Jambojet has suspended its direct flights between Mombasa and Zanzibar, citing the surge in fuel costs and the recently introduced mandatory travel insurance in Tanzania, which have made the route commercially unviable.
The Nairobi-based low-cost carrier stopped operating the route in mid-September, leaving it without an international destination after it ended flights to Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo in January last year.
Karanja Ndegwa, the carrier’s chief executive, said in an interview that the introduction of a mandatory $44 (Sh5,708) travel insurance for travellers into the country has made it an unattractive destination for the market it serves, which largely comprises local tourists.
This left the airline with low passenger numbers on the route, which has been worsened by the surge in fuel costs, which forced the airline to introduce a 20 percent fuel surcharge on ticket prices.
‘The hotel prices also increased and with that, Zanzibar became a very expensive destination. Then numbers started shrinking. Some airlines have reduced their frequencies, and others are now operating only during the high season,’ Mr Ndegwa said in an interview.
‘Two months ago, when the fuel prices increased significantly, we did our internal calculations and realised we’re losing a lot of money [on that route], so as Jambojet we made a decision to suspend it.’
The budget airline is now left with only six routes-Mombasa, Diani, Malindi, Lamu, Eldoret, and Kisumu-all domestic destinations operated from Nairobi. It is set to launch its inaugural flight to Entebbe on Thursday, returning to the route after a six-year hiatus.
The suspension comes at a time when the low-cost carrier, a subsidiary of Kenya Airways, is planning to expand its fleet and route network, with a plan to launch direct flights between Nairobi and Dar es Salaam as well before the year ends or early next year.
Mr Karanja had told Business Daily in April that it would expand its fleet with at least two additional Bombardier DHC Q-400 aircraft by end of this year or early next year, and with them launch the carrier’s new routes to Entebbe and Dar es Salaam.
However, it remains unclear whether the carrier still plans to launch direct flights to Dar, with the impact of the rising fuel costs, which has caused it to reduce frequencies on some of its flights, and even suspend Zanzibar flights.
Jambojet launched the Mombasa-Zanzibar route on June 1, 2024, largely to serve Kenyan tourists seeking to visit the island, and offered onward connections to Nairobi and other destinations in the country.
Its withdrawal from the route leaves only two airlines operating direct flights between Mombasa and Zanzibar-RwandAir and Safarilink-while travellers to Zanzibar from Nairobi can still be served by Kenya Airways, Precision Air, and Air Tanzania.