Astral Aviation’s first B767-200F arrives in Nairobi

January 04, 2021: Astral Aviation welcomed its first B767-200F last week from Air Transport Services Group (ATSG). The news was posted by Astral’s CEO and founder, Sanjeev Gadhia, on his LinkedIn page.

The aircraft is expected to start commercial operations from the mid of January. As reported by The STAT Trade Times in December, it will focus on flights from Nairobi – Sharjah and Nairobi – Johannesburg with two frequencies each per week. By operating a thin scheduled network, the airline aims to operate charters for the Covid-19 vaccine which will take priority.

The aircraft is delivered by Cargo Aircraft Management (CAM), a subsidiary of ATSG under a five-year lease. This is the first aircraft ATSG has leased to Astral. It has 42 tonnes payload and 350 cubic metres volume.

Currently, the all-cargo airline provides scheduled and charter cargo service to more than 50 destinations in Africa and Europe, with its fleet of B747, B727, McDonnell Douglas DC-9,BAE ATP, Fokker 50 and Fokker 27 freighters operating out of Nairobi and Liege hubs. Its fleet consists of 14 cargo aircraft and a network of 50 destinations in Africa and Europe.

ATSG, through its leasing and airline subsidiaries, is the world's largest owner and operator of converted B767 freighter aircraft.