An embattled local airline continues to face poor ratings despite a recent brand overhaul.
Disappointed clients have exposed new industry entrant Renegade Air as a wolf disguised in colourful sheep’s clothing in an effort to hoodwink gullible travellers.
From one social media post seen by cnyakundi.com, a displeased passenger shared his dreadful experience when flying with the commercial carrier that was birthed out of a shady partnership between the now-defunct Silverstone Air and a less popular charter by the name Governor’s Air.
Before this coalition was crafted, Silverstone Air faced widespread negative publicity following frequent accidents which led the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) to suspend it from operations in November 2019.
In May 2021, the airline found its way back to operations through a fleet expansion collaboration with Renegade Air which had only been in operation since 2012 and previously operated three chartered flights.
Although this revamp was seen as a positive move, a passenger by the name Oduor Jagero revealed on Facebook that reality on the ground is a lot more different.
The carrier still uses the same old and squeaky aircraft with little to zero value for safety or comfort.
In Oduor’s case, not even his expensive headphones could save him from the constant rattling from seemingly broken parts.
The noise lasted the whole flight to Kisumu.
“I had Bose 35 headphones, the perfect tech for the noisiest of surroundings. I sat by the window; the blades squeak. I kept saying to myself. Don’t break like twigs,” he narrates in one part of his post.
He also criticized the poor level of hygiene by Renegade Air whom he says offer little attention to dirty and worn out seats covered by a build-up of sweat oil.
“The plane is beat. And dirty. The seats are so worn out; the leather looks like the thighs of a 90-year old elephant,” he adds.
The experience brought back memories of the Silverstone era when their poorly serviced units kept endangering lives.
The streak of accidents by the malfunctioning airbuses began in 2019 when an aircraft (5Y-IZO) departing for Lamu crashed at Wilson Airport.
It had five crew and 50 passengers but zero fatalities were reported.
In another incident, its other aircraft (5Y-SMT) clipped an EASAX aircraft at the ramp at Wilson Airport.
But the last straw came when its other aircraft (5Y-BWG) lost a wheel on take-off from Lodwar.
The aircraft made an unscheduled landing at the Eldoret International Airport where it had been diverted.
This forced KCAA into calling for the suspension of its operations in the market.
