Air Transport In Kenya By Scheduled and Non-Scheduled Flights

Kenya is the hub of  and stop-over for all regional and international flights into and out  of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.Besides this  Kenya has other airports that serve both small and bigger aircrafts on commercial and private flights namely, Wilson Airport  in  nairobi,Moi International Airport  in Mombasa,Eldoret International in Eldoret,Kisumu International in Western Kenya,Wajir Airport in North Eastern,Mandera Airport in North Eastern,Moyale,Marsabit in Eastern province,Lodwar ,Lokichogio,Kakuma,Lokituang in Nothern Kenya.There are also Private airstrips and government all over the country both to National Parks & Reserves and to Major Towns which serves both the purpose of cargo and passengers irrespectively.Kenya has several National Parks and Reserves all over the  country and you can carry out any activities be it Sporting Safaris,Golfing Safaris,Birding Safaris,Scenic Safaris,Helicopter Safaris,Kenya Safaris,Fishing Safaris,Boating Safaris,Camel Riding Safaris among others but just to name afew.

There two mode of air transport in Kenya namely, Commercial Flights and Private Charter Flights,

COMMERCIAL FLIGHTS.

Commercial Flights to Major Cities departs out of   Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and  Moi International Airport on adaily basis with over 100 arrivals and departures.Eldoret Airport serves for the purpose of cargo that is  Fresh Produce,Textiles,Fish and other goods for export.Jomo Kenyatta International and Moi airports operates 24 hrs and are fully equippped with fire fighters,security screening machines,duty free shops,taxis,forex bureaus,banks,restraurants,security agents,road ambulances all available at request.

Wilson Airport one of the busiest in Africa is key for the scheduled flights to major toursists destinations in  East  Africa.All the Private Charter Firms are based  at Wilson Airport Nairobi and Moi International  Airport  In Mombasa. From Wilson Airport you can get  scheduled flights to, Masai Mara Daily  Twice  aday  that is morning andd afternoon, Samburu once daily ,morning flights,Nanyuki once daily in the morning,Amboseli once daily in the morning,Tsavo West/East once daily in the morning,Lake Naivasha twice daily ,morning and afternoon,Kilimanjaro International  once daily,middday,Diani once daily in the afternoon,Lamu once daily in the afternoon,Kiwayu once daily combined with Lamu or Malindi Service,Mombasa once daily combined with Diani(Ukunda) once daily.Out of Mombasa we have scheduled flights to National Parks  only  as follows, Mombasa-Diani-Malindi-Amboseli-Masai Mara once daily ,Departure Mombasa at 0730 hrs  arrival Masai Mara 1030 hrs and Depart Masai Mara at 1330 hrs arrival Mombasa at 1600 hrs. Flights out of Malindi will only happen from or to Malindi you will require to have minimum 6 seats or pay for the same or alternatively  catch your flight from Mombasa to andd from.Flights out of Diani are a must  and for the aircraft to route via Amboseli we will also require 8 passengers and drop off times are 0900 hrs in the mornings and pick ups at  1530 hrs in the afternoon.Some of the private airstrips  found in Tsavo West/East are Galdesa,Kambi ya Kanzi,Chyulu Hills,Finch Hattons .At  Mombasa Airport you can only find the 18 seater LET 410 and Seneca 11  twin engine 5 seater BUT  Wilson Airport you can find a 2 seaters, 3 seaters,5 seaters,8 seaters,citation bravo jet 7 seater,Beechcraft  200  10 seater,Beechraft 1900  18 seater,12 seaters,18 seaters,25 seaters,37 seaters,and cargo aircrafts ranging from 250 kilos to 5 toner aircrafts.At Wilson Airport there commercial flights to Lokichogio,Kisumu,Eldoret,Kitale,Rumbek in South Sudan on almost daily basis for both cargo and passengers.At Jomo Kenyatta International Airport you will find scheduled flights for cargo,freight and passengers to Kigali in Rwanda,Lusaka in Zambia,Kinshasha in Drc Congo, Bujumbura in Burundi,Khartoum in Sudan, Juba In South Sudan,Addis in Ethiopia, Modagishu International in Somalia, Daresaalam in Tanzania,Entebbe in Uganda,Lagos ,Accra, Joburg,Cairo  among many others.Wilson Airport though one of the busiest in Africa operates only from 0630 hrs to 2030 hrs daily and incase you need an early departure or late arrival then it will be out of Jomo thus the need to position  the aircraft at Jomo Kenyatta International and there will be extra charges for Parking Fees, Landing Fees,Navigation fees and extra mileage .To avoid  Jams which are normally crazy in the mornings as from  0730 hrs to  1000 hrs you can request from Jomo Kenyatta International   and on arrival to state you are on transist and you will be taken to Domestic Departure Unit 3 for local Flights and International flights at unit 2.For people travelling in groups you can buy Flying Packages which will work out cheaper and take Private charters other than Scheduled flights whereby you will save as the bigger the capacity the lower the cost per seat.We also have private airstrips and for you to fly in there you will require permission from the owner like,Loldia,Green Park,Oserian in Lake Naivasha,Tawi Lodge in Amboseli,Joys Camp in Shaba,Mara Buffalo,Loisaba,Desert Rose,Tassia,Syosambu in Elementaita,Funzi keys at the Coast.

PRIVATE CHARTER FLIGHTS

Kenya has all types of aircrafts ranging from Citation Jets,Beechcrafts,Boeings,Ambrears CRJ ,Cessnas,Pipers,Let 410,Twin Ottters,Dash-7/8,Caravans ,DC-9 Freighter,Fokker 27-500,Fokker 28,ATRS,Hawkers to carry out  both cargo and charter flights within Africa.

The  37 seater aircrafts that are doing long haul flights are adviced to depart from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and not Wilson Airport due to the runnway length.The cessna C-182/C-172 3  seater,C-206  5 seater,Cessna Caravan 12 seater,single engine aircrafts are ideal for scenic flights and aerial survey and photography as they fly low and have high wings.The Cessna Caravan has a cargo door which can be used for aerial photography by enabling the photographer more room to take quality pictures whereas the C-172/C-182 andd C-206  are ideal for scenic flights and sight seeing .

There are no scheduled flights to Lake Nakuru,Lake Bogoria,Lake Rudolf,Mfangano Island,Rusinga Island, Wazini Island,Joys Camp Shaba,Sibiloi National Park on Lake Rudof and that is where the Private Charter Flights comes in handy with avariety ranging from 3 to 18 seater but not it will also depend with the serviceability of the airstrip and if unserviceable and you have to fly then the Heicopter or Chopper serves the purpose which you can find at Wilson Airport but only in the capacity of  3 and 5 seater.

Private Executive Jet Flights are also available for Bussiness Executives whose schedule cannot meet the commercial flights timetable.The Citation  Jet Bravo 7 seater with aconference table ,equipped with snacks,hot lunches,chapagne,hot and soft drinks and DVD which serves as a boardroom  while  enroute to your destination has made  it easier for quick turn around bussiness trip. As a bussiness Executive you can decide to host your client to fly with you  as you hold discussions and embark to for another meeting finish it and as you fly back finalize the bussiness deal and proceed with other bussiness.You dont have to fly from Nairobi  to Daresaalam and come back for a meeting all you need to do host your  client on the flight to and from and finish your bussiness in flight.The Beechcraft 1900/200 serves the purposes of both normal and V.I.P Flights as they are convertable to V.I.P Configutration.

AIR AMBULANCE (MEDIVAC) FLIGHTS

Air Ambulance has become one of the most reliable way to save lives of patients to the Hospitals with the modern medical equipment within the fastest means to Middle East,Europe,South Africa,Kenya among others.The aircraft is equipped with stretcher,oxygen bottle with designed places in the aircrfat to be fixed able to carry a patient,one doctor,two nurse and a next of keen and the medication process is on as usual as you fly to your destination, what a relief?Air Ambulance has saved live of many but only for both with Silver and Gold Medical Cover and indeed they are costly and before you are airlifted you will have to give your card number and the insurance company you are insured with so that a confirmation is obtained for both payments  and the covered amount and if it is within the radius you are covered.This can be done in afew hours say 2 hours if youm have all the required  documentations as there are Air Charter  Companies providing these services and they are on 24 hra call irrespective of day and time  including ,doctors,nurses,pilots,engineers and ground ambulances ready for an air ambulance operation. 

Emergency & Medical Evacuation

Since  Kenya is the Hub Of both the regional and International Flights the air charter companies have put in measures to ensure each segment is covered by providing Emegerncy & Medical Evacuation flights especially from War Torn Countries like DR Congo,Somalia,South Sudan,Chad,Darfur,Central Africa Republic as Kenya has the best Medical facilities and most of the patients who have less complicated medical needs lands in Kenya.There are the Becchcraft 1900/200 andd the Citation Jet Bravo which are pressurized and flies at 25,000 ft and 42,000 ft above sea level respectively making the patient stable and the flight faster.There are cases of people being shot at or a state of emergency being declared and hence the need for an evacuation.Most of the Organizations operating in this environment have put contigency plans for Evacuations in place for this purpose and have gone as far as engaging an air charter company to be on stand-by .

HUMANITARIAN  & RELIEF FLIGHTS FOR PASSENGERS & CARGO

Humanitarian & Relief flights for passengers and cargo  is also another important area where most Non-Governmental and Untied Nations do charter Flights or Lease for this purpose.Some cargo is Bulky and thus the need for a freighter aircrafts like Fokker 27/28,DC-9,C-130  for airlifting  food,textile,medicine to areas which have poor road infrastructure.The C-130  18 toner and the Buffalo 5 toner have done great for food drops in South Sudan,Darfur,DR Congo,Chad as they can do upto 400 tonnes in a day thanks to World Food Programme,United Nations,European Union,African Union,International Communities,Non-Governmental Organization,International Committe Of The Red Cros for the great Job.They have paid  over 20 billions in air charter for cargo and passengers movement within the World to save lives to earthquake affected areas,Elnino,Sunami.Through this Kenya has become the sole provide and operator of United Nations,European Commission and International Organization and Non-Governmental Charter Flights in Africa both for Wet Lease,Dry Lease and Adhoc Flights.There are over 200 charter companies in Kenya providing both scheduled and private charters  for Tourists,Individuals,International Organizations,Governments and United Nations.

There also internal flights from both Lokichogio and Juba to various parts in South Sudan for both cargo and passengers on request at short notice.

Should you require a private charter or scheduled flight then dont worry there are provided in Kenya depending with ones requirement.