Africa Safari News and Travel

It was triumph in Maasai Mara Kenya amongst the tour operators after Fly540 Airlines made its first flight from Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to the national wildlife park.

The airline will provide daily flights linking Mombasa and Malindi to Maasai Mara.

The first landing of Fly540 was at 12 noon at David Livingstone airstrip. Among other airstrips to be served are Governor’s airstrips, Mara Serena, Grerende and Musiara airstrips.

The proprietor of David Livingstone safari resort, Mr Dilip Shah, who welcomed the group led by the Kenya Tourist Board Managing Director, Dr Achieng Ongong’a, said they spent up to $100,000 (Sh6.8 million) to improve the airfield. “We are delighted that Fly 540 has finally started their operations here. We always have a shortage of aircrafts coming here. The few airlines serving the route do not meet the high demand as the number of tourists coming to mara growing day by day,” he said.

Mombasa Air, Blue Sky Aviation and Safari Link, using between 12 to 19 seater aircrafts from Malindi and Mombasa, currently supply the route. However, their daily trips cannot serve the growing demand.

“When we heard that Fly540 is coming with a bigger aircraft compared to the ones who fly here, we decided to upgrade the airstrip for the airline to have a safe landing. This is the only aircraft with the biggest capacity to ever serve the route and we are very delighted,” he added.

While welcoming Fly540 to the Mara route, Mr Hecton Maganga, the Managing Director of African Discovery Tours and Safaris, admitted that his firm has had was facing difficulties getting clients to the Mara because of seat and aircraft availability for occasionally.

The 45 minutes journey from JKIA to Maasai Mara will be departing at 11.15am daily. The return ticket from Nairobi will be $199, while Malindi and Mombasa will cost $270, said the airline’s Operations Director, Mr Nixon Ooko.

Kenya Safaris 

Kiliminjaro International Airport (KIA) located in Arusha, the main town of Tanzania’s Northern tourism circuit, setting up the CUTE system.

KIA is going to be the first air terminal in Tanzania to be installed with SITA’s (Société Internationale de Télécommunications Aéronautiques) state-of-the-art Common Use Terminal Equipment (CUTE). The CUTE system maximizes airport space by reducing the need for dedicated check-in areas and providing state-of-the-art facilities for passengers using existing KIA airport buildings.

Captain Phillemon Kisamo who is the Managing Director Kilimanjaro Airport Development Company (KADCO), says the new technology will increase the competitiveness of KIA in the rather delicate aviation industry. KIA will become the fifth African airport using SITA’s CUTE system after, Kenya’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, South Africa’s Oliver Tambo International Airport, Egypt’s Cairo Airport and Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa International Airport. “Once fully installed, Kilimanjaro Airport will reduce costs, increase flexibility, optimize resources and facilitate the flow of passengers through the airport,” SITA’s Airport and Desktop Business Development manager for Africa, Marc Lumley says.