The Board of Kenya Airways (KQ) has appointed Willem Alexander Hondius as Chief Executive Officer of Jambo Jet Limited, the airline’s nascent low-cost carrier subsidiary.Announcing the appointment, Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Titus Naikuni, said:
“I am pleased to announce the appointment of Willem Hondius as Chief Executive Officer of Jambo Jet Ltd, reporting to the Jambo Jet Board which is chaired by Mr. Ayisi Makatiani. Willem brings to the airline a wealth of experience in the aviation industry especially in the low-cost airline area and will be instrumental in steering the operations of the new carrier.”
Willem Hondius
Kenya Airways has been in the process of establishing the low-cost carrier subsidiary and the appointment of the CEO moves the airline closer to the realization of its goal in this respect.
“There is still a lot of work to be done before operations start and this appointment is a major milestone in that process,” added Dr. Naikuni.
Before his appointment, Hondius was the General Manager for KLM Royal Dutch Airlines for Eastern Africa based in Nairobi since 2012 as well as Project Manager for Jambo Jet Limited. Between 2005 and 2012, he was Executive Vice-President and Chief Commercial Officer of Transavia Airlines, a wholly-owned subsidiary of KLM.
Awarded its Air Services Licence by the Kenyan Civil Aviation Authority back in October 2012, JamboJet was originally intended to take over its parent's short-haul domestic and regional flights, leaving Kenya Airways to focus on growing its connections between Africa and international markets.
