The bad publicity surrounding Silverstone Airline is not good for business. Multiple near fatal accidents and pressure from social media users prompted the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCCA) to launch investigations “to determine the level of compliance with the current Civil Aviation regulations and their own company approved manuals and procedure”, part of a statement from KCCA Director General Cpt Gilbert Kibe.
Who Owns The Silverstone Airline?
Silverstone Air Services Limited, which operates as Silverstone Airline, was founded in 2017. The directors of the company are:
1. Capt. Mahat Somow-director
2. Muzamil Somow-director of operations
3. Capt. Mohamed Somow (MD)-managing director
Number of aircrafts
The company prides itself with Six Fokker 50’s, Four Dash 8-100s, Three Dash 8- 300s and 1 CRJ-200.
More about the fleet:
DASH 8 – 300 SERIES
The Bombardier DeHavilland Dash 8-300 is a Medium Turbo-prop manufactured by Bombardier.
Seating Capacity – 50 pax
Propulsion – 2 turboprop engines
Engine Model – Pratt & Whitney Canada PW123
DASH 8 – 100 SERIES
The Bombardier DeHavilland Dash 8-100 is a Medium Turbo-prop manufactured by Bombardier.
Seating Capacity – 37 pax
Propulsion – 2 Turboprop engines
Engine Model – Pratt & Whitney Canada PW120
FOKKER 50 SERIES
The Fokker 50 is a Turboprop powered airline manufactured by the Dutch Manufacturer Fokker N.V
Seating Capacity – 50 pa
Propulsion – 2 turboprop engines
Engine Model – Pratt & Whitney Canada PW125b or PWB127B
According to the company website, the airline offers the following services:
Commercial scheduled and non-scheduled passenger flight services
Commercial Cargo Services
Private Charter Services
Evacuation, Humanitarian and Relief Services
ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, Insurance) Lease
Destinations
Daily flights to Mombasa, Ukunda, Malindi, Lamu, Kisumu And Lodwar.
Controversies
On October 11, Silverstone Fokker 50 aircraft crash landed at Wilson Airport aborting a scheduled flight to Mombasa and Lamu. 50 passengers and 5 crew members aboard the plane were safely disembarked. Two passengers hospitalized. A statement from Silverstone read:
“We can confirm that our Fokker 50, 5Y-IZO, had an incident while taking off at 9:00AM … The passengers and crew have been safely disembarked and we are currently working with the relevant authorities to assess the situation.”
Another incident that prompted KCAA occurred on Monday (read 28 October 2019), when Silverstone Aircraft made an emergency landing in Eldoret Moi International Airport after a wheel fell off during take-off. Next