KOT roast IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati over ‘Shakalaka’

If you watched the IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati pronounce presidential candidate Cyrus Shakhalaga Jirongo after the August 8th elections – then I bet you know that it was not easy for him. In fact he left many gasping for air as they laughed off the way he pronounced “Shakalaka Chirongo”.

Therefore this time around they Kenyans keeping up with the October 26th elections made sure to tune in as the IEBC chairman announced the results, hoping that Chebukati would again crack their ribs like last time.

However, this time around Chebukati opted to leave out Jirongo’s middle name (probably to save himself from the internet trolls) leaving most Kenyans on Twitter disappointed as they had been waiting the whole day to hear him pronounce the ‘Shakalaka’ bit for just fun and giggles!

ExecuJet Nigeria becomes authorised Rockwell Collins avionics dealership

ExecuJet, part of the Luxaviation Group, has expanded the maintenance offering at its Nigeria facility with the announcement that it is now an authorised Rockwell Collins avionics dealership for Nigeria and the West Africa region.

A significant move for the company, the news is part of an ongoing trajectory for ExecuJet’s MRO in Lagos, which has seen a run of developments and investments over the past year. Expanding the availability of both OEM and avionics maintenance services is a key goal of ExecuJet in Africa, as it aims to be able to support every client at their own home base.

Graeme Duckworth, Vice President Africa and Executive Vice President MRO Services, Luxaviation Group, said: “ExecuJet Nigeria is privileged to be representing Rockwell Collins, as more manufacturers recognise the quality, performance and efficiency that ExecuJet demonstrates on a local and a global scale. As we have seen, business aviation movements in Lagos this year experienced a year-on-year growth rate of 12%; we consider it of the utmost importance that our MRO in Nigeria has the services on-site to help maintain this encouraging trend.

“With the support of Rockwell Collins, we can now serve our customers with more competitive pricing and warranty benefits. By collaborating with established, first-class MRO operators, we can also provide cost-effective upgrades to current avionics systems such as the ADS-B Out products, which will improve flight safety, situational awareness and reliability.”

Ethiopian gets Africa's first Boeing 787-9

The carrier’s newest Dreamliner touched down in Addis Ababa following a non-stop 8,354 mile (13,444 km) delivery flight from Boeing's Everett, facility. Ethiopian becomes the first carrier in Africa to operate the 787-9 and extends a tradition of setting aviation milestones. 

Ethiopian became Africa's first carrier to fly the 787-8 in 2012, and similarly introduced the 777-200LR (Longer Range), 777-300ER (Extended Range) and 777 Freighter.

"We are proud to celebrate yet another first with the introduction of the cutting-edge 787-9 into our young and fast growing fleet," said CEO Tewolde GebreMariam, "Today, the 787 is the core of our fleet with 20 aircraft in service. Our investment in the latest technology airplanes is part of our Vision 2025 strategy and our commitment to our esteemed customers to offer complete on-board comfort. We will continue to invest in the most advanced aircraft to give our customers the best possible travel experience.

""Ethiopian Airlines conducted its 32nd Humanitarian Delivery Flight as part of the 787-9 delivery. In conjunction with the non-profit Seattle Alliance Outreach, Ethiopian transported goods donated by medical organizations in the U.S. to Black Lion Hospital and St. Paul Hospital in Ethiopia.
"We are very happy to continue our longstanding partnership with Boeing to deliver medical equipment and supplies to public hospitals in Ethiopia, which benefit the society at-large," said GebreMariam.

 "This is our 32nd humanitarian flight over the course of the last few years. No airline has provided such sustained support to the delivery of humanitarian supplies to the African continent. It is a testament to our commitment to serve the community as a responsible corporate organization."

The  aircraft is fitted with Rolls-Royce engines.  Dominic Horwood, Rolls-Royce, chief customer officer – Civil Large Engines, said: “This is a significant selection by a valued customer that continues the Trent 1000 success story. We have real momentum in the marketplace - in the last five years the Trent 1000 has been selected in more than 60 per cent of engine competitions.”

Rolls-Royce powered the very first Boeing 787 test flight in December 2009, the first 787-8 to enter service in October 2011, and the first 787-9 to enter service, in 2014.

Ethiopian has ordered Trent XWB engines to power 12 Airbus A350 XWB aircraft and has three RB211-powered Boeing 757 aircraft in service.

EgyptAir resumes flights to Japan

EgyptAir has resumed its flights to Tokyo after almost four years of suspension.

The airline will offer one flight aweek to Japan’s capital, unless more flights are required.

Uhuru Kenyatta plays safe after his victory,

- Uhuru Kenyatta has released a fresh condition that will provide a platform for talks between himself and NASA leader Raila Odinga 
- During his acceptance speech at the Bomas of Kenya, Uhuru said he would only engage with Raila after all the constitutional processes which could take place after the victory were addressed 
- The President elect seemed wary of a possibility of NASA moving to court yet again as provided by the constitution - He therefore said he would engage with NASA after all processes were done President elect Uhuru Kenyatta has outlined the one condition which must be fulfilled for him to engage with NASA leader Raila Odinga in talks over the country’s political future. Read  

Ethiopian gets Africa's first Boeing 787-9

The carrier’s newest Dreamliner touched down in Addis Ababa following a non-stop 8,354 mile (13,444 km) delivery flight from Boeing's Everett, facility. Ethiopian becomes the first carrier in Africa to operate the 787-9 and extends a tradition of setting aviation milestones. Ethiopian became Africa's first carrier to fly the 787-8 in 2012, and similarly introduced the 777-200LR (Longer Range), 777-300ER (Extended Range) and 777 Freighter.
"We are proud to celebrate yet another first with the introduction of the cutting-edge 787-9 into our young and fast growing fleet," said CEO Tewolde GebreMariam, "Today, the 787 is the core of our fleet with 20 aircraft in service. Our investment in the latest technology airplanes is part of our Vision 2025 strategy and our commitment to our esteemed customers to offer complete on-board comfort. We will continue to invest in the most advanced aircraft to give our customers the best possible travel experience.""Ethiopian Airlines conducted its 32nd Humanitarian Delivery Flight as part of the 787-9 delivery. In conjunction with the non-profit Seattle Alliance Outreach, Ethiopian transported goods donated by medical organizations in the U.S. to Black Lion Hospital and St. Paul Hospital in Ethiopia. 
"We are very happy to continue our longstanding partnership with Boeing to deliver medical equipment and supplies to public hospitals in Ethiopia, which benefit the society at-large," said GebreMariam. "This is our 32nd humanitarian flight over the course of the last few years. No airline has provided such sustained support to the delivery of humanitarian supplies to the African continent. It is a testament to our commitment to serve the community as a responsible corporate organization."  

RwandAir to operate direct flights from Brussels to Kigali by the end of October

RwandAir will continue to offer three weekly flights from/to Brussels on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays; however flights from Brussels to Kigali will no longer be operated via London Gatwick which will eliminate the requirement for non-Schengen citizens to hold a UK transit visa and to disembark for rescreening at London Gatwick Airport.

The new schedule was made possible pursuant to negotiations with Gatwick Airport for an earlier slot out of London, enabling our aircraft to return to Brussels ahead of the jet ban.

“We are confident that the new schedule will improve the experience of our esteemed clients boarding from Brussels, while maintaining our schedule from London with only one stop in Brussels,” said Chance Ndagano, Ag. CEO of RwandAir. 

Passengers embarking from London-Gatwick Airport will stay onboard the aircraft at Zaventem Airport in Brussels and will not need a Schengen transit visa.

RwandAir’s state of the art Airbus A330 fleet, configured in a triple class cabin with inflight connectivity will continue to operate the Brussels – Gatwick route and conveniently connect across Africa via Kigali with the following timings.