KENYA: Fly540 Tyre Gets Stuck In Pothole, Pilot Aborts Take off

A Fly540 pilot was forced to abort take-off after realising one of the plane’s tyre was stuck in a pothole on the runway at the Manda Airport in Lamu County, southeastern Kenya.

The 36 scared passengers aboard the Nairobi-bound plane disembarked during the Sunday 12.30pm incident. No one was hurt.

Engineers and other airport staff were called and had to dig the plane’s left tyre out of the pothole using shovels and hoes.

The plane was about to take-off but it was difficult. The pilot had to stop abruptly especially after realising that one of the plane’s tyres was stuck in a huge pothole on the runway.

Engineers and airport staff had to be called and assisted in pushing the plane out and parked it at a safer location on the runway from where it was finally able to take-off safely.

All was fine as the plane taxied on the runway ready for take-off.

Trouble came just seconds as the plane started to lift its wings in readiness to fly. We saw the tyre on the left side stuck inside a huge hole on the runway.

We thank God that the pilot acted swiftly and switched off the engine of the plane. It was a scary moment said an eye witness.

A Fly540 official who spoke to journalists at the Manda Airport said checks were made later to ensure the plane was in good condition after the incident.

The plane was to take-off at exactly 12.30pm but the issue caused a delay. It took off at 12.54pm after checks were made to ensure the incident hadn’t created any other issue that could interfere with the flight.

Following the Sunday incident, travelling agencies, tourist stakeholders and passengers have called on the Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) to urgently intervene and reconstruct the Manda Airport runway.

The airport was put on the spotlight in 2017, when Kenya Airways' low-cost airline Jambojet suspended flights citing dilapidated conditions.

At the time, Jambojet said the apron, taxiway and runway were in bad shape, making it difficult for aircrafts to land or take-off.

Aviation stakeholders said the poor state of the airport puts lives at risk.

We’ve raised the issue concerning the poor state of our airport, particularly the runway but our calls over the years to have it reconstructed have not been successful.

As we speak, the airport runway is covered in massive potholes which continue to pose a danger to navigation. Should we wait until a fatal accident occurs?

Mr Ibrahim Abdalla, a tour guide, called for expansion of the airport saying visits to Lamu have increased.

The high tourist season has already begun and the Manda Airport seems to be overwhelmed with the increased number of carriers plying the region. It’s better they reconstruct and expand the airport and also introduce 24-hour operations. Lamu is growing, said Mr Abdalla.

Tourism Observer

SOUTH SUDAN: Airport Officials Detained Illegally Since November 2018

South Sudanese authorities are detaining six airport officials without trial since November 2018, Human Rights Watch said today.

Human Rights Watch stated in a report that the National Security Service (NSS) arrested the six individuals at various times in November on fraud allegations.

The international rights group said the six officials remain detained unlawfully without authorization by any judicial authority, pointing out that the cases are part of a pattern of unlawful detentions by national security and law enforcement authorities in South Sudan.

The group revealed that security agents arrested David Subek Dada, chief executive officer of the South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority and a dual South Sudan-Australian national in his 50s, on November 8 on accusations of fraud.

It noted that the case relates to a dispute over payment of landing fees by the Kenyan airline, Fly540, which the government says has not paid the required fees.

Human Rights Watch pointed out that security officials subsequently summoned and arrested four other staff members of the Civil Aviation Authority – Santino Payo, David Lado Laki, Simon Lokonga, and Jackline Ibrahim – and an employee of the airline Fly540, Mercy Lalam, later in November.

These cases exemplify how South Sudan's government fails to respect the basic rights of accused people, said Jehanne Henry, associate Africa director at Human Rights Watch.

South Sudan's authorities need to respect due process protections in national and international law and should immediately release these six airport officials and if they intend to charge them, do so promptly, she added.

Human Rights Watch said it has reviewed documents that show the National Security Service concluded an investigation in December based on offenses including cheating, criminal breach of trust, and forgery and then transferred the detainees to the Juba Central Prison on January 12, 2019.

A public prosecutor recommended releasing one of the detainees, Subek Dada, on bail in December due to health concerns. Subek is diabetic and has high blood pressure but has not received adequate medical treatment, the report said.

Under South Sudan's laws, all detainees, whether arrested by the police or the security services are accorded basic rights.

The constitution provides that the person should be taken before a court within 24 hours of arrest.

South Sudan's criminal laws say pretrial detention should not exceed six months, unless extended by a court order.

The International Covenant on Civic and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which South Sudan is party, allows pretrial detention only as an exception and says that it should be as short as possible and that defendants should be tried without undue delay.

Since the outbreak of conflict in South Sudan in December 2013, the security service has been at the helm of abuses that include arbitrary arrest and detention, torture, and other forms of ill-treatment, and enforced disappearances.

Security agents have targeted perceived dissidents, human rights defenders, and journalists.

Authorities have also failed to respect the basic rights of accused people in the regular jails and prisons.

Human Rights Watch has documented weaknesses in the criminal justice system such as arbitrary detentions, including detaining relatives of suspects if the authorities cannot find the suspects; poor conditions in detention; and violations of fair trial rights.

Tourism Observer

SOUTH SUDAN: Fly540 Stopped From Landing At Juba Airport Over Unpaid Landing Fees

South Sudan has stopped operations of Fly540 at Juba airport over allegedly dubious landing fees, leaving travellers with only two direct flights between Nairobi and Juba.

On August 14 a Fly540 flight with 40 passengers on board left Nairobi for Juba at 4:45pmw was denied landing at Juba Airport.

With a flight time of one hour and 35 minutes, the passengers expected to land at 6:20pm. But this was not allowed.

Within half an hour into the flight, the pilot was informed by the airline’s Juba airport manager that he no longer had landing rights, forcing him to fly back to Nairobi.

We were surprised when the airline had to turn back almost half an hour into the flight. We were told that the South Sudan government had denied it entry.

Passengers were told that the airline had cancelled all its flights to Juba, hence our refunds would be processed given that the airline staff could not tell when they would be getting back the landing rights.

Funny enough, Fly540 staff South Sudan government had cancelled the landing rights for the carrier earlier that day, over what it called accumulated landing fees.

It is now two weeks since the airline suspended its operations in Juba.

The Fly540 Juba airport manager only discovered this cancellation when he went to file the flight plan with Juba’s civil aviation authority.

He learned that the authority’s director-general had issued an internal memo suspending the airline's landing rights.

The cancellation of landing rights was as a result of the management of Fly540, South Sudan’s national security intelligence, the Ministry of Interior and the civil aviation agency fighting since April.

On April 16, the South Sudan administration asked Fly540 to temporarily stop paying its landing fees following discovery of fraud within the civil aviation agency.

As a consequence some of the civil aviation agency's staff members were suspended from work and arrested.

This investigation continued and the airline complied with the instructions.

However, the suspended staff from the aviation authority kept threatening the airline's Juba staff, which saw it seek protection services from South Sudan police.

On August 7, the Fly540 management was surprised to receive a letter from Juba's Intelligence agency (NISS) requesting payment of $27,000.

The letter asked that the money be given to some of the Intelligence agency employees who were in Nairobi on assignment.

The Fly540 management asked for a letter from the civil aviation agency to support the request.

This was, however, met with another demand letter now from South Sudan’s Interior Ministry on the same day, demanding payment of the full arrears, which had accrued to $123, 000.

The Fly540 management offered a payment plan, but this was declined.

South Sudan security officers on the same day raided the airline's Juba office and held staff hostage, demanding the payment.

An agreement was reached that the airline would pay $50,000 upfront and the Juba office released $28,300 to the South Sudanese officials, upon which the staff members were released, with a promise to pay the balance in cash via a flight from Nairobi.

The Fly540 flight, which was turned away on Tuesday last week, had the balance on board.

The matter of fraud is still under investigation. The airline has no problem settling the arrears but is questioning the process because it is being faced with funny and unofficial requests from different agencies.

It is something the Kenyan government and embassies are well aware of and are trying to resolve, a source with knowledge of the matter said.

It is understood that Fly540 and the Juba civil aviation agency have been in discussions since the suspension but nothing concrete has come out of the discussions.

The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority director general, Captain Gilbert Kibe, confirmed that his office was aware of the matter.

Yes this is something that has been brought to my attention and we are investigating the issues Fly540 are having. I don’t think I will comment beyond that, Captain Kibe said.

William Mwadime, a Kenyan consular official at the Kenyan Embassy in Juba confirmed that his office had reached out to the Juba authorities to try to resolve the matter.

We had an informal session with Fly540 Juba management over the issue in the week of their flight suspension. We told them to file a formal letter on their concerns, which they did on Thursday.

This was then shared with the Juba authorities and we expect feedback from them on Tuesday, Mr Mwadime said.

South Sudan, however, maintain that the decision to cancel landing rights was taken after the airline went into default on the payment of its landing fees, which according to Juba authorities had accumulated significantly.

You can seek the amount and default period from the airline management. What we want is these unpaid fees settled so that they can continue with their normal frequencies to Juba, an official at the South Sudan Civil Aviation Authority, who requested anonymity said.

Fly540, which operates two daily flights to Juba, suspended its services in July 2016 when the fresh fighting broke out, citing the deteriorating security situation.

The Nairobi-Juba route is now served by two daily direct flights by Kenya Airways, with RwandAir making a stop-over at Entebbe and Ethiopian Airline going through Addis Ababa.

Five Forty Aviation Ltd, trading as Fly540, is a low-cost airline which commenced operations in 2006 and is based in Nairobi, Kenya, that operates domestic and international passenger and freight services.

The airline had two subsidiary airlines, Fly540 Ghana which was suspended in May 2014 and since sold and Fly540 Angola which was also suspended in May 2014, but has since focused its business expansion plans on East Africa.

Fly540 started operations between Nairobi and Mombasa on November 24, 2006. The service initially operated twice daily using 48-seat ATR 42 aircraft.

The airline's name refers to its price of Sh5,540 per adult return fare between the above-mentioned cities.

Lonrho Africa was a major investor in the company, paying US $1.5 million for a 49% stake.

In May 2007 the airline introduced two de Havilland Canada Dash 8-100 aircraft to increase the airline's capacity, allowing it to develop new domestic routes.

Passenger numbers rose by 93% to 171,160 in the year ended 30 September 2008, from 88,571 in 2007. At the same time, the load factor amounted to 63%, down from 65.8% in 2007.

The original scheduled flights included freight and passenger services between Nairobi and Mombasa, while Kisumu became a destination in January 2007.

Daily flights on the Nairobi-Malindi-Lamu route were added to its domestic services in February 2007.

International operations commenced in October 2007 with flights to Juba in South Sudan and Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Entebbe in Uganda was added in February 2008.

It was planned to expand the Nairobi hub's destinations to Rwanda, Mozambique and Burundi in 2009. The company's ambition was to become a pan-African carrier, through an expansion to an additional two regional hubs:

Fly540 said they will open up Kigali and then head to West Africa. Ghana will be the hub for West African region. In Southern Africa, we shall use Angola as our hub, so it will become a pan African low cost airline.

Fly540 received authorisation to start operations in Angola in April 2009. The initial plans include domestic flights to Cabinda, Luanda, Soyo, Benguela, Huambo and Malanje, but an expansion within the region will take place as soon as the domestic market has proven its success.

In June 2009, it was reported that Fly540 was working to set up a regional franchise in Zimbabwe.

Fly540 Tanzania launched direct flights between Dar es Salaam and Mwanza, on the western shores of Lake Victoria. Initially the company operated 11 flights a week and it was hoped that in time its Fokker 28 aircraft, which carrie 28 people, would be upgraded to a 50-seater CRJ 100.

In 2015 Fly540 Ghana that had been suspended in May 2014 was sold by former owner Fastjet, to UK-based DWG-G and is due to resume operations as Royal Fly540.

In June 2012 Fly540 was sold for $85.7 million (Sh7.3 billion) to British investment firm Rubicon Diversified Investments - now Fastjet Plc, who purchased the airline from Lonrho group.

Rubicon said it had chosen to acquire Fly540 as its platform for the launch of a budget airline in Africa, to be modelled on Europe's second largest low cost carrier EasyJet.

The first flights were transferred to the new airline, Fastjet, from 29 November 2012. These were two domestic routes in Tanzania.

It had been expected that all Fly540 flights would quickly be transferred to Fastjet, in turn, as the various arrangements and permissions required for each route are agreed.

Following the acquisition of Lonrho's 49% interest in Five Forty Aviation Ltd, and a further 49.98% economic interest in the company approved at a Fastjet General meeting on 29 June 2012 and completed on 2 July 2012, it became apparent that the vendor did not consider the additional acquisition had completed.

The dispute led to legal claims by both parties over the ownership and other matters.

A Memorandum of Understanding was reached on 23 April 2013 where both parties agreed to stop legal proceedings against each other, but because Fastjet now considered they did not have control or significant influence, Five Forty Aviation Ltd has since been treated as an investment in their accounts.

The Fly540 operations in Tanzania, Angola and Ghana, however, are fully incorporated within Fastjet's accounts.

Since the acquisition of Lonrho (BVI) Ltd's interest on 29 June 2012, Fastjet has owned 49% of Five Forty Aviation Ltd.

On 13 August 2008, a Fokker F27-500 cargo aircraft crashed about 20 km (12 mi) from the Namber Konton airport near Mogadishu, Somalia.

All three crew members died. The aircraft was said to be carrying a shipment of khat. The aircraft had departed from Wilson Airport in Nairobi.

On January 27, 2011, a Fokker 27 plane on test flight departing Wilson Airport failed to take off and ran through the perimeter fence into a maize field. The plane had four persons on board, and no injuries resulted.


Tourism Observer

KENYA: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Favourite Transiting Hub

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) registered a growth of transit passengers last year, highlighting it as a favourite transiting hub for international travellers.

Data by Kenya National Bureau of Statistics indicate that the number of international passengers in transit increased by 2.7 per cent from 1.2 million in 2016 to 1.25 million last year.

JKIA is a major hub for passengers connecting to Europe, US or even the Middle East.

Overall, Kenya’s major airports recorded an increase on the number of passengers who used different ports in the period under review.

The total number of passengers increased by 3.5 per cent from 9.8 million in 2016 to 10.1 million last year, says the KNBS in a new released Economic Survey.

The number of passengers handled at the JKIA increased by 2.2 per cent to 7.3 million while those handled at the Moi International Airport (MIA) remained at 1.2 million during the review period.

The Moi International Airport handles aircraft coming from outside the country because of its tourism status, unlike some airports that only handle domestic airlines.

Commercial cargo handled at the JKIA increased by 18 per cent to 273,000 tonnes with MIA recording an increase of 20 per cent to 3,500 tonnes.

According to the KNBS, domestic landings and takeoffs increased by 1.5 per cent to 207,831 in 2017, as more airlines moved in to tap the high demand for flying.

Local airlines have been expanding to new routes as demand for air travel in parts of the country that do not have a developed air transport takes root.

This is a boost to Kenyans who are now enjoying low fares due to increased competition.

In the last couple of months, airlines have launched new routes that include the far flung Wajir region that have been lagging behind in air transport.

Jambojet is currently flying to Wajir and it charges Sh4,200 for one way ticket.

This is the latest local route that they have introduced in their schedule.

Local airline Silverstone Air Services introduced Kisumu and Mombasa routes last year, targeting tourists on the Western and Coastal circuit.

The airline launched commercial flights from Nairobi to Kisumu and Ukunda, having previously operated as a charter-only carrier.

Silverstone is currently operating five planes on its local routes, consisting of two Dash-8 planes and three Fokker 50 aircraft.

The airline launched daily flights to Lodwar in January, increasing the competition for customers on the route that is also served by Fly540, Safarilink and several other carriers.

Silverstone is charging Sh8,500 for one way ticket to Lodwar, the same amount that Skyward Express ticket costs on the same route.

The plans to put up a second runway at JKIA are underway after the country secured funding from African Development Bank (AFDB).

This marks a major starting point for the expansion of the airport that has for a long time been operating with a single runway.

The single runway has been blamed for delays in takeoffs and landing of the aircrafts at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).

The project is expected to commence in the second half of 2018 and is expected to ease delays at once it is commissioned.


Tourism Observer

KENYA: Jambojet Commences Uganda Flights Feb 2018

Jambojet will on February 15 start operating two daily flights between Entebbe (Uganda) and Nairobi, in what will mark the low cost carrier’s expansion outside Kenya.

The budget carrier, a subsidiary of Kenya Airways says a one-way ticket will cost customers an introductory price of Sh11,330, inclusive of taxes.

Flights will depart the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) at 09:10am and 5:30pm every day while those flying out of Entebbe International Airport will leave at 11:00am and 19:20pm daily.

The flight time is 80 minutes.

This new route will connect businesses in Kenya and Uganda while also appealing to leisure travellers, offering them the opportunity to experience the Pearl of Africa.

Jambojet was in May 2016 granted regulatory approval to fly to 16 routes including Entebbe, Addis Ababa, Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Kilimanjaro, Mwanza, Kigali, Juba, Bujumbura, Hargeisa, Mogadishu, Goma, Kisangani and Moroni.

Kenya late last year wrote to the governments of Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia and Democratic Republic of Congo to allow Jambojet fly to these routes.

Jambojet, which launched locally in April 2014, had earmarked Tanzania and Uganda as its first destinations when approval are granted.

The low cost carrier, which flies between 45,000 and 50,000 passengers per month in Kenya, reported a pre-tax loss of Sh25 million for the year to March, reversing a pre-tax profit of Sh126 million recorded the previous year.

We are optimistic that the regional flight will spur the airline’s growth as well as foster regional integration at a national level, said Mr Hondius.

Jambojet has increased frequencies on most of its routes following what the budget carrier says is increased demand and flexibility offered by its newly acquired aircraft.

The low cost carrier, a subsidiary of Kenya Airways, will now fly 39 times a week to Mombasa up from 22 while passengers travelling to Kisumu from Nairobi will now be served by 20 weekly flights, an increase of six.

Jambojet has also added four frequencies to its Ukunda route, increasing them to 14 a week while its Eldoret flights are up two per week to hit 20. The Malindi route has however seen its weekly flights cut from 13 to nine.

In addition to increased demand, the no frills carrier says the frequencies adjustment is a response to their recent acquisition of two Bombardier Q400 aircraft that can do more trips cycles.

We are pleased that more passengers are choosing to fly over other means of transport, Willem Hondius, Jambojet’s chief executive officer, said in a statement.

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.

Jambojet, which has been operational since April 2014, has for a long time operated four aircraft — two Q400 planes and two Boeing 737s, the latter leased from its parent firm.

It flies between 45,000 and 50,000 passengers per month.

The low cost carrier returned one of the leased Q400 aircraft last year, acquired two in December 2017 with one more expected later this month.

On Sunday, it returned the last of two Boeings to Kenya Airways, leaving it with a fleet of three Q400 planes.

This young fleet compliment, Mr Hondius says, will allow the airline offer flexibility and flight variety to customers.”

Jambojet is set to commence flights to Tanzania and Uganda by next month, kicking off its regional expansion plan. It also plans to commence flights to Wajir in February.

The budget carrier in May 2017 granted regulatory approval to fly to 16 routes including Entebbe, Addis Ababa, Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Kilimanjaro, Mwanza, Kigali, Juba, Bujumbura, Hargeisa, Mogadishu, Goma, Kisangani and Moroni.

A lot has happened within the first few weeks of 2018 as far as air travel is concerned and it all points to good tidings for the industry in Kenya.

The recent launch of direct flights between Nairobi and New York by Kenya Airways added to a series of newly unveiled routes, both domestic and international, by various airlines.

Buoyed by increased business during the festive season, several airlines have this month announced increased flights on their current routes as well as completely new routes.

Jambojet set the ball rolling by announcing that it was increasing its flights to Mombasa, Kisumu, Ukunda and Eldoret. Jambojet cites increased demand and its acquisition of new aircrafts as the reason behind its expansion.

In the same week Jambojet announced additional flights while another local low-cost carrier Fly-Sax said it was increasing its frequency on the Mombasa route to twice daily to meet demand from traders and tourists.

That wasn’t all. Another carrier, Freedom Airline launched a commercial flight on the Nairobi-Garissa route targeting air travellers especially business owners and state officials.

A new entrant, Silverstone Air, is set to commence direct flights from Wilson Airport to Lodwar in mid-January barely six months after they entered the Kenyan market with daily flights to Kisumu and Ukunda.

The airline has announced plans to introduce direct flights between Kisumu and Mombasa and also launch flights to Migori and Lamu.

The flurry of activities in the sky is not only limited to the domestic market. Italian carrier Alitalia is set to return to JKIA with four scheduled flights a week starting from 28 March 2018.

A day later, the inaugural Air France flight from Charles De Gaulle in Paris will make its maiden flight into Nairobi after an 18-year hiatus.

It should be noted that last year, the Middle East carrier, Qatar Airways announced that Mombasa was one of the new 12 routes they were launching in 2018.

Qatar will be joining other international carriers that fly directly into and out of Mombasa hoping to tap into growing demand on that route.

Similarly, Air India is expected to return to the Kenyan airspace this year with daily flights between New Delhi and Nairobi.

There is no doubt that the Kenya airspace is once again becoming more attractive to both local and international carriers seeking to grow their pie in a shrinking global market characterised by cut throat competition.

This can be attributed to a number of factors that have placed Kenya in a pole position as an emerging potential market for air travel.

Over the years, the government has invested heavily in expanding and improving the aviation infrastructure across the country.

JKIA is obviously reaping the benefits of the recent expansion programme that has increased its annual capacity to 7.5 million passengers. Focus now needs to shift to improving other facilities across the country that are in dire need of expansion.

Another factor that has significantly contributed to the uptake of air travel in the country is the emergence of low cost carriers such as Jambojet, Fly540, Silverstone Air, Fly-Sax, Safarilink among others that continue to haul first time travellers into the sky.

Jambojet alone flies between 45,000 and 50,000 passengers a month!



Tourism Observer

KENYA: Upcountry Flights Fully Booked In Anticipation Of The Festive Holidays

Domestic airlines to Western Kenya are fully booked between Thursday and Sunday, signalling increased air travel ahead of Monday’s Christmas holiday.

On Wednesday, Jambojet, Skyward Express and Fly540 said they had sold out all seats on flights to Kisumu and Eldoret between December 21 and 24.

This year’s bookings represent a more than 20 per cent growth, highlighting increased demand for air travel with the introduction of budget carriers.

Jambojet said it still had space on three Saturday flights to Eldoret (6am, 1pm and 6pm) with the few seats left going for Sh10,200 from Sh4,200 for passengers, who booked at the beginning of the year.

The Kisumu route was fully booked to Saturday and last evening’s flight had only one seat remaining.

The Nairobi-Kisumu route is charging Sh14,200, up from less than the usual Sh10,000.

Skyward Express, which flies to Lodwar via Eldoret, is fully booked between Thursday and Sunday.

Sorry‚ we cannot find any seats available on the date you have requested. Please try another date combination or contact us for further information, reads a statement from the company’s website.

Fly540 flight to Homa Bay from Nairobi is fully booked to Sunday. The situation is somewhat different on the Nairobi-Mombasa route where there is a 50 per cent chance for travellers to get seats.

One-way bookings for Fly 540 (9 am and 7 pm) from Nairobi to Mombasa are available at Sh11,270. Flights to Lamu on the same airline on the same day are sold out.

Skyward Express, which started flying the Lamu route from March this year, has all seats for December 21 and 22 sold out.

Increased demand has seen Jambojet introduce additional flights to Coastal cities as it seeks to cash on high number of passengers visiting the region for holidays.

Airline chief executive officer Willem Hondius said on Tuesday there has been increased demand for air travel between Nairobi and the Coast, forcing the company to raise frequency starting Wednesday.

Jambojet has increased the number of flights to Malindi, Mombasa and Ukunda to 3, 4 and 3 flights per week respectfully.

Prices of booking air tickets have significantly gone up in the last one month as more passengers seek to travel by plane.

Those who have been booking from last week are paying almost double the price compared with travellers who booked in November.

To enjoy a low price on budget airline, passengers are supposed to book way in advance before their travel date.



Tourism Observer