FASTJET, NMB SIGN DEAL TO EASE FLIGHT TICKET PAYMENTS

National Microfinance Bank (NMB) Chief Executive Officer, Ineke Bussemaker (centre), exchanges a Memorandum of Understanding with fastjet General Manager, John Corse, after entering a business agreement with the bank. On the left is Acting Chief Retail Banking, Abdulmajid Nsekela. The event was held in Dar es Salaam over the weekend.

Tanzania's low-cost airline, Fastjet has signed a partnership agreement with the National Microfinance Bank (NMB) to enable bank customers and non-customers purchase their air tickets through bank branches and Mobile facilities.

Fastjet tickets are expected to be booked online or through sales shops but paid through NMB Mobile or at any NMB Branch countrywide. NMB has over 170 branches countrywide with over one million NMB Mobile users and with overall customer base of over 2 million customers.

Fastjet General Manager Mr John Course said Fastjet customers will from today enjoy the convenience of booking tickets online, via the call centre and at the sales shops and thereafter pay conveniently through NMB Mobile or at any NMB branches present countrywide.

“The fact that our customers will now be able to purchase for their tickets through NMB Mobile and NMB branches is yet another milestone that underscores our commitment to ensuring that Fastjet lives up to its promise of being an affordable airline that makes travel easy for its customers,” he said.

He said the partnership will simplify the process of purchasing Fastjet tickets as they will be available through NMB mobile and over 170 NMB branches countrywide especially in areas that the airline operates – Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, Arusha, Moshi, Zanzibar and Mbeya.

On her part, the NMB Managing Director, Ms Ineke Bussemaker, said introduction of Fastjet to NMB Mobile will create that extra convenience of allowing the NMB customers to use NMB services while bringing services closer to them through their mobile phones.

“We are very proud and grateful for the support our customers have been giving us and we promise to continue offering our high quality services and listening to our customers’ demands”, Ms Bussemaker said.

Ms Ineke said: “The introduction of this service linked to NMB mobile will enable more than 1million NMB customers registered on NMB mobile to purchase for their booked flights directly from NMB accounts through their mobile phones”.

Ms Ineke insisted that NMB is committed to providing innovative solutions and banking services to individuals as well as small, medium sized and large businesses.

She added: “We are pleased to work together with Fastjet which is the largest and low cost airline and we believe this partnership will help to bring both banking and airline ticket purchase services closer to the people”.

Daily News