Astral Aviation Introduces New Freight Route: Nairobi to Tel Aviv

Kenya-based cargo airline Astral Aviation has launched a new freighter route from Nairobi to Tel Aviv.

The scheduled route will be served by a Boeing 757 freighter and aims to cater for perishables demand.

During the inauguration ceremony at Astral’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport hub, chief executive Sanjeev Gadhi said that the direct flight from Nairobi to Tel Aviv will reduce the transit time from 24 hours to five hours for Kenyan perishables, which previously were being routed via other hubs such as Istanbul, Addis Ababa, and Dubai.

Gadhia added that return flights will enable exports from Israel to reach Africa via Astral’s Nairobi hub, strengthening the economic links between Kenya and Israel.

The outbound flights will facilitate the efficient transportation of perishables, notably pineapples and vegetables.

The initiative is also expected to facilitate mutually beneficial partnerships.

“Two such partnerships are between Astral Aviation and El Al Cargo and Challenge Airlines, which will enable them to feed African cargoes from their respective global networks to Astral’s Hub in Nairobi via Tel Aviv,” pointed out Astral Aviation.

The airline said it plans to increase its frequency from a weekly to twice weekly service and will switch to using an 767F.

In Tel Aviv, Astral Aviation is being represented by GSA Globespeed Ltd. Cargo handling is being provided by Maman/ Laufer Aviation.