AIR TANZANIA NOW BOASTS STIFF COMPETITION

President John Magufuli accompanied by government officials and religious leaders, cuts a ribbon to inaugurate the newly received third Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 passenger plane at Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) in Dar es Salaam yesterday. The much-awaited aircraft is expected to boost tourism in the country and will be operated by Air Tanzania Company Limited.

The aviation industry within the six-nation East African Community (EAC) is set to get more abuzz as Tanzania embarks on an ambitious investment aimed at boosting the fleet of its national carrier, Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL).

Until recently on the brink of collapse with hardly a plane to its name, the fleet of ATCL now stands at three Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 planes, one of which landed at the Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) in Dar Salaam yesterday.

Plans are also afoot for three additional planes later this year, including two Bombardier Dash 8 Next Generation Q300 from Canada and one Boeing 787-Dreamliner from the United States – bringing to six the total number of its fleet.

Currently focused on local routes, the new airplanes would enable the Tanzania flag bearer to expand its wings within the region and beyond. The Comoros Island in the Indian Ocean is currently the only foreign route served by ATCL. Speaking at a ceremony to receive the aircraft, President John Magufuli was highly optimistic that the planes would contribute to Tanzania’s development agenda.

Earlier, two Q400 planes were delivered in 2016. The brand new $32m (about 65bn/) 76-seater turboprop landed at JNIA’s Terminal One at exactly 05:10 where it was accorded the customary ‘water salute.’ “ … this is your property … we bought with our own money … let’s use it for the development of this nation,” a visibly jovial Magufuli told the gathering which had turned out to witness the event.

Before cutting the ribbon to launch the aircraft, clerics from across religious divides prayed for Tanzania, the president and other leaders … and for the country’s development – before they accompanied President Magufuli into the plane for a brief experience of its interior.

Earlier, ATCL Managing Director Ladislaus Matindi had observed that with an increased fleet, his company would explore more airspace within Tanzania and beyond. “… at present we have just ten routes … one of which is the Comoros … now our customers will have added advantage in cost and allowable language when travelling with us,” he explained.

For want of direct flights, Tanzania’s national carrier was the subject of open ridicule, blamed for allegedly ‘suppressing’ the inflow of potential tourists. 

Speaking at another event yesterday, Dr Magufuli affirmed his government’s commitment to improving air transport to ease transport of perishable products and wooing more back packers. “… almost 70 per cent of tourists worldwide use air transport … so more investments are underway to uplift ATCL and infrastructure in the industry to enable us increase the number of tourists arrival from the current 1.3 to five million,” he explained.

Last year, industry insiders predicted that East African skies would become busier after Uganda floated plans to revive its national airline – even as Tanzania and Rwanda continue to expand their fleets.

The expansion is set to put pressure on carriers including Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, South African Airways, Precision Air and Fastjet, a London-listed, lowcost carrier based in Tanzania. Kenya Airways has however been facing some financial problems over the past few years.

Forecasts by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents 250 of the world’s largest airlines, indicate that seven of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets in the next 20 years will be in Africa. It mentioned the markets as Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda and Ethiopia; predicting further that the number of passengers in Africa will grow by 4.7 per cent a year.

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