Silverstone Air
| |||||||
| Founded | 2017 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceased operations | 2020 | ||||||
| Operating bases | Wilson Airport | ||||||
| Focus cities | Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu | ||||||
| Fleet size | 11[1] | ||||||
| Destinations | 8 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Wilson Airport | ||||||
| Key people | Mohamed Somow Managing Director Owen Muigai Owner | ||||||
| Website | Homepage | ||||||
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.[2]
Location
[edit]The headquarters of Silverstone Air were located on the ground floor of Aerlink House, at Wilson Airport, in the south-western part of Nairobi, the capital and largest city of Kenya.[3] The geographical coordinates of the airline's headquarters are:1°19'23.0"S, 36°48'30.0"E (Latitude:-1.323056; Longitude:36.808333).[4]
History
[edit]Silverstone Air was owned and operated by Kenyans. The airline was founded in 2017. It operated scheduled, charter and cargo flights inside Kenya. Scheduled flights were available to Kisumu, Mombasa, Lamu, Eldoret, Malindi, Lodwar, Ukunda.[5]
On 12 March 2020 the airline suspended all flights due to non-compliance problems.[6]
Destinations
[edit]From its hub in Nairobi Wilson Airport, the company operated scheduled services to destinations within Kenya. The airline also operated direct return flights to Mombasa from Kisumu International Airport.[5]
| Country | City | Airport | Notes | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya | Eldoret | Eldoret International Airport | — | [7] |
| Kenya | Kisumu | Kisumu International Airport | Hub | [7][8] |
| Kenya | Lamu | Lamu Airport | — | [5] |
| Kenya | Lodwar | Lodwar Airport | — | [5] |
| Kenya | Malindi | Malindi Airport | — | [5] |
| Kenya | Mombasa | Mombasa International Airport | — | [5][7][8] |
| Kenya | Nairobi | Wilson Airport | Hub | [7] |
| Kenya | Ukunda | Ukunda Airport | — | [5] |
Fleet
[edit]As of September 2019, Silverstone Air operated the following aircraft:[9][10]
| Aircraft | In fleet | Order | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bombardier CRJ 100ER(F) | 1 | 0 | ||
| Bombardier Dash 8-100 | 2 | 0 | 37 | |
| Bombardier Dash 8-300 | 3 | 0 | 50 | |
| Fokker 50 | 3 | 0 | 50 | |
| Fokker 50F | 2 | 0 | ||
| Total | 11 | 0 |
Incidents and accidents
[edit]In September 2020, a Silverstone Air Fokker 50 cargo plane crashed in Mogadishu, Somalia during landing. No fatalities were recorded. On 12 October 2019, a Silverstone Air Fokker 50 aircraft bound for Mombasa Airport, with continuing service to Lamu Airport, veered off the runway at Wilson Airport in Nairobi. While attempting to take off, with a total of 55 people on board, 50 passengers and five crew members, the aircraft veered off the runway and crashed through the fence, coming to rest in the brush. Nine people on board were injured and the aircraft was damaged.[11]
On 28 October 2019, a Dash 8-300, registration 5Y-BWG, operated by Silverstone Air, lost its rear-right wheel assembly on take-off from Lodwar Airport, with four passengers and five crew members on board. Originally destined for Wilson Airport in Nairobi, the flight was diverted to Eldoret International Airport, where it made a safe emergency landing. The detached wheel assembly was recovered by the public outside Lodwar Airport, in Turkana County.[12][13]
As a result of a safety audit by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority following these two accidents, the airline was ordered on 12 November 2019 by the Kenyan Civil Aviation Authority to suspend operations with the Dash 8 for seven days.[14]
On 19 September, a Fokker 50 (5Y-MHT) after take-off at Mogadishu, the aircraft returned to the Aden Adde International Airport in Mogadishu for an emergency landing. During that landing, the aircraft veered off the runway and impacted a perimeter wall.[15][16]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ Brian Ngugi (25 August 2019). "Silverstone Expands Plane Fleet". Business Daily Africa. Nairobi. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
- ^ Kenya Airports Authority (2019). "Silverstone Air Launches Kisumu – Mombasa Direct Flights". Nairobi: Kenya Airports Authority. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
- ^ Silverstone Air (2019). "Silverstone Air: Contact Information". Nairobi: Silverstone Air. Archived from the original on 2 June 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
- ^ "Location of the headquarters of Silverstone Air" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g Silverstone Air. "Our Latest Flight Deals". Nairobi: Silverstone Air. Archived from the original on 2 June 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
- ^ Daily S&EA Tourism Update (13 November 2019). "Kenyan airline's licence suspended". Johannesburg: Daily Southern & East African Tourism Update. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
- ^ a b c d Dennis Lubanga (2 June 2019). "Silverstone Air Begins Daily Flights To Eldoret". Business Daily Africa. Nairobi. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
- ^ a b Charles Mwaniki (10 October 2017). "Airline set to launch direct Kisumu-Mombasa flights". Business Daily Africa. Nairobi. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
- ^ "Global Airline Guide 2019 (Part One)". Airliner World. October 2019: 19.
- ^ Planespotters (2019). "Silverstone Ar Services Limited: Current Fleet". Planespotters.net. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
- ^ Agence France-Presse (12 October 2019). "Plane Veers Off Runway In Kenya, Leaving Some Injured". Paris, France: News24.com. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
- ^ Daily Nation (28 October 2019). "Midair Scare Forces Kenyan Plane To Make Emergency Landing". The EastAfrican. Nairobi. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
- ^ Bukola Adebayo (28 October 2019). "Emergency landing as aircraft wheel comes off during take off at Kenya airport". Atlanta: Cable News Network. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
- ^ Kaminski-Morrow, David (12 November 2019). "Silverstone ordered to suspend Dash 8 flights after audit". FlightGlobal. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
- ^ "landing at Mogadishu Airport, Somalia". 20 September 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
- ^ Saturday 19 September 2020 aviation-safety.net, accessdate 2020-09-21
External links
[edit]- Silverstone Air Archived 2 June 2019 at the Wayback Machine