Bluebird Aviation

Last updated

Bluebird Aviation
IATA ICAO Call sign
BBZCOBRA
Founded1992
Hubs Wilson Airport
Focus cities Kenya
Fleet size11
Parent company Bluebird Aviation
Headquarters Nairobi, Kenya
Website bluebirdaviation.com

Bluebird Aviation is a regional airline based in Nairobi, Kenya. It was established in 1992 and operates regional charter services. Its main base is Wilson Airport, Nairobi. [1]

Contents

Description

Bluebird Aviation Limited is a Kenyan air charter company based at Wilson Airport, Nairobi. The company was incorporated in 1992 and operates scheduled, non-scheduled and ad hoc air charter services within the East and Central African region with special emphasis on Eastern Africa. The company is a member of the Kenya Association of Air Operators, an umbrella body that champions the interests of aviation in Kenya.

Staff

The company has over 80 staff ranging from airline pilots, aircraft engineers, and finance managers to ground and air operations staff.

Fleet

The Bluebird Aviation fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of August 2019): [2]

Bluebird Aviation Fleet
AircraftIn
Service
OrdersPassengersNotes
Bombardier Dash 8-1004
Bombardier Dash 8-Q4001
Bombardier Dash 8-Q400PF4
Fokker 50 2
Total11

The Bluebird Aviation fleet previously included the following aircraft (as of July 2011): [3]

Accidents and incidents

Related Research Articles

Northwest Airlink was the brand name of Northwest Airlines' regional airline service, which flew turboprop and regional jet aircraft from Northwest's domestic hubs in Minneapolis, Detroit, and Memphis. Service was primarily to small-to-medium-sized cities and towns where larger aircraft might not be economical to operate and also to larger markets to either provide additional capacity or more frequent flights than could be justified using mainline aircraft. The Northwest Airlink trade name was replaced by the Delta Connection trade name for Delta Air Lines following the Delta/Northwest merger.

Precision Air Services Plc is a Tanzanian airline based at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam. The airline operates scheduled passenger services to Nairobi and Comoros; and to various airports and airstrips in Tanzania. Kenya Airways owns 41.23% of the airline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">De Havilland Canada Dash 8</span> Canadian turboprop airliner (1983– )

The De Havilland Canada DHC-8, commonly known as the Dash 8, is a series of turboprop-powered regional airliners, introduced by de Havilland Canada (DHC) in 1984. DHC was bought by Boeing in 1986, then by Bombardier in 1992, then by Longview Aviation Capital in 2019; Longview revived the De Havilland Canada brand. Powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW150s, it was developed from the Dash 7 with improved cruise performance and lower operational costs, but without STOL performance. The Dash 8 was offered in four sizes: the initial Series 100 (1984–2005), the more powerful Series 200 (1995–2009) with 37–40 seats, the Series 300 (1989–2009) with 50–56 seats, and Series 400 (1999–2022) with 68–90 seats. The QSeries are post-1997 variants fitted with active noise control systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East African Safari Air</span> Defunct Kenyan airline

East African Safari Air was an airline based in Kenya. Its international operations were suspended in September 2004, by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, but the airline still maintained scheduled regional and domestic services through its subsidiary East African Safari Air Express. In December 2010, East African Safari Air Express was ostensibly purchased by the parent company of another Kenyan airline Fly540 and was rebranded as Fly SAX..

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilson Airport</span> Airport in Kenya

Wilson Airport is an airport in Nairobi, Kenya. It has flights to many regional airports in Kenya while Nairobi's main airport, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, serves domestic and many international destinations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fokker 50</span> Regional airliner by Fokker

The Fokker 50 is a turboprop-powered airliner manufactured and supported by Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker. It was designed as an improved version of the successful Fokker F27 Friendship. The Fokker 60 is a stretched freighter version of the Fokker 50.

Lufthansa CityLine GmbH is a German regional airline with its headquarters on the grounds of Munich Airport. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lufthansa and maintains hubs at Frankfurt Airport and Munich Airport, from where it operates a dense domestic and European network on behalf of its parent company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African Express Airways</span> Somali airline

African Express Airways is a Somali-owned Kenyan airline with its head office at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Embakasi, Nairobi, Kenya.

Aerovías de Integración Regional S.A., d/b/a LATAM Airlines Colombia, is a Colombian airline. It is the second-largest air carrier in Colombia, after Avianca. It operates scheduled regional domestic passenger services, as well as a domestic cargo service. Its main hub is El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá.

Seven Four Eight Air Services, also known doing business as 748 Air Services is a charter airline operating in the passenger and cargo business. Its head office is in Wilson Airport in Nairobi, Kenya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fly540</span> Kenyan airline

Five Forty Aviation Ltd, trading as Fly540, is a low-cost airline which commenced operations in 2006 and is based in Nairobi, Kenya, operating both passenger and cargo services. The airline had two subsidiary airlines, Fly540 Ghana and Fly540 Angola, but has since focused its business expansion plans on East Africa. The company slogan was Your Local Airline.

Shree Airlines Pvt. Ltd. is an airline based in Kathmandu, Nepal, operating domestic services within Nepal, including chartered helicopter flights. The airline also conducts charter flights & air ambulance service to international destinations. As of 2024, Shree Airlines is the third largest domestic carrier in Nepal by passenger carried and second largest by fleet size.

Air Philippines Corporation, operating as PAL Express and formerly branded as Air Philippines and Airphil Express, is a wholly-owned subsidiary airline of Philippine Airlines. It is PAL's regional brand, with services from its hubs in Manila, Clark, Cebu, and Davao.

Safarilink Aviation Limited is a regional airline based at Wilson Airport in Nairobi, Kenya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ukunda Airport</span> Airport in Kenya

Diani Airport is a small airfield near Diani Beach in Kwale County, Kenya. The airport serves the local areas of Diani, Ukunda, Tiwi and Msambweni.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">US-Bangla Airlines Flight 211</span> 2018 plane crash at Kathmandu, Nepal

US-Bangla Airlines Flight 211 was a scheduled international passenger flight from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, Bangladesh, to Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, that crashed on 12 March 2018 while landing, killing 51 of the 71 people aboard. The aircraft, a 76-seat Bombardier Q400 operated by US-Bangla Airlines, burst into flames after the crash. The 20 surviving passengers were badly injured from the impact and the fire. It remains the deadliest aviation disaster involving a Bangladeshi airline, and the deadliest incident involving a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400.

Pisces Aviation is a domestic airline of Ghana with its head office in Accra, Ghana, and its main hub at Kotoka International Airport in Accra.

Silverstone Air Services Limited, trading as Silverstone Air, was a privately owned airline in Kenya, licensed by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority with an air operator's certificate.

Skyward Express,, is a private airline operating in Kenya. It serves local destinations, from its two operations bases at Wilson Airport for passengers and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for cargo. Both airports are located in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Safarilink Aviation Flight 053</span> Aviation accident in 2024

On 5 March 2024, Safarilink Aviation Flight 053, a De Havilland Canada Dash 8, en route from Wilson Airport in Nairobi, Kenya, to Ukunda Airport, Kenya, collided soon after takeoff with a Cessna 172M training flight operated by 99 Flying School over Nairobi National Park. The Dash 8 returned to Wilson Airport and landed safely with part of the deicing boot missing, and with all 44 aboard unharmed, but the Cessna spiraled out of control and crashed in the national park, killing both occupants.

References

  1. "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International . 27 March 2007. p. 86.
  2. "Global Airline Guide 2019 (Part One)". Airliner World (October 2019): 18.
  3. Günter Endres, ed. (2011). Flight International World Airlines 2011. Sutton, Surrey, England: Reed Business Information. ISBN   978-1-898779-43-8.
  4. aviation-safety.net: Accident description
  5. Donkey Blamed for Crash of Kenyan Plane in Somalia https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/55306-donkey-blamed-crash-kenyan-plane-somalia