NATIONAL CARRIER LEASES AIRCRAFT TO FLY ABROAD

REVIVED Air Tanzania Company Limited got a big boost after an Indian community leased one of its new aircraft to take a team to Kisumu, Kenya for sport and cultural event.

Lohana Mahajan Community have opted to use the national airline to fly its team to Kisumu for 34th Lohana Sports and Cultural Festival (LSCF). “I feel very proud to use our national career.

To support the president’s efforts in reviving ATCL we decided this year to use them to fly to Kisumu for Lohana games. We would like other national sport clubs and communities to use ATCL when flying for international games,” Lohana Mahajan Community President, Mr Navin Kanabar said at a press conference in Dar es Salaam today.

He called upon athletes and entertainers to use Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL) for their domestic and international trips to support government's efforts to revive the national career. Mr Kanabar together with the team of over 45 players are expected to leave the country for the games tomorrow.

He also urged ATCL to expand its routes to India, adding that would motivate others to use their services when going to India. With the support from the company, Mr Kanabar said they will work hard during their games and promised to return with trophies as gift for the president and entire ATCL crew.

He mentioned some of the games they will participate as football, golf, swimming, volleyball, cricket and marathon. The ATCL acting director of commercial, business and development, Mr Edward Nkwabi applauded Lohana community for being patriotic by using national carrier, adding other should imitate what they did.

He said the national career was expanding their routes time to time and encouraged others to work with them as they fly almost everywhere in Tanzania and soon they will introduce new international routes.

The government is revamping the cash-strapped national carrier by buying new planes as part of plans to boost tourism and transport sectors. Home to the famous Serengeti National Park and Africa's highest mountain Kilimanjaro, Tanzania relies heavily on revenues from tourism - its biggest foreign exchange earner, bringing in around $2 billion a year.

The government wants to increase direct flights between Tanzania and Asian and European markets in a bid to boost annual foreign visitor arrivals beyond current levels of around 1 million.

President John Magufuli, in power for just over a year, has made the overhaul of troubled Air Tanzania Company Ltd (ATCL) one of his flagship infrastructure development projects in a bid to transform the country into a regional transportation hub.

The government has signed a deal with Canada's Bombardier Inc. to buy two CS300 jetliners and one Q400 turboprop aircraft at a cost of $200 million.

The country received delivery of two other Bombardier Q400 planes in September.

President Magufuli announced early this month the government has also made initial payment for the purchase of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which is expected to be delivered on June 18 and would boost Air Tanzania's fleet to to seven planes.