The appointment signals Astral's strategic pivot toward scheduled operations as the carrier evaluates additional Boeing 767-300F and 777F capacity
Kenyan freighter airline Astral Aviation has appointed Darryl Judd as executive director and chief strategy & transformation officer (CSTO).
Based in Dubai, Judd will operate across Astral’s businesses in Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Australia. He is expected to lead the company’s shift to a more robust scheduled-network model focusing on customer service, operational discipline, safety, and performance.
As CSTO, Judd will lead the shift from primarily non-scheduled operations to a disciplined scheduled network, as well as shape fleet and network development in sync with customer programmes. He will look at additional Boeing 767-300F capacity and also evaluate investment in Boeing 777Fs.
He will also focus on fine-tuning strategy, portfolio development, capital partnerships and staff capability.
Judd brings more than three decades of airline and air cargo leadership. He served in senior executive roles at Ansett Australia and was part of the Ansett New Zealand start-up team, shaping a customer-focused approach to airline and cargo products and network development.
His experience includes directing aircraft leasing programmes at Ansett Worldwide Aviation Services (AWAS) and Alfa Aerospace (AMS) and he has held executive responsibility for the airfreight and intra-regional logistics growth portfolios at A.P. Moller–Maersk across IMEA.
Judd is currently managing partner of Logistics Executive Group, a corporate advisory organisation supporting airlines and logistics businesses across multiple markets. He has previously supported Astral’s board on strategic investment matters.
“Astral is supercharged for growth off the back of its fleet renewal, expanding long-haul reach and a powerful partner ecosystem. My focus is straightforward: intent into impact—turn strategy into scheduled capacity, reliable operations and measurable customer outcomes," commented Judd.
"We will be uncompromising on safety and performance, invest in our people, and scale solutions that make Astral the most customer-driven cargo airline linking Africa, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific.”
From its African and Middle East bases, Astral is extending its footprint east and south into Asia and Oceania, supported by a growing portfolio of scheduled routes. This month, the airline launched a new route between Haikou, China and Johannesburg, South Africa. Key hubs include Dubai, Nairobi, Johannesburg and Hong Kong.
Astral’s network momentum is reinforced by 60+ interline agreements and strategic collaborations with leading global carriers which extend distribution and uplift options via hubs such as Nairobi, Hong Kong, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
These arrangements enable end-to-end solutions for Astral’s customers while amplifying the reach of its scheduled flights and dedicated programme flying.
Sanjeev Gadhia, founder and chief executive, Astral Aviation, said: “Darryl joins at exactly the right time. We are accelerating the shift toward a more scheduled network, building on the scheduled services we already operate and that demands end-to-end transformation across the business.
"From network and capacity planning to operations control, station performance and customer programs, we’re tightening our operating system to deliver reliability at scale. We’re modernising the wide-body fleet and aligning partnerships to support demand across Africa, the Middle East and Asia Pacific.
"Darryl’s mandate is clear: keep the customer at the centre of our universe and hard-wire operational rigidity and discipline into how we operate. His airline leadership across complex markets will help us grow with precision while safeguarding the standards our partners expect.”
