KENYA: Sebastian Mikosz Kenya Airways CEO Appointed To IATA Board

Sebastian Mikosz The Kenya Airways CEO
Kenya Airways chief executive Sebastian Mikosz has been appointed to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) board an interim basis.

Mr Mikosz will stay on the board until next year when IATA holds its annual general meeting in Sydney, Australia, from June 3-5.

I am honoured to be appointed to the Board of IATA. This for me represents an opportunity to bring knowledge, experiences and passion for my profession to serve current, prospective and future communities, while also focusing on diversity and inclusion in the aviation industry, Mr Mikosz said

The KQ chief executive has more than 20 years of professional experience in executive management both in the private and public sector.

Mr Mikosz, who took over at Kenya Airways in June, has previously been CEO of eSky.pl, the leading central European online travel agent.

He has also been president and CEO of LOT Polish Airlines, one of the oldest airlines in the world - a position he held twice including an in depth turnaround of the company.

Kenya Airways is eyeing New York as its first destination when it starts direct flights to the US next year.

The national carrier sees the city as a convenient East Coast aviation hub to mark its entry into the US, before spreading its wings across the world’s biggest economy.

The airline, which last week received regulatory approval to operate direct flights to the US, also estimates that it will move 60,000 passengers in its first year of operation on the route.

We are currently focusing on New York due to the importance of point to point traffic with Nairobi. However, we are also studying other options on the US territory as we may expand our network in the US in the near future, Kenya Airways (KQ) Commercial Director Vincent Coste said in an interview.

In its submissions to the United States government, KQ had said that it plans to launch direct flights in April 2018, although the company has since indicated June 2018 as a more likely date.

New York’s JFK Airport was the United State’s fourth-busiest airport in 2016, according to Airports Council International.

The city is the country’s economic hub and being on the East Coast, it would be easier to reach relative to other hubs such as Atlanta International Airport, Chicago’s O’Hare, and LAX on the West Coast.

KQ received a foreign air carrier permit on September 5th from the United States Department of Transportation (DOT).

Meanwhile Jetways Airlines, is set to launch daily flights to Diani in November targeting tourists visiting the Kenyan Coast famous for its white sandy beaches and marine sports.

The airline will operate two daily flights to and from Wilson and Ukunda Airstrip. This will be the second scheduled flights route for Jetways, which also flies the Wajir.

Ukunda Airstrip is used by both commercial and chartered aircrafts. Passengers will pay Sh10,000 for a one-way ticket. The firm is flying to Wajir at a promotional fare of Sh6,000.

The airline says it is targeting holiday makers visiting Southern Coast regions that include Tiwi, Diani, Galu, Kinondo and Chale Island.

Diani Beach is one of the most exclusive locations for Kenya beach holidays and has consistently been voted one of the top beaches in Africa,it is home to several organisations such as The East African Whale Shark Trust which works to protect whale sharks,reads a statement on its portal.



Tourism Observer

KENYA: Jambojet Apologises To Passengers After Delayed And Cancelled Flights

Jambojet has apologised to thousands of holidaymakers who were stranded for three days at various airports after its flights to various holiday destinations in the Coast region were delayed and cancelled at the eleventh hour.

The domestic carrier conceded that the flight crisis was caused by excess booking of passengers and its failure to lease additional flights the current festive season.

In a statement, Jambojet customer service manager Mary Mwangi said the carrier's existing smaller aircraft could not accommodate the high volume of booked passengers.

“We apologize to all concerned for the unpleasant nature of this entire experience and assure all that we are doing our utmost to resolve the issue as soon as possible,” said Ms Mwangi.
She added: “We, at Jambojet, have had some unexpected technical challenges on our Q400 fleet that operates most of our coastal routes. Additionally, the delivery of our newly leased aircraft initially scheduled for introduction during the peak season was delayed due to unforeseen circumstances and will only be delivered in early 2017,”.

“As a result of the combination of these factors as well as the unavailability of aircraft of the same capacity, we have had to reschedule flights and carry passengers on smaller aircraft. This being high season, we have a high volume of booked passengers all of whom cannot be accommodated on these smaller aircraft,”

“We have therefore [endeavoured] to fly more frequencies with these smaller capacity aircraft and also re-route remaining passengers via Mombasa and put other passengers on Kenya Airways flights, where seats are available, to get them to their destinations,”

On Tuesday, hundreds of passengers flying to Lamu for this year’s Maulid festival were stranded for two days at Malindi Airport.

Most of affected passengers were travelling from Mombasa, Malindi and other coastal towns to the archipelago for the annual Islamic festival, which is scheduled to end this weekend.

The Kenya Airways-owned firm booked the stranded passengers in some of hotels in Malindi town before putting them on early morning flights on Wednesday and Thursday.

Others opted to forfeit their flights and travelled by public service vehicles plying between Mombasa and Lamu, a journey that takes almost nine hours due to security checkpoints mounted between Garsen in Tana River and Mokowe in Lamu County.

Some of passengers who were to fly from Malindi to Nairobi were ferried by road to Mombasa before boarding flights at Moi International Airport.

Similarly, scores of passengers who were to travel directly to Ukunda airstrip to enjoy their holidays in various hotels in South Coast were instead flown to Mombasa airport and transferred by road to reach their destinations.

Kenya Coast Tourism Association (KCTA) chairman Mohammed Hersi expressed his dismay over why Jambojet had booked passengers heading to Ukunda on a bigger aircraft that could land at Ukunda airstrip before diverting the plane to Moi International Airport, Mombasa.

“Why would you sell more tickets than you can handle then you take a bigger aircraft that cannot land in Ukunda. Passengers heading to Ukunda chose a direct flight to avoid the pain at the ferry and you go ahead to subject them to the same pain again without any qualms,” stated the KCTA chairman.

Two months ago, Jambojet announced additional flights to all destinations within the country including Lamu ahead of the festive season.

Jambojet Chief Executive Officer Willem Hondius said: “We are cognizant of the increased demand for flights during the festive season as people go on holiday or travel back home. We want to ensure that we provide our customers with value for money, greater choice as well as flexibility with the additional frequencies.”

He announced the carrier would increase flights to Mombasa from 22 weekly to 31 and 20 flights per week to Kisumu, Eldoret and Ukunda and 16 weekly flights to Malindi from 13.

KENYA: Jambojet Records Sh57 million Six-month Profit As Domestic Business Goes Up

Passengers board a Jambojet aircraft on its maiden flight to Kisumu.

Jambojet, a low budget airline which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kenya Airways, has reported a successful turnaround in the six months of April to September 2015, recording a Sh57 million profit.

Jambojet’s Chief Executive Mr William Hondius attributed the major gain to their ongoing campaign in newly introduced routes where they have managed to lure first time fliers who now contribute up to 30 per cent of its business.

“Our introduction of the two Bombardier Q400 aircraft made it possible to add new routes resulting in an increase in customers.

“We now have more work and opportunity ahead to ensure more Kenyans can access affordable flights as we continue to execute our long-term plan,” added Hondius.

This is unlike the previous period under review in 2014 during which it posted a Sh237 million loss as it heavily spent on marketing the newly introduced routes.

Mr Hondius said that Jambojet’s successful turnaround showed that low budget carriers were the right models for Kenya’s internal air passenger business, adding that since inception in April 2014, about 30 per cent of its passengers were first time flyers.

Saying Jambojet now commanded a 35 per cent market share in the Kenyan domestic market, the CEO said that more people had embraced flying from Nairobi to their rural homes while tourists also preferred using the low budget airlines that now directly fly to the newly constructed Ukunda Airstrip.

“The Ukunda airstrip has helped as gain traction with August 2015 hitting an all-time high of 10,800 tourists.

“It is a sure boost to our business and tourism in the coastal region.

“Jambojet will now be able to fly close to full capacity on its Bombardier Q400 aircraft which carries 78 passengers,” he said.

The depreciation of the Kenyan shilling against the dollar by 13 per cent compared to the same period in 2014 coupled with a decrease in fuel costs by 53 per cent were blamed for the Sh56 million loss.

The CEO said that Jambojet now had a solid base in Eldoret where it recorded a 50 per cent growth leading to an increase in flights to three daily flights a week except Sundays when it runs two flights.