Astral Aviation
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| Founded | November 2000 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hubs | Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Hong Kong International Airport | ||||||
| Focus cities | Al Maktoum International Airport O.R. Tambo International Airport Sharjah International Airport | ||||||
| Subsidiaries | Pradhaan Air Express[1] | ||||||
| Fleet size | 4 | ||||||
| Destinations | 25 (excl. Charters)[2] | ||||||
| Headquarters | Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, Kenya | ||||||
| Key people | Sanjeev S. Gadhia (CEO)[3] | ||||||
| Website | Astral Aviation | ||||||
Astral Aviation is a cargo airline based in Nairobi, Kenya. It was established in November 2000 and started operations in January 2001. It operates scheduled and non-scheduled/ad-hoc cargo charters, as well as humanitarian-aid flights, to regional destinations in Africa, Asia and to Liège in Belgium as its only European destination, as of 2023.[4][5][2] Its main base is Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi.[6] It has one subsidiary operating in India since October 2022, Pradhaan Air Express, which leased an Airbus A320P2F cargo aircraft, thus making it the world's first airline to have such an aircraft in its fleet.[1]
History
[edit]Founded in November 2000, Astral Aviation acquired its Air Operators Certificate (AoC) and Air Service License (ASL) from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority in January 2001, thus it started operations in the same year in the same month. It was designated as a cargo airline by the Ministry of Roads, Transport and Public Works in November 2006.[6][7]
Services
[edit]The airline operates through and non-stop to 25 regular destinations and 5 charter destinations used for charter operations like food, electronics and medical transport, etc.[2][4] as well as humanitarian support.[citation needed]
It has one subsidiary operating in India based in New Delhi, Pradhaan Air Express, since October 2022. Two more subsidiaries are planned to be launched, taking the number to three subsidiaries by 2025. Its second subsidiary will be Suid Cargo Airlines based in Johannesburg, which will operate to more than 20 destinations in Southern and Eastern Africa, is expected to be launched by September 2023.[8][9] Its third subsidiary will be an airline to be launched in 2025, based in Europe.[1]
Destinations
[edit]Astral shows the following scheduled and charter destinations in their 2023 online timetable.[10][4]
Fleet
[edit]Current fleet
[edit]As of April 2024[update], the Astral Aviation fleet consists of the following aircraft:[20][21]
| Aircraft | In fleet | Orders | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 767-200BDSF | 1 | — | |
| Embraer 190F | — | 2 | Deliveries expected by 2025.[22] |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30CF | 1 | — | |
| Total | 2 | 2 |
Former fleet
[edit]The airline previously operated the following aircraft (as of July 2023):[20][23]
- 1 Boeing 727-200F[24]
- 2 Boeing 737-400F[25]
- 2 Boeing 747-400F, leased from Atlas Air
- 1 Fokker 27-500F, leased from AeroSpace Consortium
- 1 Fokker 27F
- 1 McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30CF
Awards
[edit]The airline has won the "Africa All-Cargo Carrier of the Year" six consecutive times in 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2023, and the "Best All-Cargo Airline in Africa" in February 2023, by STAT Times International Award for Excellence in Air Cargo during Air Cargo Africa 2023 event held at Johannesburg, South Africa, from 21 to 23 February 2023.[26]
See also
[edit]- List of airlines of Kenya
- 2023 Sudan conflict
- List of conflicts in Somalia
- Yemeni Civil War (2014–present)
- COVID-19 vaccine
- United Nations Humanitarian Air Service
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "India's Pradhaan Air Express begins A320P2F flight ops". ch.aviation. 10 October 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ a b c "Trans Africa Network". Astral Aviation. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ "OUR TEAM". Astral Aviation. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Charters". Astral Aviation. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ a b "EUROPE SCHEDULE". Astral Aviation. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ a b "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 27 March 2007. p. 79.
- ^ "Profile". Astral Aviation. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ "SUID CARGO – LAUNCH OF SOUTH AFRICA'S NEWEST CARGO AIRLINE". Astral Aviation (Press release). 1 March 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
- ^ "Suid Cargo Airlines to launch by Sep-2023: Astral Aviation CEO". CAPA. 27 July 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
- ^ "Intra Africa Network". Astral Aviation. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ "EX – HONG KONG SCHEDULE". Astral Aviation. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ a b "ASTRAL AVIATION AND SPICEXPRESS ENTER INTO A PIONEERING INTERLINE AGREEMENT FOR SEAMLESS CARGO CONNECTIONS ACROSS INDIA, AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST". Astral Aviation (Press release). 4 February 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ "ASTRAL AVIATION LAUNCHES SCHEDULED FLIGHT TO TEL AVIV". Astral Aviation (Press release). 8 June 2023. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ "Astral Aviation begins Sharjah to Eldoret service". Logistics Update Africa. 17 March 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ "EX – NAIROBI SCHEDULE". Astral Aviation. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ "EX – JOHANNESBURG SCHEDULE". Astral Aviation. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ "SUDAN RETURNS TO KENYA!/ BRINGING SUDAN HOME!". Astral Aviation (Press release). 19 April 2023. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ "EX – DUBAI SCHEDULE". Astral Aviation. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ "KENYAN CARGO AIRLINE, ASTRAL AVIATION, BEGINS FLIGHTS TO SHARJAH". Astral Aviation (Press release). 1 March 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ a b "Astral Aviation Fleet Details and History". Planespotters.net. 4 April 2024. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ "Astral Aviation Fleet". Retrieved 2 August 2023.
- ^ Hemmerdinger, Jon (20 October 2022). "Lessor Nordic firms order with Embraer for E-Jet cargo conversions". Flight Global. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ "Astral Aviation fleet". Astral-aviation.com. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
- ^ "Kenya's Astral Aviation to phase-out B727s in 2023". Ch-Aviation. 9 November 2022.
- ^ "Kenya's Astral Aviation due for two B737 freighters next month". ch-aviation.ch. 10 March 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
- ^ "ASTRAL AVIATION WINS AWARD FOR BEST ALL-CARGO AIRLINE IN AFRICA". Astral Aviation (Press release). 23 February 2023. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Astral Aviation at Wikimedia Commons
