Nairobi-based budget carrier Jambojet has won a contract to maintain and repair the fleet of Ghanaian carrier Passion Air, its first client after venturing into the maintenance business as a new revenue stream.

The first aircraft under the contract is expected to arrive by Friday for a C-check—a comprehensive inspection carried out at intervals determined by an aircraft's maintenance programme, typically every 18 to 24 months or after a specified number of flight hours and cycles.

The deal marks a major milestone in Jambojet’s bid to expand into the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) segment, which is dominated by established carriers like Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines.

The International Air Transport Association estimates that the global MRO market is valued at nearly $97 billion—where service providers, OEMs, and airlines capture high-margin revenue.

Jambojet began developing its in-house maintenance capability several years ago, expanded into heavy maintenance in 2024, and is now commercialising the business after securing Ghana’s Passion Air as its first third-party MRO customer.

“The aircraft is flying in on Thursday evening. For now, we will only be servicing the Dash 8 Q400, as it is what we are certified for,” said a Jambojet spokesperson.

Passion Air is Ghana’s largest domestic carrier and has a fleet of 4 Bombardier DHC 8-300 and DHC 8-400s. It operates direct flights between Ghana’s capital, Accra, and inland cities of Kumasi, Tamale, Takoradi, Wa and Sunyani.

Previously, its maintenance and repairs were done by Nigerian airline Aero Contractors, which operates out of Lagos. It is not yet clear why it opted for Jambojet, which is much further from its base than Lagos.

In Africa, other than Aero Contractors and Jambojet, Ethiopian Airlines is the only other MRO operator certified by the Canadian original equipment manufacturer De Havilland, which makes the Bambadier Dash-8s (DHC-Q-300 and DHC-Q-400) to conduct overhauls and checks on its aircraft on the continent.

Growth and expansion

Heavy maintenance on Dash 8 aircraft requires approval from De Havilland and the relevant aviation regulators, limiting the number of facilities that can undertake the work.

With a fleet of 11 Bombardier DHC-Q-400s, Jambojet operates the second largest fleet of Dash-8s on the continent after Ethiopian Airlines, which currently has 30 of them for domestic and regional operations.

Jambojet is banking on the expansion of its MRO operations and expanded fleet to grow its route network and improve its revenue. Its parent firm, KQ, is also expanding its MRO operations and is already servicing jets owned by carriers like Air Tanzania and Precision Air.

Last year, the carrier saw a 5 percent growth in revenues to Sh14.4 billion from Sh13.6 billion in 2024, while passenger numbers stagnated at 1.2 million due to the prolonged grounding of one of its planes.

Aircraft maintenance generates relatively stable, dollar-denominated income that is less exposed to seasonal passenger demand, allowing airlines to better utilise engineering staff and hangar capacity.

vogweno@ke.nationmedia.com