entry, Jambojet will operate double daily flights with departures from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) at 09.10hrs and 17.30 hrs. The flight will depart Entebbe International Airport for Nairobi at 11.00 hrs and 19.20 hrs daily.
Speaking during the occasion, Jambojet CEO Willem Hondius said Jambojet introductory fare of USD116 is the lowest on the route and was intended to encourage more people to travel by air both in Uganda and the region.
“In East Africa alone, we have a market of over 100 million people and we have barely scratched the surface in air travel. We believe that Jambojet’s entry into Uganda will make air travel more affordable to majority of people who travel for business or leisure in the region and beyond.”
He noted that there is especially a huge opportunity for the tourism sector to develop products that are unique to Uganda and can be shared through a regional circuit.“In particular we expect the tourism industry to reap maximum benefit from facilitation of an EA Circuit which would give tourists an opportunity to visit scenic attractions in Uganda such as The Source of The Nile., Murchison Fall, Queen Elizabeth National Park and the Rare Mountain Gorillas in Bwindi National Reserve” he said.
The State Minister for Transport Hon. Aggrey Baiire noted that the growth of the air travel sector was important for the entire economy since it created opportunities for investment, capacity building and employment including creating linkages for better intra-regional trade.
“We need to build capacity to allow our local businesses to have greater access to foreign markets. Air transport and connectivity supports exports and simultaneously increases competition and choice in the home market from foreign-based producers. This in turn encourages firms to specialize in areas where they possess a comparative advantage, allowing for opportunities to exploit economies of scale, which lowers the cost of production and ultimately benefits domestic consumers” he noted.
About Jambojet:
The airline currently operates a relatively young fleet of four Dash 8 Q400 aircraft. The route will be served with the recently acquired 78 seater; turboprop Bombardier Next Gen Q400 as it plans to venture into other regional destinations. The barely four-year-old airline which currently operates to Eldoret, Kisumu, Malindi, Mombasa, Nairobi and Ukunda has achieved undeniable business growth; increased numbers of routes from four to six, increased frequency of flights due to fleet expansion and flown over two million passengers. A report by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in 2017 revealed that African airlines’ traffic was expected to grow by up to 9.9 per cent annually. The report noted African airports continue to record positive performance, welcoming an increase in international arrivals that currently stand at 14 per cent.
Daily Flight Schedules:
Morning
Nairobi (NBO) to Entebbe (EBB) JM8520 departs 09:10 arrives 10:30
Entebbe (EBB) to Nairobi (NBO) JM8521 departs 11:00 arrives 12:20
Evening
Nairobi (NBO) to Entebbe (EBB) JM8524 departs 17:30 arrives 18:50
Entebbe (EBB) to Nairobi (NBO) JM8525 departs 19:20 arrives 20:40
Jambojet expands in the region to Uganda
The Airline will operate daily for as low as Ksh 11,330 (incl. taxes)
Double daily service to be operated by a Bombardier Q400 aircraft - 78 seater
Jambojet is set to expand its wings in East Africa with the launch of a double daily flight between Nairobi and Entebbe, Uganda on 15th February, 2018.
This will see the Nairobi based budget airline become the first regional low cost airline with an introductory fare of Ksh 11,330 (incl. taxes) one-way. Customers will be able to purchase tickets from the airline’s robust online book portal - Jambojet.com, sales office, call centers or at their preferred travel agent.
Jambojet will operate double daily flights with departures from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) at 09.10hrs and 17.30 hrs. The flight will depart Entebbe International Airport for Nairobi at 11.00 hrs and 19.20 hrs daily.
Willem Hondius, CEO Jambojet said “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. This new route will connect businesses in Kenya and Uganda while also appealing to leisure travelers, offering them the opportunity to experience the ‘Pearl of Africa’.
Mr. Hondius further noted that the airline has seen an upward trend on its domestic traffic; “We are optimistic that the regional flight will spur the airline’s growth as well as foster regional integration at a national level.”
The airline currently operates a relatively young fleet of four Dash 8 Q400 aircraft. The route will be served with the recently acquired 78 seater; turboprop Bombardier Next Gen Q400 as it plans to venture into other regional destinations.
The barely four-year-old airline which currently operates to Eldoret, Kisumu, Malindi, Mombasa, Nairobi and Ukunda has achieved undeniable business growth; increased numbers of routes from four to six, increased frequency of flights due to fleet expansion and flown over two million passengers.
A report by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in 2017 revealed that African airlines’ traffic was expected to grow by up to 9.9 per cent annually. The report noted African airports continue to record positive performance, welcoming an increase in international arrivals that currently stand at 14 per cent.
Daily Flight Schedules:
Morning
Nairobi (NBO) to Entebbe (EBB) JM8520 departs 09:10 arrives 10:30
Entebbe (EBB) to Nairobi (NBO) JM8521 departs 11:00 arrives 12:20
Evening
Nairobi (NBO) to Entebbe (EBB) JM8524 departs 17:30 arrives 18:50
Entebbe (EBB) to Nairobi (NBO) JM8525 departs 19:20 arrives 20:40
Jambojet has acquired yet another brand new Bombardier Dash8 Q400 next generation aircraft that is set to boast the airline’s fleet as they prepare to soar into the regional skies.
The new aircraft christened Heroe is part of the airline’s fleet upgrade that will also see the arrival of an additional aircraft later on this month.The two aircrafts have been leased from Danish firm Nordic Aviation Capital and will ply the current routes as well as additional routes that will be introduced early next year.
Commenting on the new additions, Jambojet’s CEO, Willem Hondius said, “For the past couple of years we have been using the Dash 8 Q400 and we are really impressed with how the aircrafts have served us” “The arrival of our newest aircraft underscores the depth of our resolve to make a huge difference in Kenya and the region. Basically, we are matching our expansion agenda with the right equipment to ensure that we deliver the best service to our growing customer base”. Willem explained.
In addition, to its ability to maneuver short runways across the region, the Next Generation aircrafts comes with updated cabins and wider overheard bins for luggage storage. The delivery of the fourth aircraft at the end of January next year will make Jambojet the only carrier with the youngest fleet in the world, a reflection of the airline’s commitment to efficiency and regional expansion.In the nearly four years of operation, the no-frills low cost airline has achieved undeniable business growth; increased numbers of routes from four to seven, increased frequency of flights due to fleet expansion and flown over two million passengers. Currently, Jambojet flies to Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu as well as to Eldoret, Malindi and Ukunda.
Jambojet launches additional local flights as it gears towards regional expansion
62 weekly flights to the coastal route of Mombasa, Ukunda and Malindi
Budget airline Jambojet has yet again increased their flight frequencies across all their routes countrywide.The no frills airline has increased its flights from Nairobi to Mombasa from 22 flights to 39 flights per week, while the Kisumu route will now have twenty flights per week up from the previous 14 flights per week.
Jambojet CEO, Willem Hondius said that: we have increased our frequency to not only address the demand for our service across the various routes but to also offer flexibility and flight variety to our customers. We will be offering up to 6 flights a day to Mombasa and will be introducing a 7am flight for the businessman who requires a full day in Mombasa.
“The New Year always comes with fresh opportunities, and we’re delighted to be able to offer additional flight choices to our customers.”
The new development comes barely a week after Jambojet phased out the Boeing 737 which had been leased from Kenya Airways. The airline will now operate its three newly acquired Dash 8 Q400 propeller powered aircrafts which makes the fleet arguably the youngest fleet globally.“We are pleased that more passengers are choosing to fly over other means of transport. The demand has been growing especially on the coastal routes, a clear indicator that Jambojet is contributing immensely to the growth of domestic tourism and the economy at large."
The budget airline will have 29 additional flights per week from the current 73 flights on across its six destinations, providing passenger’s added flexibility to manage their travel. The fast growing Eldoret and Kisumu routes will now have an afternoon flight on all weekdays.. Ukunda will get four additional flights respectively. In total, the coastal route will be having 62 flights per week.
The latest expansion increases the number of Jambojet flights from JKIA to 408 per month – only last month the airline embarked on plans to begin operating regional flights to Entebbe , in Uganda.
Jambojet has achieved a 90 per cent on-time performance in the months of September and October across its network mainly driven by its new efficient fleet.
The September and October on time performance (OTP) average is a six per cent (6%) higher compared to 84 percent average in August, 2017. In the past seven months the airline has maintained an average OTP of 85 percent. OTP is based on flights taking off and landing within 15 minutes (an industry benchmark), of the scheduled times in the six destinations serviced by the budget airline.
Jambojet CEO, Willem Hondius said; “We are well over our target of 80% which is considerably better than the industry average. Without a doubt, this is a very good sign as we go into the peak festive season”.
“Evidently, our investment in the two new Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 aircrafts has enabled us to deliver a very reliable flight schedule across the country and live upon the expectation of customers” Mr. Hondius explained.
In the nearly four years of operation, the no-frills low cost airline has achieved undeniable business growth; increased numbers of routes from four to six, increased frequency of flights due to fleet expansion and flown over two million passengers. Currently, Jambojet operates 75 flights per week to on its domestic routes from Nairobi to Mombasa, Eldoret, Kisumu, Malindi and Ukunda (Diani
The airline which has a codeshare agreement with Kenya Airways for its flights to Malindi, Ukunda (Diani) and Eldoret is expecting delivery of an additional two new Bombardier aircrafts later on this year to complement its existing fleet as they gear up to soaring into the regional skies.
About Jambojet
Jambojet, a low cost airline, currently flies to six domestic destinations; Nairobi to Mombasa, Eldoret, Kisumu, Malindi and Ukunda (Diani). The no-frills airline, launched in April 2014, has enabled affordable air travel for all, with first time flyers accounting for about 30% of its customers. In the four years of operation, the no-frills airline has achieved undeniable business growth; increased frequency of flights due to fleet expansion and having have flown over 2,000,000 passengers. This number is set to grow as more Kenyans and foreigners appreciate the benefits of low cost flying. Jambojet also launched their CSR arm dubbed Off Chocks in 2016, through which it wishes to advance the education agenda in the regions within which it operates in.
