Astral Aviation, a Kenyan-based cargo airline, has successfully completed a fleet and corporate restructuring initiative, positioning itself for growt
Astral Aviation, a Kenyan-based cargo airline, has successfully completed a fleet and corporate restructuring initiative, positioning itself for growth and sustainability in 2025 and beyond.
A key milestone in this transition is the retirement of its long-serving DC9F aircraft, replaced by a Boeing 737-400F leased from Avmax Group. The new aircraft, registered as 5Y-JSK, marks the beginning of a refreshed narrowbody fleet for Astral under its Air Operator Certificate (AoC).
Expansion goals
The Boeing 737-400F will operate both scheduled and charter services from Astral’s hub in Nairobi to over 20 destinations in East, Central, Southern, and the Horn of Africa, as well as the Indian Ocean Islands. This aligns with Astral’s expansion goals and growing operational needs.
As part of its fleet renewal strategy, Astral Aviation plans to acquire additional B737-400F and B737-800F aircraft. This program will also support the airline’s sustainability objectives, including a 5% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030. Sanjeev Gadhia, Founder and CEO, expressed optimism about the future, highlighting opportunities on Astral’s expanded network and the planned addition of widebody freighters in 2025. This strategic renewal not only enhances efficiency and operational capacity but also underscores Astral’s commitment to environmental responsibility and regional connectivity.
Astral Aviation, based in Nairobi 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. Its main base is Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi. 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.