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Fly540

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Fly540
IATA
5H		 ICAO
FFV		 Callsign
SWIFT TANGO
Founded 2006
Hubs Jomo Kenyatta International Airport
Fleet size 12 (+10 orders)[1]
Destinations 16
Company slogan Simplifly
Headquarters Nairobi, Kenya
Key people Neil Steffen, Don Smith (Chief Exectutive Officer)
Website http://www.fly540.com/

Fly540 (Five Forty Aviation Ltd.) is a low-cost airline based in Nairobi, Kenya.[2] It operates domestic and international passenger and freight services.[3]

Contents

[edit] History

The airline started operations between Nairobi and Mombasa on November 24, 2006. The service initially operated twice daily using 48-seat ATR 42 aircraft.[4] The airline's name refers to its price of Sh5,540 per adult return fare between the above-mentioned cities.[5]

Lonrho Africa is a major investor in the company, paying US $1.5 million for a 49 % stake.

In May 2007 the airline introduced two de Havilland Canada Dash 8-100 aircraft to increase the airline's capacity, allowing it to develop new domestic routes. Passenger numbers rose by 93 % to 171,160 in the year ended 30 September 2008, from 88,571 in 2007. At the same time, the load factor amounted to 63 %, down from 65.8 % in 2007.[6]

[edit] Pan-African ambitions

A Fly540 ATR 42 at Entebbe International Airport

The original scheduled flights included freight services and passenger services between Nairobi and Mombasa, while Kisumu became a destination in January 2007.[5] Daily flights on the Nairobi-Malindi-Lamu route were added to its domestic services in February 2007.[7]

International operations commenced in October 2007 with flights to Juba in South Sudan and Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo;[8] Entebbe in Uganda was added in February 2008. It was planned to expand the Nairobi hub's destinations to Rwanda, Mozambique and Burundi in 2009.[9] The company's ambition is to become a pan-African carrier, through an expansion to an additional two regional hubs:

"...we will open up Kigali and then head to West Africa. Ghana will be the hub for West African region. In Southern Africa, we shall use Angola as our hub, so it will become a pan African low cost airline".[10]

Fly540 received authorisation to start operations in Angola in April 2009. The initial plans include domestic flights to Cabinda, Luanda, Soyo, Benguela, Huambo and Malanje,[11] but an expansion within the region will take place as soon as the domestic market has proven its success.[12] In June 2009, it was reported that Fly540 was working to set up a regional franchise in Zimbabwe.[13]

Fly 540 has launched direct flights between Dar es Salaam and Mwanza, on the western shores of Lake Victoria. Initially the company will operate 11 flights a week and it is hoped that in time its Fokker 28 aircraft which carries 28 people will be upgraded to a 50 seater CRJ 100 aeroplane. The route leaves Dar es Salaam at 06.30 and 16.30, with return flights from Mwanza at 08.15 and 18.15.

[edit] Destinations

As of January 2012, Fly540 has the following destinations:[14]

[edit] Fleet

As of July 2010 the Fly540 fleet consists of the following aircraft:[1]

In January 2008, the company signed a US$150 million contract for eight ATR 72-500s to be delivered in 2008 and 2009.[15] As of July 2010 none of the ATR 72s on order — now totalling ten — have been delivered.[1]

[edit] Accidents and incidents

  • On 13 August 2008, a Fokker F27-500 cargo aircraft crashed about 20 km (12 mi) from the Namber Konton airport near Mogadishu, Somalia. All three crew members died. The aircraft was said to be carrying a shipment of khat.[16] The aircraft had departed from Wilson Airport in Nairobi.[17]
  • On January 27 a Fokker 27 plane on test flight departing Wilson Airport failed to take off and ran through the perimeter fence into a maize field. The plane had four persons on board, and no injuries resulted [18][19]

[edit] External links

Portal icon Kenya portal
Portal icon Companies portal
Portal icon Aviation portal


[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Flight International 2010 World Airliner census retrieved 4 September 2010
  2. ^ "Kenya Contact Information." (direct file link) Fly540. Retrieved on 14 January 2011. "Riverside Green Suites Five Forty Africa Head Office Palm Suite, Riverside Drive P.O. Box 10293-00100 Nairobi, Kenya."
  3. ^ "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International: p. 83. 2007-04-03. 
  4. ^ Airliner World January 2007
  5. ^ a b The Standard, January 18, 2007: The new kite in the skies
  6. ^ Lonrho PLC, March 30, 2009: Annual Report 2008
  7. ^ Fly540 news
  8. ^ The Standard, September 26, 2007: Fly540 eyes Sudan and DRC
  9. ^ Lonrho PLC, November 11, 2008: Lonrho Raises £15.6 million to Continue the Development of its Core Businesses
  10. ^ The Monitor, August 12, 2008: Africa: Fly540 Airline Sets Eyes on Continent
  11. ^ Lonrho PLC, April 29, 2009: Air Services Licence Issued for Fly540 Angola
  12. ^ Lonrho PLC, November 11, 2008: Lonrho Raises £15.6 million to Continue the Development of its Core Businesses
  13. ^ Zimabwe Independent, June 4, 2009: Zimbabwe: LonZim Planning to Set Up Airline
  14. ^ Fly540 website
  15. ^ EADS, January 11, 2008: Lonrho to acquire eight ATR 72-500s for airline Fly540
  16. ^ www.bloomberg.com - Kenyan Cargo Plane Crashes Near Somali Capital; Three Killed
  17. ^ Daily Nation, August 13, 2008: Plane crashes in Mogadishu
  18. ^ Daily Nation, January 27, 2011: Fly 540 plane crash-lands in maize field
  19. ^ Aviation-safety.net: ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 89608
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