African charter operator Air Bonanza Express is expanding its freighter capacity with the lease of two IL-76 aircraft and one Boeing 757-200 freighter.
The company, which is based at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, said the additional aircraft will support intra-African services as well as Africa-Asia operations.
According to chief executive Boniface Kimani, one of the IL-76 freighters will be assigned to oversized cargo services on the Mumbai-Africa route through a local partnership in Mumbai. The second IL-76 is being repositioned to support the East African and Southern African market, with regular flights planned between DR Congo, Tanzania, Pretoria and Djibouti.
The Boeing 757-200F is expected to join the fleet at the end of June and will be used for regional standard cargo services within Africa and the Middle East.
Air Bonanza said the latest fleet investment was made possible through financial backing from Dubai-based financiers.
The airline had previously operated an IL-76 freighter, which was returned to its lessor in January, as well as a Mi-26T heavy transport helicopter.
Historically, Air Bonanza Express has worked with UN agencies, several African Ministries of Defence, freight forwarders, logistics providers, charter brokers, and companies active in the oil and gas sector.
