Astral Aviation has added a Boeing 767-300 freighter as part of plans to renew its fleet, expand its capacity and fly longer distances.
The Nairobi-based airline said in a recent LinkedIn post that it had dry-leased the aircraft, which has extended range capabilities and a payload capacity of 52 tons.
“We are thrilled to announce the arrival of our newly dry-leased Boeing 767-300F (MSN 24146 / Reg 5Y SVR), marking another milestone in Astral Aviation’s commitment to expanding our cargo capabilities and enhancing service reliability across our network," said Astral.
The airline added: "The 767-300F - a proven, efficient, and versatile freighter—will strengthen our ability to serve key markets with increased payload capacity, range, and operational flexibility."
Astral said it had worked with lessor Flight Lease Capital Management and partners Jetran and Xtreme Aviation to secure the aircraft.
In addition to the 767-300F, Astral currently has a Boeing 767-200F and a Boeing 737-400F.
It now plans to add a Boeing 737-800F and two Boeing 777 passenger to freighter (P2F) aircraft, but is waiting for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to issue the Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for the conversion.
Astral has also postponed its order for two Embraer E190Fs indefinitely because the investment is currently too financially risky, Sanjeev Gadhia, the founder and chief executive of Astral, previously told Air Cargo News.
The airline has recently focused on getting rid of ageing freighters from its fleet to ensure it can provide stable capacity to customers.
As a result, it has removed its narrowbody Boeing 757Fs, Boeing 727-200Fs and McDonnell Douglas DC9s.
Although the 767F was launched in 1993 and first entered service in 1995, in terms of age, it is considerably younger than the 757F, first introduced in the late 1980s and the 727F, which first entered the market in the early 1980s.
