Jambojet to Cut Operational Costs with New Dash 8 Simulator in Nairobi

Regional low-cost carrier, Jambojet expects to cut on it’s operational cost by up to 10 percent with the acquisition of a new Dash 8 Q400 flight simulator stationed at the KQ Pride Center.

This is the first Q400 simulator in the East Africa region. The other ones are in Ethiopia and South Africa.

Prior to the acquisition, Jambojet used to fly their pilots to Canada for simulation exercises every six months as part of aviation safety requirements. The airline expects to pass this savings on operational costs to customers.

“Operational excellence is one of our key pillars at Jambojet. Having the simulator here ensures our pilots do not have to travel outside the continent for training every six months, therefore maintaining our reliability, efficiency and safety standards,” said Karanja Ndegwa, Jambojet’s Acting Managing Director .

The simulator, which is the third in Africa will support high-quality pilot and maintenance crew training, and is a culmination of a 2019 tripartite agreement between Jambojet, Kenya Airways, and FlightSafety International (FSI).

“FlightSafety is pleased to be working with Kenya Airways and Jambojet to put in service additional flight simulators for the De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 aircraft,” said Brad Thress, President & CEO.

“Having local access to the simulators will help to increase proficiency by enabling pilots to train more often, reduce overall training costs, and ensure the airlines have the most prepared and proficient aviators” he added.

The simulator which includes instructor-led courses is installed at the Kenya Airways Pride Centre in Nairobi and qualified by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the civil aviation authorities in Kenya.

Since its inception in 2014, Jambojet, which is IOSA certified (IATA Operational Safety Audit registration), has achieved undeniable business growth with a fleet of 5 brand new De Havilland Dash 8-400 and flown over 3.8 million passengers across all its destinations.

Jambojet currently flies to six local destinations namely Mombasa, Eldoret, Kisumu, Malindi, and Ukunda (Diani) from its hub in Nairobi. The airline also has plans of launching the Nairobi – Lamu route soon.

In 2018, Jambojet was ranked top airline in Africa with the youngest fleet by global aviation intelligence provider, ch-aviation. The airline is also the 2018 winner of the Bombardier Reliability Award for outstanding performance in dispatch reliability. The airline is also a two-time winner for De Havilland Canada Reliability Award for the Dash 8-400 fleet in Africa and Middle East.