Gianluigi Aponte's Falcon 8X HB-JLA flies from Morocco to Kenya in nearly 7 hours

Gianluigi Aponte's Dassault Falcon 8X, tail number HB-JLA, flew from Nador Al Aaroui International Airport (GMMW) in Morocco to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (HKJK) in Nairobi, Kenya, on Saturday, October 31, 2026. The flight departed at 19:05 UTC and landed at 02:03 UTC, spending 6 hours and 59 minutes in the air. The great-circle distance covered was 3,132 nautical miles, or 3,605 miles.

The aircraft reached a top altitude of 39,025 feet and a top ground speed of 519 knots, with an average ground speed of 449 knots. The Falcon 8X has a maximum range of 6,450 nautical miles, so this leg used about 49 percent of its range. Our estimate shows the flight burned about 1,954 US gallons of fuel, releasing roughly 18.8 metric tons of CO2, equivalent to driving a car 46,470 miles. The Falcon 8X can seat up to 16 passengers and has a service ceiling of 51,000 feet.

Before this Nairobi flight, HB-JLA had spent about nine hours on the ground at Al Aaroui. It arrived there from Marignane, Bouches-du-Rhône, France, on a 575-nautical-mile hop that took one hour and 15 minutes. The runway at Nador Al Aaroui International Airport is 9,842 feet long, at an elevation of 574 feet. Jomo Kenyatta International Airport has a 13,507-foot runway at 5,330 feet elevation.

This was the first tracked landing at Nairobi for any of Gianluigi Aponte's four aircraft in the recent tracking window, which covers 38 flights since August 27. The home base for the fleet is Geneva International Airport (LSGG) in Switzerland. Usual destinations include Naples, Nice, London, Dubai, and Barcelona. In the 30 days before this flight, the four aircraft visited 19 airports in 8 countries, flying about 6,896 nautical miles. The longest leg in that period was a 2,211-nautical-mile flight from Cuisery, France, to Dakar, Senegal, on October 7.

Gianluigi Aponte is the Italian-born Swiss billionaire founder and executive chairman of Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), the world's largest container shipping company. He started MSC in 1970 with his wife Rafaela, growing it from a single vessel to a fleet of over 1,000 ships. The company, based in Geneva, employs 200,000 people and reported revenues of $86.4 billion in 2022. In April 2025, he transferred ownership to his children Diego and Alexa but remains executive chairman. MSC has expanded into cruises, port terminals, logistics, and air cargo.

The Falcon 8X has a top speed of Mach 0.90, or 497 knots. Our estimate puts its fuel burn at 280 US gallons per hour. The distance from the home base in Geneva to Nairobi is 3,287 nautical miles.

Nairobi is a major hub for East Africa, and MSC has a presence in the region through its shipping and logistics operations. The flight from Morocco to Kenya may relate to business activities for the MSC group, though the purpose of the trip is not publicly known.

The Falcon 8X HB-JLA is one of four aircraft tracked for Gianluigi Aponte, along with a second Falcon 8X (HB-JLD) and two Falcon 2000EX jets (HB-JGD and HB-JGG). The flight department, MSC Aviation, operates from Geneva. This Nairobi trip adds a new destination to the fleet's recent activity.