Astral Aviation (Astral) has launched a new scheduled freighter service, connecting Nairobi and Tel Aviv for the transportation of perishable goods.

The direct flight will reduce the transit time for Kenyan perishables from 24 hours to just five hours.

Goods were previously being routed via other hubs including Istanbul, Addis Ababa, and Dubai.

The new route not only offers increased capacity from Israel to Africa but also strengthens Astral’s Nairobi Hub as a crucial logistics gateway.

The maiden flight took place on June, 5 2023 on Astral’s Boeing 757 freighter which will operate on the new scheduled route, and marks a significant milestone in strengthening the economic ties between Kenya and Israel.

An inauguration ceremony was held at Astral’s Hub at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and was attended by the Cabinet Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture in Kenya, Hon Mithika Linturi, and the Israeli Ambassador in Kenya, Michael Lotem, along with dignitaries and clients from the private sector.