Nairobi — Fastjet, the Pan African low-cost carrier, on Monday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Kenyan airline Jetlink Express, to give a platform for the launch of the Fastjet brand in Kenya this year.

Jetlink, which was launched in Kenya in 2004, has traffic rights to all domestic destinations in Kenya, as well as a number of regional destinations.

These included Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret and Wajir, as well flying to Juba in South Sudan, and Mogadishu in Somalia.

"This project represents a great opportunity for both parties and discussions are progressing well. A joint venture between Fastjet and Jetlink will facilitate the launch of the Fastjet brand in Kenya within the next few months with immediate access to domestic and regional destinations," said Fastjet CEO Ed Winter.

He however said talks are not yet finalised but believes that Jetlink's strengths and Fastjet's interest in Fly540 will create the optimum platform to launch the Fastjet brand in Kenya.

"Following the recent successful launch of Fastjet's low cost operations in Tanzania, we are looking forward to this prospective joint venture. We believe the partnership will be mutually beneficial and will go a long way in meeting the current demand for capacity on Kenya's domestic and regional routes. It will also generate new traffic as passengers are attracted by low fares, made possible by Fastjet's low cost operating model," Jetlink Chief Executive Elly Aluvale stated.

Fastjet launched its operations in November 2012 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, serving two domestic routes with a fleet of three Airbus A319s.