History

Originally started by Aussie Walker in 1970 as Rapid Air, the company was purchased in 1974 by Captain John Cleave and renamed Mombasa Air Services

Mombasa Air Services

Mombasa Air Services, a Kenya air charter firm, was created when John Cleave purchased Rapid Air, a Civil Aviation Board licensed air charter firm with bases in Nyeri and Diani Beach. Flight operations were switched to the coast city of Mombasa, to serve the newly growing coast tourism industry and...

. Based in Mombasa MAS has, since that date, always served the coast tourism industry. An additional MAS company, Malindi Air Services, was created with the purchase of Sunbird Aviation ( Malindi) in 1977. A further company, Mombasa Air Services (Ukunda) Limited was added the same year with the purchase of Amphibians Ltd, based at Diani Beach

Diani Beach

Diani Beach is a major beach resort, lying on the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya, 30 km south of Mombasa.It is located along a beautiful white-sanded beach which is about 25 km long and it merges with the small town of Ukunda which is home to a small airstrip...

 at Ukunda

Ukunda

Ukunda is a town in Kenya, located in Kwale District. It is on the coast of the Indian Ocean next to Diani Beach 30 kilometres south of Mombasa near the border with Tanzania.The Ukunda Airport is located in Ukunda...

 airfield. The three companies were known as the M.A.S. group, and a fourth organisation, Mombasa Air School, was added to the group as an ab-initio pilot training school in 1978.

To inject capital and provide growth the MAS group of companies was sold in 1982 to CMC Aviation, owned by Cooper Motor Corporation, a publicly traded company, based in Nairobi. The MAS identity was changed to Cooper Skybird. In 1986 there was a further change of ownership to another publicly traded group, and the airline was named Prestige Air, and all its operations were transferred to Nairobi. The company eventually was wound down and ceased flight operations.

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In 1985 the Cleave family brought back the MAS name with a new aviation company under a new AOC that became known as Mombasa Air Safari. MAS operates along the Kenya coast with hubs at Mombasa ( Moi Airport) and Diani Beach

Diani Beach

Diani Beach is a major beach resort, lying on the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya, 30 km south of Mombasa.It is located along a beautiful white-sanded beach which is about 25 km long and it merges with the small town of Ukunda which is home to a small airstrip...

 (Ukunda

Ukunda

Ukunda is a town in Kenya, located in Kwale District. It is on the coast of the Indian Ocean next to Diani Beach 30 kilometres south of Mombasa near the border with Tanzania.The Ukunda Airport is located in Ukunda...

 Airfield) with regular departures also from Malindi

Malindi

Malindi is a town on Malindi Bay at the mouth of the Galana River, lying on the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya. It is 120 kilometres northeast of Mombasa. The population of Malindi is 117,735 . It is the capital of the Malindi District.Tourism is the major industry in Malindi. The city is...

.

The airline colours are dark blue, light blue and gold and in 2004 the logo was changed to a lions paw, which is featured on all MAS aircraft tail fins. The MAS Air Operator Certificate Number 016 provides for air charter and also scheduled services. In 2008 the Kenya Ministry of Transport granted MAS the status of a designated carrier to for services to Tanzania.

In 1995 the owners/directors of MAS created a separate maintenance company, Benair Engineering Limited that holds an Authorised Maintenance Certificate (AMO), based at Mombasa's Moi International Airport

Moi International Airport

Moi International Airport , also Mombasa International Airport, or Mombasa Airport, is an airport in Kenya.-Location:Mombasa Airport, , is located in Mombasa District, Coast Province, in the city of Mombasa, in a township called Port Reitz, in southeastern Kenya, along the Indian Ocean coast.Its...

, to service the MAS fleet and undertake third-party maintenance to other airlines such as Blue Sky Aviation Services

Blue Sky Aviation Services

Blue Sky Aviation Services is a domestic airline in Kenya. It has offices in Nairobi and Mombassa. The airline commenced operation in 1996 with a single Cessna 402. Their current operating fleet consists of 3 Let L-410 Turbolet, model E9's and E20's...

. Benair is an authorised LET

Let

Let or LET may refer to:* -let, an English diminutive suffix* Let, a shot or point that must be replayed in certain racquet sports* Let, a name binding construct in computer programming languages...

 Service Centre.

Fleet

The Mombasa Air Safari fleet is:
1 X Basler BT-67

Basler BT-67

-See also:-External links:* * * * *...

 ( on order)

3 X Let L-410 UVP E9

1 X Cessna 208

Cessna 208

The Cessna 208 Caravan is a single turboprop engine, fixed-gear short-haul regional airliner and utility aircraft built in the United States by Cessna. The airplane typically seats nine passengers, with a single person crew, although with a FAR Part 23 waiver, it can seat up to fourteen passengers...

Grand Caravan

Accidents

In 1998 5Y MAS, a 19 seat LET 410 crashed immediately after take off from Ol Kiombo airstrip in the Masai Mara. No passengers were on board. Both pilots died. The accident report found no technical problem and cited possible pilot error with the flap settings.

Key People

John Cleave. Chairman.

Mohamed Harunany. Managing Director.

Christine Cronchey. Commercial Director.

Kevin Cleave. Technical Director and Chief Pilot.

Omar Welton. Chief Training Captain and Instrument Examiner.

Ali Awadh. Maintenance Manager.

External links

www.mombasaairsafari.com

www.atta.travel/member_detail.aspx?AT_ID=653 -

www.mombasanorthcoast.com/english/mombasaairsafari.html

www.pilotcareercentre.com › Air Carrier Directory -