Mombasa, KENYA: The launch of direct flights from Mombasa to Kisumu by local airline Silverstone Air is set to boost travel,tourism and business between the two counties.
The flight that operates on Fridays and Sundays is the first airline in Kenya to launch a direct flight between the two counties.
Speaking during the official launch in Mombasa on Friday, Deputy Governor William Kingi lauded the move saying the direct link between the two counties opens new opportunities for tourism and business.
“Kisumu is a major hub in the western region. The new link expands the range of opportunities into the larger western region by introducing safe, reliable transport to and fro Mombasa. Mombasa aspires to be a modern regional hub, new linkages beyond the traditional routes is much welcome.” Said Kingi.
Kingi called upon the tourism stakeholders to grab the opportunity brought by the new link connecting Mombasa and Kisumu.
“We can diversify the products offered to international visitors by introducing them to the uniqueness of the western tourism circuit. Attractions like Kakamega forest and Mt. Elgon can easily be worked into the itinerary on offer using the new direct link. ” Said Kingi.
In matters business, Kingi called upon fish traders to take advantage of the new link to transport fish to and fro the area in that most of the transport is done by road.
He added that the county government is in the process of expanding and exploring the blue economy and soon Silverstone Airline services will fly the fish from Mombasa to the Western region.
Also, speaking during the launch Silverstone Air CEO Captain Mohammed Sow said that they launched the direct flight from Kisumu to Mombasa to give clients more value and convenient flight options through routes.
“We believe air travel is a major economic driver for both business and leisure travel and we strive to make it easier to get to any destination within the country,pushing Kenya’s economic growth.” He said.
The flights that began operating on 23rd February, depart at 1300 Hrs from Kisumu arriving in Mombasa at 1430Hrs.
The flight from Mombasa to Kisumu departs at 1500Hrs arriving in Kisumu at 1630Hrs.
Passengers pay sh. 10,500 for one way tickets.
Silverstone Airways operates two types of fleet; a Fokker 50 which has a seating Capacity of 50 passengers and Bombardier Dash 8 (DHC-8) with a seating capacity of 37.
Some of the other routes operated by the airline include: Wilson -Kisumu, Wilson-Ukunda, Wilson Lodwar and Wilson-Malindi-Lamu-Wilson.
