Aquila Air Capital, a company that specializes in the purchase and leasing of aircraft and aviation equipment, has signed a lease agreement with Astral Airlines for three Boeing 757-200F aircraft. The aircraft are expected to be delivered to Astral starting in November 2021, upon completion of scheduled maintenance.
Astral Airlines is a cargo airline with a hub in Nairobi, Kenya (NBO), where it serves more than 50 destinations in Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. Its current fleet consists of 14 aircraft of the following models: Boeing 747-400F, Boeing 767-200F, Boeing 727-200F, Douglas DC-9 Freighter, CRJ 200F, and Fokker 27F.
The addition of these new aircraft will substantially increase the company’s offerings. During the pandemic, Astral operated cargo flights with medical supplies to 42 countries in Africa and played an important role in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to and within the continent.
According to data obtained by IATA, the cargo market in Africa is the fastest recovering worldwide: in September 2021 the sector experienced a 34.6% increase in CTK (cargo tonne-kilometers) over the same period in 2019.
«We are pleased to add Astral Airlines as a customer. At Aquila, we are uniquely focused on providing cost-effective and flexible solutions for our customers to manage in these unprecedented times. We hope this is the beginning of a long-term relationship with Astral to facilitate their future growth» said Al Wood, CEO of Aquila Air Capital.
«We are very excited to enter into a lease agreement for three B757-200F aircraft from Aquila Air Capital and SkyExec Capital Jets. The aircraft will take over scheduled Nairobi – Johannesburg, and Nairobi – Dubai service with increased frequency for our customers, in addition to new scheduled routes to and within Africa and the Middle East in 2022. It will also offer point-to-point solutions for COVID-19 vaccines (from India/EAU to Africa), in addition to e-commerce shipments to new markets» said Sanjeev Gadhia the CEO of Astral Airlines.
«With this agreement, Astral Aviation will become the only B757F operator in Africa and the Middle East, in addition to the only B767-200F operator in the region,» said Michael Mutahi, Astral’s COO.
