African no-frills carrier Fastjet has signed an agreement with Kenyan airline Jetlink to launch a joint venture in Kenya.
Fastjet announced today that it had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Jetlink for the project which would see Fastjet launched as a brand in Kenya.
Jetlink was launched in 2004 and currently has traffic rights to domestic airports in Kenya but its services were suspended in November 2012 to allow the company to be restructured.
Fastjet, which launched in November, is currently just flying on two domestic routes within Tanzania, but has ambitions to become a pan-African airline.
Fastjet CEO Ed Winter said: “This project represents a great opportunity for both parties and discussions are progressing well. A joint venture between Fastjet and Jetlink will facilitate the launch of the Fastjet brand in Kenya within the next few months with immediate access to domestic and regional destinations.
“Kenya is the major economy in east Africa and launching here is an important step towards Fastjet becoming a pan-African low cost airline, bringing safe, reliable and affordable air travel to more and more people.
“Talks are not yet finalised but we certainly envisage a combination of Jetlink's strengths and fastjet's interest in Fly 540 Kenya creating the optimum platform to launch the Fastjet brand in Kenya.”
Fastjet is also set to announce its first international routes from Tanzania within the next few weeks.