NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 31- Local airline Fly540 will from next month commence flights to Tanzania and Burundi, the airline\’s Operations Director Nixon Ooko has disclosed.
Mr Ooko said on Thursday that they will have three weekly services to Mwanza and Bujumbura on a 50 seater CRJ-100 jet aircraft on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
"The departure time from Unit I at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport will be 10.40am on each of the three days. The return flights from Bujumbura will arrive in Nairobi at 3.20pm. Passengers will pay an introductory one way fare of $199 (Sh14,000) plus taxes from Nairobi to Mwanza," he said.
He said the carrier was positioning itself to take advantage of the many opportunities that the signing of the Common Market Protocol portends in the growth of air travel throughout the East African region.
"We are bullish about the future of air travel in East Africa and beyond," he emphasised.
Mr Ooko further revealed that they plan to acquire additional jets and turbo prop aircraft to support further expansion of their business which they projected will double in the New Year.
"In 2009 Fly540 increased daily return flights from Nairobi to Mombasa, Malindi and Kisumu. The airline also pioneered the opening up of new routes such as Kitale and Lodwar."
There are plans to open up hubs in Angola, Ghana and Zimbabwe in the near future, he added. "Fly540 is evolving into a Pan Africa airline. To supplement the fleet at our Nairobi hub we have based aircraft in Tanzania and Uganda," concluded the manager.
The airline now has nine destinations in Kenya with regional services to Entebbe, Zanzibar, Kilimanjaro, Mwanza and Bujumbura.
