Network Airline Management (NAM) and Astral Aviation have signed a long-term wet lease with Air Atlanta Icelandic, adding a factory-built, nose-loading B747-400F to the existing managed fleet of three MD11Fs. This will enable NAM to develop its presence in Africa, and especially the Kenyan perishables market, adding capacity for flowers and vegetables from Nairobi to the UK.

Sanjeev Gadhia, Astral Aviation founder and ceo said: “The newly acquired carrier from Air Atlanta Icelandic will strengthen our position as a market-leader in perishable exports from Kenya to the UK market. Furthermore, the B747F will feed its intra-African network in Nairobi with cargo, which will be consolidated in its Liege hub originating from Europe and the US.

 

The group expects to handle around 33,000 tonnes of perishable exports from East Africa to Europe per year. The B747F will also enable the group to attract out-sized oil, gas and mining equipment for West and East Africa, which is expected to increase following the high oil prices experienced during the recent past.

 

Gadhia added: “While most foreign carriers are reducing their capacity to Africa, we remain ‘cautiously optimistic’ of positive growth in perishable exports to Europe and a strong south-bound demand from Europe to West and East Africa, fuelled by the growth in consumer demand for e-commerce and oil and gas equipment due to the improved fuel-prices.”