Nairobi-based cargo airline, Astral Aviation, has announced an expansion in its freighter services within Africa this month to ensure uninterrupted cargo flow despite the COVID-29 outbreak. 

The cargo airline said it will launch new freighter services as it continues to operate its existing cargo flights to 13 destinations.

Effective May 25, Astral  Aviation will operate to Lilongwe (Malawi) and Lusaka (Zambia) with a weekly frequency, and also to Kismayo and Bosaso in Somalia, which brings the number of destinations it serves on schedule to 13.

"While there has been a reduction in capacity to, from, and within Africa, which has been caused by a stoppage of passenger flights and limited frequencies on freighter aircraft, Astral Aviation continues to operate cargo freighters from its Nairobi hub to 13 Destinations in Africa, which include South Sudan, Somalia, Uganda, Tanzania, South Africa, Mozambique, Malawi, and Zambia," said Sanjeev Gadhia, chief executive officer of Astral Aviation.

During the pandemic, Astral said it has operated a number of charter flights for Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) and medical items to various African countries, which include the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Eritrea, Burundi, Madagascar, Djibouti, Yemen, and Sudan — providing a life-line for air cargo imports into regions, which have been cut off from the rest of the world," Anthony Mwangi, charter manager of Astral Aviation said.

Astral Aviation noted that there have been a number of operational challenges relating to crew quarantine restrictions and turn-around at certain airports, but the cargo airline has managed to ensure that its flights continue to operate safely and within the Covid-19 guidelines of the countries that it operates to.

Astral operates a fleet of B747-400F with perishables from its Nairobi Hub to Doncaster, UK, and Liege, Belgium with Network Airline Services, and a fleet of regional freighters, which it operates to over 50 destinations in Africa.