Kenya-based African cargo airline Astral Aviation is to increase in its intra-African network with freighters during the pandemic.
There has been a reduction in capacity to, from, and within Africa, which has been caused by a stoppage of passenger flights and limited frequencies on freighter aircraft.
The carrier will launch new freighter services while continuing to operate cargo flights to destinations in Africa from its Nairobi hub throughout the pandemic
Those destinations include South Sudan, Somalia, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, Mozambique, Malawi, and Zambia, according to Sanjeev Gadhia, Chief Executive Officer of Astral Aviation.
Effective 25 May, Astral will operate to Lilongwe in Malawi and Lusaka in Zambia with a weekly frequency, and also to Kismayo and Bosaso in Somalia, which brings the number of destinations it serves on schedule to 13, according to Charles Simiyu, Commercial Director of Astral Aviation.
During the pandemic, Astral has operated a number of charter flights for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and medical items to various African countries, which include the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Eritrea, Burundi, Madagascar, Djibouti, Yemen, and Sudan.
According to Michael Mutahi, Operations Director of Astral Aviation, there have been a number of operational challenges relating to crew quarantine restrictions and turn-around at certain airports, however Astral has managed to ensure that its flights continue to operate safely and within the Covid-19 guidelines of the countries that it operates to.
Astral operates a fleet of B747-400F with perishables from its Nairobi Hub to Doncaster, UK, and Liege, Belgium with Network Airline Services, and a fleet of regional freighters, which it operates to over 50 Destinations in Africa.
