Low cost carrier Jambojet plans to lease a second-hand Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 aircraft, bringing its fleet complement to eight as it continues its expansion in the domestic market.
The Kenya Airways subsidiary says it is in discussions with a lessor for the plane that has been in the market for the last four years, and expects it to be in its service by August 23, 2023.
The plane will be joining the Jambojet fleet of seven Dash 8-Q400s leased from Falko, Montrose Global, and Nordic Aviation Capital.
The plane will be Jambojet’s eighth aircraft. Its seventh Dash 8 Q400 was delivered in November 2022 and it’s currently serving its domestic market from its Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) hub.
“We are leasing one more aircraft and it’s a 2019 plane which is four years old. This is to increase capacity to Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret and Malindi,’’ Jambojet CEO Karanja Ndegwa told the Business Daily in an interview last week.
Jambojet used to acquire new aircraft, but it has now warmed up to used jets due to the tough operating environment.
Jambojet is currently grappling with high operating costs as the Kenya shilling continues to weaken against the dollar. The case applies to several other airlines in the world.
The state has also doubled the Value Added Tax (VAT) on petroleum products to 16 percent and this means that carriers such as Jambojet will be forced to adjust their ticket prices upwards soon, hitting hard a majority of middle-class passengers who prefer air transport as opposed to road.
Airlines normally consider factors such as the dollar rate, landing charges, and navigation fee as well as fuel price, which is the major component constituting a ticket price.
