Fly540

Infobox Airline
airline = Fly540

logo_size = 50
fleet_size = 5
destinations = 7
IATA = 5H
ICAO = FFV
callsign = SWIFT TANGO
parent =
company_slogan = Simplifly
founded = 2006
headquarters =
key_people = Neil Steffen, Don Smith (Chief Exectutive Officer)
hubs = Jomo Kenyatta International Airport
secondary_hubs =
focus_cities =
frequent_flyer =
lounge =
alliance =
website = http://www.fly540.com/

Fly540 (Five Forty Aviation) is a low-cost airline based in Nairobi, Kenya. It operates domestic passenger and freight services.cite news | title= Directory: World Airlines | work= Flight International | page= 83 | date= 2007-04-03]

History

The airline started operations between Nairobi and Mombasa on November 24, 2006. The service initially operated twice daily using 48-seat ATR 42 aircraft [Airliner World January 2007] . The airline's name refers to its price of Sh5,540 per adult return fare between the above-mentioned cities The Standard, January 18, 2007: [http://eastandard.net/mag/mag.php?id=1143963784&catid=321 "The new kite in the skies"] ] .
Lonrho Africa is a major investor in the company, paying US $1.5 million for a 49% stake. Lonrho's Joint Executive Chairman and Chief Executive, David Lenigas, was appointed chairman of the company in February 2006. Fact|date=February 2007

In May 2007 the airline introduced two Bombardier Dash 8 Q100 aircraft to increase the airline's capacity, allowing it to develop new domestic routes to Lokichokio, Wajir and Mandera. It planned to expand to international destinations to include at least four other regional destinations in East Africa by the end of 2007, and to add another four in 2008. Fly540 carried over 10,000 passengers in April 2007. [ [http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2007/05/15/2629771.htm TMC Net] 15 May 2007]

Destinations

The original scheduled flights included – except for freight flights – scheduled passenger traffic between Nairobi and Mombasa. Kisumu became a destination in January 2007b] . Daily flights on the Nairobi-Malindi-Lamu route were added in February 2007 [ [http://www.fly540.com/beta2/news.php Fly540 news] ] . It was set to commence international operations in October 2007 by flying to Juba in Sudan and Goma in DR Congo [The Standard, September 26, 2007: [http://eastandard.net/news/?id=1143975064 Fly540 eyes Sudan and DRC] ] .

As of September 2007, Fly540 has the following destinations [ [http://www.fly540.com/ Fly540 website] ] :
*Nairobi - Jomo Kenyatta International Airport
*Eldoret - Eldoret International Airport
*Kisumu - Kisumu Airport
*Lamu - Kiwayu Airport
*Malindi - Malindi Airport
*Masai Mara - Mara Serena Airport
*Mombasa - Moi International Airport

Fleet

The Fly540 fleet includes the following aircraft (at March 2008):

*3 ATR 42-320
*1 BAe 146-200 (which is operated by Executive Turbine Air Charter)
*1 Bombardier Dash 8 Q100

Accidents and incidents

On 13 August 2008, a Fokker F27-500 cargo aircraft operated by Fly540 Logistics Ltd. crashed about convert|20|km|mi|0|abbr=on from the "Namber Konton" airport near Mogadishu, Somalia. All three crew members died. The aircraft was said to be carrying a shipment of khat. [ [http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aiTT6jNCygO4 www.bloomberg.com - Kenyan Cargo Plane Crashes Near Somali Capital; Three Killed] ] The plane had departed from Wilson Airport in Nairobi. Its registration number is 5Y BVF [Daily Nation, August 13, 2008: [http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/455550/-/tjnta8/-/index.html Plane crashes in Mogadishu] ]

External links

* [http://www.fly540.com/ Fly540]
* [http://www.ch-aviation.ch/aircraft.php?search=set&airline=F54&al_op=1 Fly540 Fleet]

References