The Kenyan airline will use the E190Fs on intra-African routes and they will be based at its hub in Nairobi.
In May 2022, NAC reached a deal with Embraer for 10 E190F/E195F conversion slots, supplied from NAC’s fleet, with deliveries scheduled to start in 2024.
Sanjeev Gadhia, Founder and CEO of Astral Aviation, says, “The E-Jets are well known for their efficiency, flexibility and sustainability. We are confident that the E-Jet freighter platform will be a game-changing addition to our growing fleet. We are grateful to NAC and Embraer for choosing Astral to be the launch operator of the E-Jet Freighter.”
Norman C.T. Liu, President and CEO of NAC, adds, “As a launch lessor for the E-Jet freighter conversion program, we are pleased to have executed a MoU to place two E190F aircraft with Astral Aviation, a leading cargo carrier servicing Africa. NAC aims to remain the leader in regional aviation and expand into larger narrow body aircraft, while building our full life cycle asset management capabilities.”