# Astral Aviation (IATA 8V · ICAO ACP · AWB 485)

> Astral Aviation is a Kenyan cargo airline with its own AOC, IATA code 8V and AWB prefix 485. The airline belongs to no airline group and is, according to the African Airlines Association, wholly Kenyan-owned. It operates its own freighters on scheduled, charter and ACMI services; charter contracts run through the sister company Astral Aviation FZC in Sharjah, which holds no AOC itself. For forwarders, Astral is one of the few African freighter operators with a dense intra-African feeder network out of Nairobi, complemented by more than 60 interline partners. Shipments under AWB prefix 485 can be traced via the astral.fr8booking.com portal.

## Quick facts

| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Legal | Astral Aviation Limited |
| IATA | `8V` |
| ICAO | `ACP` |
| AWB prefix | `485` |
| Country | KE |
| Tracking | https://astral.fr8booking.com/#/trackAndTrace |

## Overview

Astral Aviation Limited is a Kenyan cargo airline headquartered at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO) in Nairobi. The company obtained its Air Operator Certificate and Air Service Licence from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority in 2001 and was designated a cargo airline by Kenya's Ministry of Transport in November 2006. It operates under its own AOC and, according to the African Airlines Association, is wholly Kenyan-owned.

Astral runs its own freighters and offers scheduled services alongside charter, ACMI and leasing. On its corporate page the airline lists the Boeing 737-400F (18 tonnes payload), Boeing 767-200F (42 tonnes) and Boeing 767-300F (52 tonnes); it does not publish aircraft numbers (as of September 2026). The carrier names Nairobi, Dubai, Johannesburg and Liège as its hubs. Its intra-African network covers around 50 destinations by its own account, served partly on a scheduled and partly on an ad-hoc charter basis. This is complemented by interline agreements with more than 60 partners and representation by over 25 GSAs worldwide.

For forwarders: Astral uses IATA code 8V, ICAO code ACP and AWB prefix 485. The company is a member of the IATA Clearing House and is listed in IATA's CargoLink directory as an active e-Freight participant. Shipments can be traced via the astral.fr8booking.com portal. The product range is structured as Astral Express, Astral Protect, Astral Pharma, Astral DGR and Astral Fresh; dangerous goods, perishables, temperature-controlled pharmaceuticals, live animals and valuable cargo are recorded with IATA as specialities.

Note the group structure: under the published charter terms, charter contracts are concluded by Astral Aviation FZC, based in SAIF Zone Sharjah (UAE). That company holds no AOC of its own and acts solely as an arranger; the actual carrier remains the airline named in the charter agreement.

## Hubs

- NBO
- JNB
- LGG

## Fleet

- Boeing 737-400F × 0 (18000 kg)

- Boeing 767-200F × 0 (42000 kg)

- Boeing 767-300F × 0 (52000 kg)

## Sources

- [Astral Aviation – Unternehmensprofil](https://astral-aviation.com/profile/)

- [IATA Clearing House Member List (06.08.2026)](https://www.iata.org/contentassets/82a24c7a736142b6bd18e20f77dcef60/ich-members.pdf)

- [FAA Contractions Handbook, Kap. 3 – ICAO-Kennungen und Telefonie](https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications/atpubs/cnt_html/chap3_section_3.html)

- [UK Civil Aviation Authority – OperatorCodes](https://www.caa.co.uk/Documents/Download/2391/d5a37830-4abc-498d-902d-5f6d17c9590a/43)

- [IATA CargoLink – Astral Aviation Ltd](https://www.iata.org/en/publications/directories/cargolink/directory/astral-aviation-ltd/244/)

- [Astral Aviation – Charter Terms and Conditions](https://astral-aviation.com/charter-terms-and-conditions/)

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