Jambojet has announced plans to begin operations to North Kivu Capital, Goma in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and to the Coastal Island of Lamu. This is part of its expansion program to more locations in the wider East African region.
According to Jambojet, flights to Goma will begin on 10th September, 2021 starting with 2 frequencies weekly. This is set to grow to 4 frequencies weekly, flying on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
In Kenya, the airline will fly to Lamu 4 times weekly, starting 15th September, 2021. Customers will be able to book Nairobi to Lamu and Mombasa to Lamu as well as Lamu to Mombasa and Lamu to Nairobi.
Speaking on the planned expansion, Vincent Rague, Chairman Jambojet Board of Directors said, “Three years ago, we embarked on an expansion plan that would see us expand our network across the region as well as grow our fleet. We had to put on hold some of the plans due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are excited to launch these two new routes, and look forward to what is to come.”
With the expansion, Jambojet is leveraging on the huge opportunity the African market has to offer, and the rising demand for air connectivity in the region.
“There is a growing demand for air transport across the continent, with the International Air Transport Association projecting that Africa will become one of the fastest growing aviation regions within the next 20 years, with an average annual expansion rate of almost 5%. We, as Jambojet, are keen to be part of this growth,” Vincent added.
Currently, Jambojet flies to 6 destinations locally including Mombasa, Diani, Eldoret, Kisumu and Malindi from its primary hub in Nairobi. The airline also operates a direct flight from Mombasa to Kisumu and Eldoret. In October 2020, Jambojet also launched its Charter services in a bid to diversify its product offering.
Since inception in 2014, Jambojet, which is IOSA certified has achieved notable business growth with a fleet of 6 new De Havilland Dash 8-400 and flown over 4 million passengers across all its destinations.