FASTJET TO BE OWNED BY TANZANIANS

Lawrence Masha, fastjet Executive Chairman (centre), speaks to reporters recently.

12 November 2018, Dar es salaam - One of the country’s fastest growing airline, Fastjet Airlines Ltd, Tanzania, has confirmed that their plans to acquire the local airline are progressing well.

On November 6, 2018, the Company announced appointment of Mr Lawrence Masha as its first executive chairman. The announcement signified a strong indication of future plans of the airline to continue their domestic and international air services as a wholly owned Tanzanian company.

Mr Masha is making steady progress with his turnaround strategy and is working closely with the company’s management team to strategize the future of the company, which remains focused on serving both the population of Tanzanians and the overseas tourism markets.

Speaking at fastjet’s Dar es Salaam headquarters, Mr Masha explained that “Our commitment is to the Tanzanian public who have benefited from the air services provided by fastjet for almost six years now and that we intend to build on this by looking into new routes and potentially new aircraft types suited to the needs of the market. We see opportunities to collaborate with both local and international airlines, including Air Tanzania, potentially working on a feeder service, in full support of the Governments tourism plans”.

Fastjet Tanzania has over its six years of operations carried more than 2.5 million passengers in Tanzania alone.

The budget carrier, which operates flights between Dar es salaam and Mwanza, Mbeya, Kilimanjaro, Lusaka and Zimbabwe, records an average of 30,000 passengers on a monthly basis.

About fastjet:

fastjet is a multi-award winning (including Skytrax World Airline Awards Best Low-Cost Airline in Africa 2017 and Leading African Low-Cost Carrier, World Travel Awards 2016 and 2017) Affordable African airline for everyone that began flight operations in Tanzania in November 2012, flying Guests from Dar es Salaam to just two domestic destinations - Kilimanjaro and Mwanza. 

Today, fastjet’s route network includes Tanzanian domestic routes from its Dar es Salaam base to Kilimanjaro, Mbeya, and Mwanza with international routes to Lusaka in Zambia and Harare in Zimbabwe. 

The airline also began branded domestic flights in Mozambique between Maputo and Beira, Nampula and Tete on 3 November 2017 and celebrated its second year of operations in Zimbabwe in the same year. In Zimbabwe, the carrier operates between Harare and Victoria Falls, and from Harare and Victoria Falls to Johannesburg in South Africa. 

The airline has flown over 3 million passengers with an impressive aggregate on-time performance, establishing itself as a punctual, reliable, and affordable low-cost carrier.