Airline Eyes Lucrative Nairobi-Mombasa Route

By Godfrey Tung'wet Posted 22 July 2006 @ 08:57 pm EET     Print     Reprint     E-Mail     Comments

NAIROBI (IBTimes.com) - East African Safari Air Express (EASAX) will from August 1, commence flights to Mombasa.

The Nairobi-Mombasa flights will initially be operated twice daily, using a 80-seater jet with more frequencies planned in the near future.

The introductory return fare has been set at Sh8,900, exclusive of airport taxes. The airline in partnership with Jetlink Express has been offering reliable air transport services from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to Kisumu, Malindi, Lokichoggio and Juba, the capital of Southern Sudan. The entry onto the Mombasa route is strategic considering the anticipated large volumes of passengers that will travel for the International Cross Country Championships to be held in the Coastal town in March next year.

There has been a high demand for travel between Nairobi and Mombasa, hence the need for more capacity. "We have had overwhelming pressure from the travel industry and other stakeholders to operate on this route. We have been rather hesitant for a number of reasons," Jetlink managing director Elly Aluvale said. Although the Nairobi-Mombasa route is the most dynamic in Kenya, it has had its own unique challenges, forcing many local carriers to pullout leaving Kenya Airways to monopolise the route.
However, EASAX is confident to survive the competition.

It is expected that the entry of a new operator on this route will nurture the desired competition, which will in turn bring improved efficiency, customer care and hopefully lower the cost of travel.

Jetlink Express was launched in December 2004 to operate flights between Southern Europe and Eastern Africa. Later on it set up a fully-fledged inclusive tour charter operation with five weekly frequencies between Italy and Kenya.

The airline has since entered into alliances with other airlines.

It has signed interline agreements with major international airlines such as Qatar Airways and Emirates, to feed, enhance and expand its online network.

On the domestic front, it has signed a code share agreement with East African Safari Air Express (ESAX), arguably the fastest growing domestic carrier.