Astral Aviation modernises fleet by adding B737 freighter
As a part of its narrowbody renewal plan, the African cargo airline is looking to acquire more B737 aircraft.
Astral Aviation, a cargo airline based in Nairobi, has completed a fleet and corporate restructuring over the past 12 months to enhance the organization's resilience and efficiency for 2025 and beyond. As part of this restructuring plan, the Kenyan cargo airline has replaced its DC9F aircraft with a Boeing narrowbody plane.
With the addition of the Boeing 737-400F, leased from Avmax Group, Astral’s DC9F has officially retired after serving as a key part of the airline’s fleet for 15 years (2009-2024). This new narrow-body aircraft, registered as 5Y-JSK, is now part of Astral’s fleet under its Air Operator Certificate (AoC).
In a recent LinkedIn post, the Kenyan cargo airline announced that its new narrow-body aircraft will soon operate on both scheduled and chartered routes from its Nairobi hub to over 20 destinations across East, Central, Southern, and the Horn of Africa, as well as the Indian Ocean Islands. “We look forward to new opportunities on our scheduled and charter network, and the addition of wide-body freighters, which will join our existing fleet in 2025,” said Sanjeev Gadhia, Founder and CEO of Astral Aviation.
Astral Aviation's Sanjeev Gadhia celebrated the arrival of the Boeing 737-400F by cutting a cake with Pardeep Sandhu from Avmax Group.
The airline plans to acquire additional B737-400F and B737-800F aircraft as part of its narrowbody fleet renewal strategy. Operating from its hub in Nairobi, this fleet renewal program aims to assist Astral Aviation in achieving its sustainability goals, which include a 5% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030.
