The cost of jet fuel has gone up by 36 percent in the last six months. The commodity is now going at Sh137 per litre, a rise from Sh100 in January 2022. Local airline, Jambo Jet is therefore set to introduce a special fuel fee for cargo to keep the business afloat.
Jambojet started its cargo operations in February after receiving regulatory approvals from the aviation regulator to fly goods on its passenger flights both locally and regionally. The Nairobi Based carrier uses the Dash 8-Q400 type of aircraft that it is currently using to ferry passengers on its routes to transport cargo on its routes. The flight type that can accommodate up to 78 passengers can carry up to 1.2 tonnes of cargo on a single trip.
According to Jambo Jet’s CEO Karanja Ndegwa, the high prices of fuel will see the cost passed on to customers but will drop once the jet fuel prices stabilize. After adding the fuel surcharge, ferrying cargo will cost Sh11.87 per Kilogramme.
Currently, Jambojet charges $2,500 (Sh294,125) to ferry a tonne of cargo from Nairobi to Goma and $3,500 (Sh411,775) per tonne in the opposite direction. After the surge, it means that the carrier will charge customers $2,576 (Sh306,230) per tonne from Nairobi to Goma. It will also charge $3,567 (Sh423,645) to ferry a tonne of cargo from Goma to Nairobi when the fuel surcharge is factored in.
The new prices and unstable prices in the petroleum and oil industry have been blamed on worldwide inflation, and largely on the unending war between Russia and Ukraine.
