AFRICA: Radisson Blu Is The Leading Individual Hotel Brand In Africa

Radisson Blu has for a second year in a row, secured the leading position as the hotel brand with the most hotels under development and the most hotel deals in its pipeline in Africa, according to the recently published 2019 W Hospitality Pipeline Report.

Radisson Blu, part of the Radisson Hotel Group™ took over as the fastest growing hotel brand in Africa last year and has for a second year claimed the title with the recent release of W Hospitality Pipeline Report 2019, the most authoritative source on the growth of the hotel industry in Africa.

The report has ranked Radisson Blu as the leading individual hotel brand with the highest number of hotel deals and within this pipeline, the largest number of rooms and proportion of its pipeline actually under construction, in Africa.

The Group's upper midscale brand, Park Inn by Radisson, has also entered the same top 10 brand list, securing the fifth position.

We are thrilled to see our flagship brand, Radisson Blu, continuing to lead the way in Africa with the most hotel deals signed and the most hotel rooms under construction, than any of the other 120 hotel brands it was ranked against.

This is a true testament of our agility as a hotel group, as we can move quickly from deal signing to hotel opening. As referenced in the report, we had several hotels which were signed and opened within the same year.

This is aligned with our development strategy, as we expect our future growth to arise from existing hotel take-overs and new build hotels.

With economic headwinds in some African markets, we have identified further opportunities to exploit our vast knowledge and experience in converting unbranded, underperforming hotels, offices or apartment buildings and re-position them to the right brand and market segment within the Radisson Hotel Group brand portfolio, says Andrew Mclachlan, Senior Vice President, Development, Sub-Saharan Africa, Radisson Hotel Group.

This growth has spiked Radisson Hotel Group's portfolio in Africa to 99 hotels (20,500+ rooms) in operation and under development across 32 countries.

We aim to add a further 12 hotels to our African portfolio this year, which will take us well over the 100 hotel mark by year end and confidently on our way to securing 130 hotels by the end of 2022.

Our five-year development strategy focuses on creating scaled hotel growth in key cities and resort locations across Africa.

With a focus on scaled growth in key locations across Africa, we can offer guests multiple hotels across different brands and market segments, at various price points and improved local hotel performance with strong local procurement and cluster select services in the same city.

Cape Town, Johannesburg and Lagos are our three gateway cities in sub-Saharan Africa where we aim to have scaled growth and an ambition of up to ten hotels within the same city.

Dakar, Abidjan, Douala, Luanda, Nairobi, Dar es Salaam and Addis Ababa are cities where we aim to have between three and five hotels due to the size of the economy, market, long-term fundamentals and supply and demand opportunities.

In addition, we are not ignoring the smaller cities and larger towns across Africa where we've identified potential to penetrate the market with either our midscale Park Inn by Radisson brand or upscale Radisson, concludes Mclachlan.

AFRICA: Taxify Operates In More African Cities Than Uber.

Ride-hailing company Taxify is taking the fight for market share in Africa with Uber to places where Uber isn’t.

The Estonian company which has grown to become Uber’s biggest rival in Africa is pursuing an expansion strategy that’s focused on not only operating in major cities across Africa, like Uber does.

Taxify has also been expanding to smaller cities and now operates in more African cities than Uber.

In Nigeria, in addition to Lagos and Abuja, the only two cities where Uber currently operates, Taxify has launched operations in Ibadan, Nigeria’s largest city by land size, and Owerri, a bustling commercial center in the southeast.

While neither city matches Lagos or Abuja as urban centers, they have sizable business districts and populations of over 1 million people each.

In Tanzania, while Uber has stuck only to Dar es Salaam, Taxify operates there as well as in Dodoma, the nation’s capital and in Mwanza, a tourism hotbed on the shore on Lake Victoria.

In South Africa, Taxify continues to compete with Uber in Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth but has also expanded to Polokwane.

It is set to also launch in East London later this month—a move that will see it surpass Uber for the number of African cities operated in. It will also mean Taxify operates more cities in South Africa than anywhere else.

Much of Taxify’s expansion has been bankrolled by its recent $175 million capital raise—a funding round which valued the company at more than $1 billion.

Taxify’s backers include Daimler, the German car giant and Didi Chuxing, the dominant ride-hailing business in China which is also known for backing Uber’s rivals elsewhere.

As it continues to grow and attempt to win over riders, Taxify’s lower commissions on fares are also a tactic to win over drivers.

For its part, Uber, which has now operated in African cities for five years, is also eyeing more expansion with Rwanda, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Mauritius among potential targets.

And showing a willingness to adapt to local markets, it has also introduced lower cost ride-hailing options with rickshaws in Kenya and motorcycles in Uganda.


Tourism Observer

ZIMBABWE: Does Air Zimbabwe Have Only One Working Aircraft?

Boeing 767-200ER, the Air Zimbabwe plane that spewed fire from its left engine shortly after take-off from OR Tambo International Airport on April 28, is the airline’s only working aircraft.

A statement released by the airline on March 7 claimed that, due to equipment constraints, the aircraft is used to service all routes.

The aircraft underwent an engine change on March 3, which resulted in rescheduled and cancelled flights at the time.

Destinations via the airline include Johannesburg, Victoria Falls, Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, and Harare, the Zimbabwean capital city.

Flight UM462 was en route to Harare shortly after 7pm on April 28 when it experienced a malfunction on one of its engines, which resulted in a brief tailpipe fire.

This malfunction did not threaten the continuation of the flight or the safety of the crew and passengers, the airline stated. The plane landed safely in Harare at 8.35pm, about one and a half hours after the ordeal started.

Our engineers have commenced the required investigation and a report will be issued in due course, the airline added.


Tourism Observer

TANZANIA: Air Tanzania Receives First Airbus A220 Aircraft

Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corp. and Air Tanzania celebrated the delivery of the airline’s first Airbus A220 aircraft powered by Pratt & Whitney GTF™ engines.

Air Tanzania in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, will be the first airline based in Africa to operate GTF engines and the A220 aircraft.

The United Republic of Tanzania, represented by the Tanzanian Government Flight Agency (TGFA) signed an agreement for two Pratt & Whitney GTF-powered Airbus A220 aircraft and one Pratt & Whitney Canada PW150-powered Bombardier Q400 turboprop aircraft in December 2016.

The airline will be utilizing the aircraft for domestic and international operations, expanding their routes and growing beyond Africa.

While Air Tanzania is well known to the Pratt & Whitney family, having previously operated Pratt & Whitney-powered Q300 and Q400 aircraft, we are embarking on a new journey together as they take delivery of their first GTF-powered A220 aircraft said Rick Deurloo, senior vice president of sales, marketing and customer support at Pratt & Whitney.

The impact this airline will make on the region with the operation of these two aircraft is truly notable. The GTF engines offer proven economic and environmental benefits with the ability to fly farther with less fuel, making Air Tanzania’s decision to expand their route network a viable solution.

We look forward to growing this relationship together. The A220, exclusively powered by the GTF engine, offers double-digit improvement in operating costs compared to current generation aircraft.

It’s 20% more fuel efficient and provides a 75% reduction in noise footprint and NOx emissions 50% below the ICAO CAEP 6 regulation.

Representatives from the airline as well as officials from the United Republic of Tanzania Government alongside executives from the A220 program handed over the A220 from the Mirabel assembly line.

The A220 unrivalled passenger comfort combined with its remarkable performance and economics will be an excellent asset to further develop Air Tanzania’s network,” said Tito Kasambala, Acting CEO, Tanzanian Government Flight Agency (TGFA).

The A220 will allow Air Tanzania to further develop its domestic and regional market as well as open new routes to India and the Middle East from its home base Dar es Salaam.

With the addition of the A220 in our fleet we are confident that we will expand our footprint in the growing African markets and beyond, as we unlock additional routes and regain our position as a key player in the African air transport market, added Ladislaus Matindi, Managing Director & CEO, Air Tanzania Company Limited.

Air Tanzania becomes the fifth airline globally with an A220 family aircraft.

Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL) is the flag carrier airline of Tanzania based in Dar es Salaam with its hub at Julius Nyerere International Airport.

It was established as Air Tanzania Corporation (ATC) in 1977 after the dissolution of East African Airways and has been a member of the African Airlines Association since its inception.

The airline was wholly owned by the Tanzanian Government until 2002 when it was partially privatised as per the directive of the Bretton Woods Institutions to implement the country's Structural Adjustment Program. The government therefore reduced its shareholding to 51 percent and entered into a partnership with South African Airways.

The partnership lasted for about four years and had accumulated losses of more than Tsh 24 billion (US$19 million). The government repurchased the shares in 2006 and it is once again a wholly owned government company.

Over the years, it has served a variety of domestic, regional, and intercontinental destinations. Despite being the national airline, its market share has deteriorated over the years from 19.2 percent in 2009 to 0.4 percent in 2011.

In 2016 the Tanzanian government under the leadership of President Dr. John Pombe Magufuli initiated a new drive to revive the national carrier, as part of a pledge made during the election campaigns the previous year.

The government purchased two brand new Bombardier Q400 for the national carrier which were delivered in September 2016. In December the same year the President's office announced that a further four aircraft would be purchased for the national carrier, with deliveries set for June 2018.

Air Tanzania's market share for 2017 went up to 24% from 2.5% the previous year.


Tourism Observer

TANZANIA: Air Tanzania Acquires 787 Dreamliner

Tanzania will finally take delivery of its first Dreamliner aircraft this coming Friday July 6, following two intense years of planning the revival of the national carrier Air Tanzania.

The aircraft, baptised Kilimanjaro-Hapa kazi tu, successfully underwent its maiden runway test flight at the Paine field in Seattle, Washington state.

It was seen at the Paine field undergoing pre-delivery tests on Monday.

The aircraft's delivery will signal a major shift in Tanzania's aviation sector that will see the national career start operating intercontinental flights later this September, with a maiden flight to Mumbai.

This is a major boost to the fortunes of the carrier, revived barely two years ago, as it seeks to play a bigger role in the regional aviation market dominated by Ethiopia, Kenya and Rwanda.

Last week, the airline's commercial and business development director Patrick Ndekana said that the Dreamliner aircraft will fly to Mumbai thrice a week starting September, its first route outside the continent.

In March, Air Tanzania announced that the 787 Dreamliner will be its flagship as it renews and grows its fleet.

The fleet improvement programme includes the purchasing of six aircraft. These include three Bombardier DASH8 Q400, two of which were delivered in September 2016, and now use for domestic routes between Dar es Salaam and the Comoros islands, Mwanza, Kigoma and Mtwara.

It also received one Bombardier DASH8 Q400 in June last year. The improvement plan shows that by July this year, Air Tanzania will be operating a fleet of seven aircraft as it has been operating one Bombardier DASH8 Q300 since 2011.

We aim to establish our long-haul capability by starting flights to Europe, Asia and the US in the short term and the 787 Dreamliner is the perfect aircraft to achieve this ambition, chief executive officer Ladislaus Matindi said.

The airline will also receive two more new Bombardier CS300 after the Tanzania Government Flight Agency finalised purchase agreements with US manufacturer Boeing Commercial Airplanes and Canada's Bombardier Inc.

Two years ago Tanzania decided to develop a specific programme for revamping its national carrier which included purchasing of six new aircraft between 2016 and 2018, paying off debts, provision of startup capital, improvement and modernisation of business systems.

Mr Matindi said that the Bombardier C300s will be used to open up to six regional routes in southern and West Africa as the airline tries to capture a share of these markets.

We are looking at South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe and in the future expanding to West Africa with Ghana and Nigeria.

We will however use the Dreamliner for intercontinental routes to China and India initially, followed by Europe in the second phase.

We are already in talks with Boeing and the government to have a second delivery of the same aircraft in the near future, Mr Matindi said.

Air Tanzania is also expecting to undergo the Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certification before the end of July, which will enable it enter into commercial partnerships with other operators as it seeks to grow its revenue via code share agreements.

The International Air Transport Association's IOSA is an evaluation system designed to test the operational management and control systems of an airline, putting it at par with the international aviation standards.

We already have a strong business plan and given that we are a great tourism destination, we believe that we will have the right mix of passenger numbers and capacity to support this plan, Mr Matindi said.

On Tanzania’s domestic routes, Air Tanzania will compete with Kenya Airways which partly owns Precision Air and the troubled Fastjet.

The latter two airlines operate domestic Tanzanian routes between Dar es Salaam and Mwanza, Kilimanjaro, Mbeya and Zanzibar. Fastjet also flies to Southern Africa from Dar es Salaam with South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe featuring on its regional routes.


Tourism Observer

MOROCCO: Royal Air Maroc To Fly To 5 East African Nations, Signs Codeshare With Alitalia

Royal Air Maroc RAM has signed a code sharing agreement with Alitalia to boost air links between Morocco and Italy.

Under the deal, they will increase air links between Morocco and Italy to 29 from 7, RAM said in a statement on Wednesday.

Royal Air Maroc (RAM) the national carrier for Morocco announced plans to launch flights to five other East African cities.

Royal Air Maroc already has flights from Casablanca to Nairobi.

Royal Air Maroc Country manager in Kenya, Othman Baba says the move, caused by their gainful experience on the Nairobi route.

Royal Air Maroc which joined the 23-member single African air transport market (SAAM) last year, has said it will ride on the continental aviation framework, to speed up regulatory approvals.

It is so far the only North African airline that runs a direct Nairobi—Ndjamena (Chad) flight.

We will be extending operations in East Africa in in the short-term with new destinations like Dar es Salaam, Harare, Kigali, Maputo and Khartoum,he said.

With more than 30 destinations in West Africa, it is imperative that Royal Air Maroc has decided to spread into East Africa to share on the lucrative East African market.

Royal Air Maroc started with two weekly flights to Nairobi in 2016, but has since increased frequency to three fights a week.

Royal Air Maroc, Kenya Airways, Ethiopian, South African and Egypt Air are Africa’s largest flying Airlines.

Air Maroc says its key success point remains its low ticket prices.

Royal Air Maroc maintains strict control over its costs structure and processes, resulting in lower ticket price and cargo tariffs.


Tourism Observer

EAST AFRICA: Nairobi With Highest Number Of Hotel Rooms And Hotels In The Region, It Was Lowest In Hotel Room Revenue 2017

Nairobi’s revenue per available room (RevPAR) a performance metric for the hotel industry was the lowest among other East Africa capitals in 2017, probably because of slowed business travel during the elections last year.

Nairobi registered the sharpest drop in RevPAR of 17.8 per cent to $60 (Sh6,000) last year.

Nairobi Hotel occupancy dropped causing it to follow other capitals in the region including Addis Ababa, Kampala, Dar es Salaam and Kigali, a survey by Cytonn Investment showed.

Nevertheless, it should be noted that Nairobi has the highest number of Hotel Rooms and Hotels in the entire region.

However, it is expected to recover on the back of high tourist arrivals, public sector support for tourism, as well as new air routes in the long term, the firm noted in its survey report.

RevPAR is calculated by dividing a hotel’s total guest room revenue by the number of available rooms in a given time period.

The metric is often used to compare performance between competitor hotels, defined by geographical location and market segment.

The Ethiopian market registered the highest RevPAR performance in 2017 at $104 against the regional average of $79, buoyed by strong demand from diplomatic and corporate clients.

Addis Ababa is home to the African Union offices, the UN Economic Commission for Africa, foreign missions, regional NGOs as well as the UN Conference Centre and the fast-paced growth of the Ethiopian Airlines which currently serves 101 destinations, Cytonn noted.

Kampala, registered a solid performance in 2017 with its average RevPAR increasing by 11.9 per cent to $94 compared to the previous year, lifted by an increase in domestic and regional tourism.

Kigali, recorded a slight increase in average RevPAR of 2.8 per cent to settle at $73.

However, as per the report, bed occupancy rates in Kigali recorded a decline of 3.9 per cent attributable to the sharp increase in average daily rates which rose by 5.7 per cent during the year, Cytonn noted.

Nairobi registered the highest number of International arrivals in 2017

Nairobi - 1.4

Kampala - 1.3

Addis Ababa - 1.2

Dar es Salaam - 1.2

Kigali - 0.9

Dar es Salaam, saw its average RevPAR drop by 13.7 per cent to $62 largely because of the shift of government operations to Dodoma as well as stalled entry of foreign firms.

Dar es Salaam also witnessed a 5.6 per cent decline in bed occupancy rates in 2017.

And though Kenya registered the highest number of international arrivals in the region at 1.4 million, Nairobi’s RevPAR was not reflected in bed occupancy which stood at 47 per cent, as many visitors opted to stay at the coast or in national parks.

Increased occupancy of facilities outside Nairobi helped Kenya to post an unexpected overall 20.3 per cent growth in tourism earnings to Sh120 billion.

The sharp increase came despite some expectations of a slowdown due to a prolonged and tense election period and the accompanying risk of violence.

Average Hotel occupancy rates in East Africa

Kampala - 56%

Nairobi - 47%

Kigali - 49%

Dar es Salaam - 52%

Addis Ababa - 54%

Kenya’s tourism performance in election years has been low due to fear of unrest and violence.

For instance, government statistics show that tourism was severely affected during the 2007/2008 period due to post-election violence.

International tourist arrivals slumped from the highest peak of the decade, 1,817,000 in 2007, to 1,203,200 in 2008.

Rvenue dropped from Sh65.2 billion to a low of Sh52.7 billion as visitors kept away from the country.

In the 2002 General Election the sector was also hit hard, with earnings sliding 11 per cent from Sh24.3 billion the previous year to Sh21.7 billion.

A similar trend was recorded in the 2013 electoral season despite the fact that the knocks were not as extensive as was witnessed in 2002 and 2007.

Kenya’s 2003 tourism earnings fell slightly by 2.1 per cent, attributed to the fact the elections were relatively peaceful.

Tourism in Kenya was affected by election turmoil 2008 and 2017 and terror attacks, which saw the decline in overall decline in tourism arrivals between 2011 and 2015.


Tourism Observer

TANZANIA: Air Tanzania To Commence Regional Flights

Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL), is planning to start flying to Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.

The airline’s managing director, Mr Ladislaus Matindi, revealed the company’s plans during the company workers’ congress, saying all routes would be active from the next financial year.

There is a significant improvement since the government started reviving ATCL and what we are currently targeting is to improve delivery of services and increase the number of routes, he said.

The workers congress’ chairman, Mr Emmanuel Koroso, said ATCL is an established airline, but it faced financial challenges that affected its overall business operations.

Initiatives by the government to revive ATCL are commendable, but we are facing some challenges that can only be resolved through dialogue, Mr Koroso said.

He mentioned some of the challenges as changing the working culture for some of the employees, which will help them compete with other foreign airlines.

Mr Koroso also said shortage of human and financial resources was also making it difficult for the airline to run efficiently, but he called on the employees to work hard.

Air Tanzania offers a sole international route to Moroni, Comoros and 12 domestic routes, including Bukoba, Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Kigoma, Kilimanjaro, Mtwara, Mbeya, Mwanza, Songea, Tabora and Zanzibar.

The carrier manages a fleet of four aircraft consisting of one Bombardier Q300 and three Q400 airliners.

Further, the company expects to add two more Bombardier CS300 and one Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner to its fleet.

They will arrive in the country later this year, according to the Tanzania's State house director of communication, Mr Gerson Msigwa.

Boeing reported recently on its official website that the United Republic of Tanzania has ordered one 787-8 Dreamliner, which is valued at $224.6 million.

I am pleased to welcome Air Tanzania as the newest member of the Dreamliner family, said Mr Van Rex Gallard, the Boeing Commercial Airplanes vice president for Latin America, Africa & Caribbean.

Tanzania has received its third aircraft of the six that President John Magufuli administration plans to acquire in order to revive State-owned Air Tanzania.

On Monday, the third aircraft touched ground at the Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) on Monday.

The plane, a Bombardier Q-400, touched ground at 5.07 PM, with President Magufuli gracing the event to receive it.

The government has purchased the plane for $32 million from Canada's Bombardier Aerospace.

Two years ago, Tanzania developed a programme to revitalise its national carrier, Air Tanzania.

The programme included purchasing six new aircraft between 2016 and 2018, payment of debts and provision of start-up capital, improvement and modernisation of business systems.

We will receive three more aircrafts. This time, jets. We will have a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner and two Bombardier C300 series. They will arrive before the end of this year, President Magufuli said.

On Monday, the president also laid a foundation stone for installation of four radar systems in the capital Dar es Salaam.

The radars are to be installed at the JNIA, Kilimanjaro, Mwanza and Songwe airports within 18 months. The project is part of the Tanzania's Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) strategy to improve civil aviation in the county.

The project will also facilitate search and rescue operations in case of emergency or air accidents.

This will enable the country meet the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)'s standards and guidelines, TCAA director-general Hamsa Johari said.

Air Tanzania was established as Air Tanzania Corporation (ATC) on September in 1977 after the collapse of the regional East African Airways.

Since then, the airline had been operating at a loss and depending on government subsidies.

The airline lost all its regional and international routes after grounding its aircraft which included Nairobi, Johannesburg, Jeddah, Milan, Frankfurt, London and Mumbai.

Meanwhile, A Tanzanian minister says women participating in the Miss Tanzania beauty pageant should be considered for employment at the State-run airline Air Tanzania (ATCL).

Information, Culture, Arts and Sports minister Harrison Mwakyembe argues that by recruiting them, the beauty competition will be seen as a bridge to success for Tanzania’s beautiful ladies.

Dr Mwakyembe spoke on Saturday while officiating this year’s Miss Tanzania's pageant.

He said he believes participants in the beauty contest have all the criteria to be recruited at Air Tanzania, insisting that he would push for their employment at the national carrier.

All they need is to undergo a three-month training at the National Institute of Transport before joining the ATCL team, he said.



Tourism Observer

KENYA: X mass Holidays Attract More Travellers For Jambojet

Budget airline Jambojet has introduced additional flights to the coastal cities as it seeks to cash in on the high demand from holidaymakers.

The airline’s CEO Willem Hondius said there has been increased demand for air travel between Nairobi and the Coast forcing the company to increase frequency starting Tuesday (Dec 19).

Jambojet is now operating three flights to Malindi and Ukunda and four to Mombasa per week.

Yes we have added flights to Malindi (3 per week), Mombasa (4 per week), Ukunda (3 per week plus a third frequency per day between December 19 and 31),said Mr Hondius.

Mr Hondius said all routes that the airline plies have registered high demand. During the festive season we see demand going up sharply and there is always need to add flights,he said.

Last week the airline received one of two planes it purchased last month at Sh6.6 billion to cater for increased demand this Christmas season.

The addition brings Jambojet’s fleet to six – two Q400 planes that it acquired earlier in the year and two Boeing 737s leased from Kenya Airways KQ its parent company.

The airline said the remaining plane will arrive later this month. The two planes have been acquired from Danish firm Nordic Aviation Capital.

The cost of booking air tickets has significantly gone up as more passengers seek to travel by air. Those who have been booking from last week are paying almost double the price compared with travellers who booked in November.

It’s still quite last minute unfortunately. However for the festive season people tend to book a bit earlier, said the CEO.

The airline in May got regulatory approval to fly to 16 regional routes, including Entebbe, Addis Ababa, Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Kilimanjaro, Mwanza, Kigali, Juba, Bujumbura, Hargeisa, Mogadishu, Goma, Kisangani and Moroni.

Meanwhile, Jambojet is set to start flights to Tanzania and Uganda by February next year, kicking off its regional expansion plan designed to see the low-cost carrier fly to 16 new routes.

The Transport ministry said it had applied for permission for the budget airline, a subsidiary of Kenya Airways is to fly to the countries.

Jambojet was in May granted regulatory approval to fly to 16 routes including Entebbe, Addis Ababa, Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Kilimanjaro, Mwanza, Kigali, Juba, Bujumbura, Hargeisa, Mogadishu, Goma, Kisangani and Moroni.

The government has applied for designations on our behalf to allow us operate on six regional routes, Willem Hondius, Jambojet’s chief executive said.

For now, the application covers Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia and Democratic Republic of Congo. However, we intend to begin by flying to Tanzania and Uganda.

Jambojet also plans to start flying to Wajir by next February, adding to its existing flights between Nairobi and Mombasa, Eldoret, Kisumu, Lamu, Malindi and Ukunda (Diani).

The airline had earlier said it would make its international debut by the end of this year, but delays in receiving two Bombardier Q400 aircraft has seen them push their launch date forward.

These two planes are now expected before Christmas.

The extended electioneering period took a toll on the business, with total bookings for the four months to October dipping by around 16 per cent, Mr Hondius revealed.

The airline flies between 45,000 and 50,000 passengers per month.

In the weeks around the two general elections, he added, passenger numbers dropped by a quarter, highlighting the huge toll that the process had on Kenya’s aviation sector.

Kenya Airways’ latest annual report indicates that Jambojet reported a pre-tax loss of Sh25 million for the year to March, reversing a pre-tax profit of Sh126 million recorded the previous year.

The loss was attributable to last year’s peak season when insufficient aircraft messed us up. The elections affected us negatively this year. While business has rebounded, we shall assess the full impact with time, said Mr Hondius.

Jambojet is set to receive two new aircraft worth Sh6.6 billion before Christmas in anticipation of the high-season passenger demand and as the low-cost carrier prepares to start international flights.

The airline, a subsidiary of national carrier Kenya Airways is set to receive the first of two Bombardier Q400 on December 11. The second one is expected to touch down in Nairobi six days later.

Jambojet was in May granted regulatory approval to fly to 16 routes including Entebbe, Addis Ababa, Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Kilimanjaro, Mwanza, Kigali, Juba, Bujumbura, Hargeisa, Mogadishu, Goma, Kisangani and Moroni.

We are confident that the Q400 aircraft will allow us to implement our growth strategy as we strive to launch new routes and to respond to the anticipated increase in demand, Willem Hondius, Jambojet’s chief executive, said in a statement.

The budget carrier will lease the aircraft from Danish firm Nordic Aviation Capital which in turn signed a purchase order for the planes with Montreal-based Bombardier on Wednesday.

Jambojet, which has been operational since April 2014, currently operates four aircraft — two Q400 planes which were also acquired this year and two Boeing 737s leased from its parent firm.

The airline plies six routes in Kenya; between Nairobi and Mombasa, Eldoret, Kisumu, Malindi and Ukunda (Diani). We are looking at retiring our narrow body fleet (Boeing 737s) and transitioning to an all-Q400 fleet by end of this year, said Mr Hondius.

The carrier has already returned one of the Boeings to KQ with the national carrier now expected to put it up for sale.

Thousands of Jambojet passengers travelling to the Coast over Christmas were hit by flight delays and cancellations.

The airline said the delays resulted from technical problems on one Bombardier, which was compounded by the delayed arrival of the aircraft to handle higher passenger numbers during the holiday season.

Jambojet, which issued an apology for these delays, has since then set out to increase its fleet to avoid a repeat of this incident even as looks to expand regionally.

Jambojet has slashed baggage fees by up to 65 per cent in a bid to generate more non-passenger ticket revenue for the budget airline.

The low-cost carrier has announced that its highest luggage fee, charged on 32 kilogrammes of baggage, will drop to Sh5,500 for payments made at their airport and half that for bookings made through agents or online.

This marks a sharp fall from the Sh15,600 and Sh7,800 respectively which Jambojet, a Kenya Airways subsidiary, was charging its customers.

We have reduced the rates, allowing passengers to carry more for less, Jambojet chief executive Willem Hondius said. We have also reduced the baggage fee bands making it easier for passengers to choose.

Jambojet’s baggage policy review comes a few months after it hired Catherine Mwangi as its ancillary manager.

Ancillary services in the airline industry include entertainment, onboard shopping, Internet gaming, car hire, frequent flier programmes, hotel bookings, checked baggage and better cabin seating.

The extras normally add on to and sometimes exceed the budget ticket costs.

Ms Mwangi has previously held various marketing jobs at Qatar Airways, Air France-KLM as well as South African Airways.

Payments made at the airport will cost double across all bands.

Jambojet achieved a 90 per cent on-time-performance (OTP) in September and October mainly driven by a new fleet, records show.

The low-cost carrier recorded a six per cent higher average of OTP in the two months after recording 84 per cent in August.

OTP is an industry benchmark calculated based on flights taking off and landing within 15 minutes of the scheduled time.

We are well over our target of 80 per cent which is considerably better than the industry average. Without a doubt, this is a very good sign as we go into the peak festive season, said Jambojet chief executive Willem Hondius.

Our investment in the two new Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 aircrafts has enabled us to deliver a very reliable flight schedule across the country and live up to the expectation of customers.

The airline has maintained an average OTP of 85 per cent in the past seven months, Mr Hondius said.

Jambojet has in its nearly four years of operation in Kenya increased its routes from four to six, with increased frequency of flights due to fleet expansion.

It currently operates 75 flights per week on its domestic routes from Nairobi to Mombasa, Eldoret, Kisumu, Malindi and Ukunda.

The airline, which has a code-share agreement with Kenya Airways for domestic travel, expects delivery of two new aircraft later this year.




Tourism Observer

TANZANIA: $29.5 Million Smuggled Petra Diamonds Impounded At Dar Airport

Tanzania said on Saturday it planned to nationalise diamonds whose value it put at $29.5 million belonging to a mine majority owned by London-listed Petra Diamonds after it accused the miner of under-declaring its mineral exports.

The diamonds were seized at the main airport in Tanzania's commercial capital Dar es Salaam on Aug. 31 as they were being exported by Williamson Diamonds Ltd to Antwerp, Belgium.

The government first confirmed the confiscation on Thursday, when President John Magufuli was receiving audits by parliamentary committees on the mining sector.

While Williamson Diamonds Ltd declared in its documentation that the value of the diamonds was $14.798 million, a fresh valuation done by the government established that the actual value of the diamonds is $29.5million," Tanzania's Finance and Planning Ministry said in a statement.

Among the legal action to be taken include the nationalisation of all the diamonds seized after it was established that there was cheating involved in declaring the actual value of the minerals, it said.

Petra owns 75 percent of the stake in Williamson Diamonds, with the remaining shares held by the government. The Williamson mine accounted for 18 percent of Petra's revenue last year.

Officials at Petra were not reachable for comment on Saturday.

On Thursday, the company said its business was conducted in a transparent manner and that it had complied with all legislation in Tanzania.

The government halted the export of the diamond shipment and ordered a fresh sorting and valuation of the minerals to verify if the actual value was declared and all relevant taxes were paid.

The statement said Tanzania's Finance and Planning Minister, Philip Mpango, had also ordered a criminal investigation to be launched against all officials involved in declaring the value of the diamonds and issuing export permits.

The minister also ordered the arrest of employees of the diamond mine and public officials involved in the shipment.

Tanzania is likely losing more than $46 million each year from the export of under-cleared diamonds through this airport,Mpango said in the statement.

Magufuli on Thursday ordered a review of Petra Diamonds' contract and asked senior public officials to resign over the outcome of an investigation into the mining sector.

One minister and a deputy minister quit their posts as requested, state-run television reported.

The president's actions are a continuation of a crackdown in a mining sector that accounts for about 4 percent of Tanzania's gross domestic product.

A parliamentary committee said on Thursday there were gross irregularities in the manner in which the Tanzanian government diluted its shareholding in Williamson from an initial 50 percent to the current 25 percent.

Magufuli also said he had ordered law enforcement agencies to investigate allegations of under-declared diamond exports.



Tourism Observer

TANZANIA: Israeli Visa Handling Center In Dar es Salaam

Tanzania is looking to attract Israel tourists and business stakeholders, while Tanzanian Christian pilgrims are looking up to visit Israel in rising numbers through visa application between Dar es Salaam and Tel Aviv.

The Embassy of Israel in Nairobi has established a visa handling center in Dar es Salaam to strengthen bilateral relations with Tanzania, looking to process travel documents between Dar es Salaam and Tel Aviv.

Tanzania President John Magufuli had expressed his intention to open the Tanzania embassy in Tel Aviv in a letter he addressed to Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his official visit to Uganda in July of last year.

In the letter sent to Mr. Netanyahu through Tanzanian Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr. Augustine Mahiga, President Magufuli had expressed his intention to establish a permanent embassy in Israel for the first time.

Tanzanian Minister for Tourism Prof. Jumanne Maghembe said a visa handling center, of which he witnessed its opening, would speed up travel arrangements between Tanzania and Israel with expectations to attract more Israeli tourists while facilitating visa application to Tanzanians looking to visit the Holy Land.

Prof. Maghembe said tourist charter planes from Israel are welcomed to bring tourists to Tanzania through travel arrangements to be processed in Dar es Salaam.

The number of Israel tourists to Tanzania had increased from 3,007 in 2011 to 14,754 in 2015, according to data available from the Tanzania Tourist Board.

Israel still conducts its relations with Tanzania via its Embassy in Kenya, and Tanzanians wishing to travel to Israel had to process their documents through Nairobi. The 2 countries are now looking to further strengthen their relations for which Israel has opened a visa center in Tanzania.

The Tanzania Tourist Board, on its part, has been encouraging Israeli tourists to make Tanzania their African safari destination, while a number of Tanzanians were looking to travel to Israel for religious pilgrimage in holy cities of Israel.

Negotiations between the Tanzania government and Israel are going on to get the best means that would help to strengthen and quicken travel and tourism links between Israel and Tanzania.

There are tourist charter planes from Israel landing at Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar boarded with Israelis.

Israel ambassador in Kenya Mr. Yahel Vilan said Tanzania stands among African countries which Israel has been looking for business and diplomatic cooperation. Israeli airline, El Al, has been looking to launch special tourist flights to Tanzania.

Numbers of pilgrims from Tanzania intent to visit the Holy Land, are expected to increase, affirming that easing access to a visa is a key element to encourage additional travel.

The Embassy of the State of Israel in Nairobi will be officially opening an Israeli Visa Handling Center in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on November 4 in a function set from 10 am-12:30 pm.

The Honorable Professor Jumanne Maghembe, the Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism, has graciously accepted to be the Guest of Honor.

The purpose of opening the visa office it to allow for all visa applications and documents, which are brought from all over Tanzania to be handled at the Centre, simplifying the process for Tanzanians who wish to visit Israel, and as another step in the strengthening of relations between Tanzania and Israel.

Numbers of pilgrims from Tanzania intent to visit the Holy Land, are as a result expected to increase, affirming that easing access to a visa is a key element to encourage additional travel.

The Ambassador of the State of Israel, who will travel to Dar es Salaam for this landmark event, will be available for interviews by local, regional, and international media on the matter of the pending UNESCO resolution where Tanzania has called for a vote together with Croatia on behalf of the State of Israel, a sign of strong bilateral ties between the two countries.

The official inauguration ceremony of the Israeli Visa Handling Center at Rickshaw Travels offices will take place in the Hyatt Hotel in Dar es Salaam. The event will be held at the offices in the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Kibo Hall.

TANZANIA: Mwanza The Marine City

The city of Mwanza is the major Tanzanian port on Lake Victoria and a major centre of economic activities in the region. The lake borders the country’s East African neighbours – Uganda to the north west, and Kenya to the north east.

Mwanza is a city in Northwest Tanzania on the southern edge of Lake Victoria. Your main reason for coming here would likely be en route to Rwanda or Uganda. The city also received some international attention after the controversial documentary Darwin's Nightmare, which is about the trade in the Nile Perch, centered around this city.

Tanzania’s second-largest city, and the lake region’s economic heart, Mwanza is set on Lake Victoria’s shore, surrounded by hills strewn with enormous boulders.

It is notable for its strong Indian influences, as well as for being a major industrial centre and a busy port. Yet, despite its rapidly rising skyline, Mwanza manages to retain a casual feel.

In addition to being a stop on the way to Rubondo Island National Park, Mwanza is a great starting or finishing point for safaris through Ngorongoro and the Serengeti, ideally as a loop by adding in Lake Natron.

The Mwanza Region is occupied by various tribal groups, included the Wasukuma, the Wakerewe, Wakara and Wazinza. Mwanza city's Makongoro Road is named after a prominent Sukuma chief who controlled the area in the late 1800s.

Under British rule, the region was one district in the Lake Province, which became the Lake Region after independence. In 1963, the Mwanza Region was created.

Wasukuma tribe is the major tribe occupying the Mwanza Region, the other region that is occupied by Wasukuma is Shinyanga Region.

Export and transport among the countries is a foundation of Mwanza’s economy. Around the city of Mwanza, the land is primarily devoted to agricultural enterprise. Tea, cotton and coffee plantations throughout the area produce large volumes of cash crops that pass though Mwanza on their way to market. The town’s industrial harbour and busy streets make it a prosperous and busy place to explore.

For visitors, the city makes a good base from which to explore the nearby Rubondo Island National Park and the western parts of the Serengeti. Rubondo Island National Park offers pleasant day-hikes and bird watching around the lake shore.

Mwanza’s proximity to the western Serengeti makes it a necessary stop for visitors who want to experience a less bust part of the park and see the magic of the Serengeti without the parade of safari vehicles and seasonal crowds. Mwanza is also the centre of the Sukuma tribe, the largest tribe in Tanzania, who have inhabited and farmed the region for centuries.

Cultural tourism programmes to their local villages and farms can be arranged through the local cultural centres.

Flights from Dar es Salaam with Fastjet, Arusha (JRO), Nairobi, Entebbe. On international arrival, you can easily obtain a visa (US$50).

There are daily buses going to and from Dar es Salaam. Several transport companies such as Green Star, Princess Muro and many more are one of the best and reliable choices. The journey takes about thirteen hours to reach Mwanza, the northern cultural and trading center.

The unpaved road from Dar to Mwanza-Shinyanaga is under development by South African and Chinese road construction companies and has been completed. There are also buses to Bujumbura (Burundi), Kigali(Rwanda),Nairobi(Kenya)and Kampala(Uganda)

There are daily trains to Dar es Salaam. These are often heavily booked up to 2-3 weeks in advance. But don't expect a comfortable journey by train as most of the time you will find the speed less than average.

To arrive from Uganda you can take a bus from Kampala to Bukoba (in Tanzania) and from Bukoba you can either take the ferry Monday, Wednesday or Friday evenings or the bus,several every day around 6-7 AM.

The ferry MS Victoria departs to the Tanzanian town,Bukoba every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday evening.

There is a ferry across the Mwanza gulf that leaves from the city,the Kamanga ferry and another about 32km south of the city. The southern one is recommended for driving because the roads on the western terminal are rumored to be much better.

Daladalas or public buses are a good, cheap way to get from the city to the surrounding areas. Costing only 300tsh for a trip, they are crowded, slow, and thrilling sometimes. You may want to ask someone which one you need to take as there are no transit maps.

Taxis can be an option, although there aren't any official labels on them as there are in the capital. Use at your own risk.

Pikipikis are the little motorcycles that will take one or two people on as a fare. There are usually a few sitting at intersections. Again, use at your own risk.

The shores of Lake Victoria are interesting to walk along and popular with locals.

Climb to the top of Capri Point at the west end of Station Road for a nice view of the area.

Definitely something to try, if you can afford it. While you are in Mwanza you may organize your safari to Serengeti,only 2 hrs drive to the entrance gate.

The less expensive excursions to reserves and parks are specialized, of a shorter duration, and worthwhile. If there's one trip that will change your perspective on life, it's an African safari.

Frozen and fresh Nile perch fish fillet boxes available near the airport is the great buy.

There are some excellent fabric markets on the north end of Rwagasore Road with patterns and designs that aren't available in Dar es Salaam or Zanzibar.

Walk through the market area between Lumumba and Pamba Roads for an intense taste of a bustling market. Don't carry a wallet.

Remember to bargain with merchants. It's expected.

Great Lake Victoria's fresh water Tilapia fish is a must eat food. A good number of fish industries exist. They export Nile perch fish fillet,sangara fish to Europe and South Africa.

Pizzeria Kuleana, Post St. Pizzas, as expected, as well as a breakfast that is the favorite of both locals and travelers. Opens early, so it makes a good place to wait for the town to come alive if you have arrived with the night ferry. 7AM-9PM daily.

The Food Square, Bantu St. near Nkrumah St. Open for breakfast and lunch. Excellent, popular, fast, local food for anywhere from 1000tsh to 4000tsh per person. A great daily stop. No alcohol.

Harish Pan House, Nyerere and Post St. Indian food with Zanzibar flavor. Vegetarian menu limited to Samosas, Zanzibar mix soup, snacks and other Indian traditional breads.

Sizzler, Kenyatta and Post St. Wide variety on the menu, local food, Chinese, and Indian dishes. 4000tsh - 8000tsh. Open for lunch, then closed until dinner.

Mayi Hotel, Spacious outdoor restaurant with a good diverse menu. Lots of fish and chicken dishes. Arrive later in the evening for more menu availability. Their spaghetti and cheese sauce is especially good if you're vegetarian. 8000tsh - 12000tsh.

New Mwanza Institute, Station Rd. west of the train tracks. Popular local outdoor restaurant. Local dishes only. 2000tsh - 4000tsh.

Yun Long Chinese Restaurant. Good Chinese dishes with excellent atmosphere next to lake Victoria. You may pass by for just a drink as the bar here is excellent serving the usual African booze. Reasonably priced, a meal for two will cost you 10-15 USD.

Street food and fresh produce. Oranges, bananas, pineapples, mangoes, avocados, cassava, roast maize, taro are all available on the street from vendors for anywhere from 100tsh to 1000tsh.

Also available are mandazi, bagias, and other local fried breads in some areas. Vendors are usually walking around, so they may be harder to find.

Tunza Lodge, Located approximately 8km from town. Follow the airport road to the Llemela dalla-dalla stop, take a left turn, following a dirt road to the lake side.

Tunza Lodge is a beach resort on the shores of Lake Victoria. It offers sandy beaches, a bar and restaurant and weekend beach volleyball games on the sand. While the lake water is generally considered safer to swim in than areas closer to town, it is worth noting that the risk of schistosomiasis,a parasitic disease via swimming or infected water is still present.

The Breeze, Second floor in the New Mwanza Hotel,stairs are in the front not the ones that go up to rooms. Nice view of traffic and people walking below. Open air but covered. A good place to wait out a sudden rain shower.

The Police Cafe, on Station Road, just between Mwanza train station and Station Road. A cosy place run by police officers. You can sit in the garden under the trees and enjoy a relaxed atmosphere, good food and cold beer.

Any local hotel and most restaurants serve beer and other drinks

La Kairo is a top-end place to stay, prices from 30.000 Tsh to 100.000 Tsh. Working free internet, good meeting rooms. City is noisy at night.

The Tilapia Hotel on the shores of Lake Victoria in the Capri Point area of town offers a swimming pool and bar, ideal for swimming on a hot day. Although the lake is adjacent, the water is infested with schistosomiasis and is not considered safe to swim in.

Gold Crest Hotel opposite the New Mwanza hotel on Post street, this is a comfortable business hotel with a reliable generator and good WiFi. The restaurant/bar on the roof has a great view, though the music gets loud pretty early on so it's not good for a relaxed meal in the evening.

The Indian restaurant through the first floor car park serves fantastic Indian food. The coffee shop on the ground floor serves real coffee (not instant coffee).

Malaika Beach Hotel and Resort, recently completed, has a large restaurant, infinity pool with poolside bar, sprawling lawns and WiFi connections. You can watch the fishermen at work on the lake while you are at poolside.

Victoria Palace Hotel, capripoint. Excellent hotel rooms with free internet, excellent Indian food prepared by an Indian chef. Free breakfast. edit

Ramada Hotel, Rwagasore St. by Kenyatta Rd. Small sign outside, but nice rooms inside for the price. Bar and restaurant on the second floor, safe parking inside, satellite television (some channels in English) and en-suite bathrooms. 15,000tsh per night, but if you're staying for a week or so, you can negotiate down to 10,000 per night. Good mosquito nets, balconies, but not necessarily a fan in every room.

Lake Hotel, Station Rd. west of Kenyatta Rd. Nice place with a restaurant. Small rooms with en-suite bathrooms. 15,000tsh per night. Safe parking. A little cramped for more than one night.

Ryan's Bay Hotel Station Road, Capri Point, Mwanza, Tanzania. A nice four star hotel owned by Indian proprietors. Large comfortable rooms with views of Lake Victoria. Staff is very helpful and friendly. Room prices star at 100USD for a twin room. The hotel runs a safari company.

Serengeti National ParkYou can start you safari adventure from here. Serengeti and other National parks like Rubondo Island in Lake Victoria. It's just two hours away from Mwanza thus the city is a good base to start a safari. If you start your safari from Mwanza you will enter Serengeti from the Western corridor at Ndabaka Gate. Good safari companies include:

Rubondo Island National park in Lake Victoria. Rubondo Island National Park. A pair of fish eagles guards the gentle bay, their distinctive black, white and chestnut feather pattern gleaming boldly in the morning sun. Suddenly, the birds toss back their heads in a piercing, evocative duet.

On the sandbank below, a well-fed monster of a crocodile snaps to life, startled from its nap. It stampedes through the crunchy undergrowth, crashing into the water in front of the boat, invisible except for a pair of sentry-post eyes that peek menacingly above the surface to monitor our movements.

Rubondo Island with small islands Rubondo Island is tucked in the southwest corner of Lake Victoria, the world's second-largest lake, an inland sea sprawling between Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya. With nine smaller islands under its wing, Rubondo protects precious fish breeding grounds.

Sport fishing Tasty tilapia form the staple diet of the yellow-spotted otters that frolic in the island’s rocky coves, while rapacious Nile perch, some weighing more than 100kg, tempt recreational game fishermen seeking world record catches.

Rubondo is more than a water wonderland. Deserted sandy beaches nestle against a cloak of virgin forest, where dappled bushbuck move fleet yet silent through a maze of tamarinds, wild palms, and sycamore figs strung with a cage of trailing taproots.

Birds and Animals The shaggy-coated aquatic sitatunga, elsewhere the most elusive of antelopes, is remarkably easily observed, not only in the papyrus swamps it normally inhabits, but also in the forest interior. Birds are everywhere.

Flocks of African grey parrots – released onto the island after they were confiscated from illegal exporters – screech in comic discord as they flap furiously between the trees.

The azure brilliance of a malachite kingfisher perched low on the reeds competes with the glamorous, flowing tail of a paradise flycatcher as it flits through the lakeshore forest. Herons, storks and spoonbills proliferate in the swampy lake fringes, supplemented by thousands of Eurasian migrants during the northern winter.

Vegetations Wild jasmine, 40 different orchids and a smorgasbord of sweet, indefinable smells emanate from the forest.

Ninety percent of the park is humid forest; the remainder ranges from open grassland to lakeside papyrus beds.

A number of indigenous mammal species - hippo, vervet monkey, genet and mongoose - share their protected habitat with introduced species such as chimpanzee, black-and-white colobus, elephant and giraffe, all of which benefit from Rubondo's inaccessibility.

About Rubondo Island National Park Size: 457 sq km (176 sq miles). Location: Northwest Tanzania, 150 km (95 miles) west of Mwanza.

Getting there By either road from Mwanza and then boat transfer or scheduled flight form Mwanza airport.

When to go Dry season, June-August. Wildflowers and butterflies Wet season November-March. December- February best for migratory birds.

Accommodation Accommodation in the park includes one Luxury tented camp - owned by a private company. Self contained and self catering visitor bandas, a campsite and hostel which are owned by the park.

The park is ideal for:

- Honeymooners

- Bird watchers

- Sport fishing

- Hikers

- Boat racers

- Company retreats

Fishing boat is available for hire.

There is a medical staff and a health centre in the park. There are snakes, some are poisonous some are not.

TANZANIA: Air Tanzania Bombardier Q300 May Be Disposed Off Because Of Age

Speculation is growing over the fate of Air Tanzania's aging Bombardier Q300 aircraft which maintenance input has been growing almost correspondingly with age and use.

While the aircraft, MSN 474 only joined the ATCL fleet in 2008 under registration 5H-MWF is the plane nevertheless now 20 years old and maintaining continued airworthiness is becoming a challenge due to the downtimes this causes.

Initially operated by Air Pelangi did the aircraft then make its way across the world and flew for such airlines as Brymon Airways, British Airways City Express, BA Connect and FlyBe before in February 2008, i.e. 9 years ago ending up on the Tanzanian registry for Air Tanzania.

The aircraft did suffer one mishap while being operated by Air Tanzania, namely a cracked windscreen not long after takeoff from Kigoma to Dar es Salaam (TC119) in January 2012 but at the time did the plane return safely to Kigoma before being repaired and returned into service.

Last year Air Tanzania received two brand new Bombardier Q400NextGen's and a third is on order and due for delivery this year, as are incidentally two Bombardier CS300's, the first such planes sold to an African airline as reported here at the time.

If suggestions by the same source from Dar es Salaam of accurate previous news are correct will Air Tanzania very likely dispose of the aged Q300 aircraft and acquire a fourth brand new Bombardier Q400NextGen instead, further boosting dispatch reliability and also increasing seat capacity on the turboprop fleet.

Watch this space for breaking and regular aviation news from the wider Eastern African region.

MALAWI: Fly Malawi Airlines

Domestic Flights

BLANTYRE
With Malawi Airlines known for our on-time performance, you are rest assured of being on time for your meeting or business in Blantyre courtesy of our daily morning flights to the commercial capital. Our Bombardier Q400 departs Lilongwe every morning at 08:30 and arrives in Blantyre at 09:10, Monday through Sunday. Book your flight to Blantyre today. Experience our unbeatable on-time performance. Fly Malawi Airlines.

LILONGWE
Our daily afternoon flights to Lilongwe from Blantyre offer you wonderful opportunity to go about your business in the commercial capital with no stress at all knowing Malawi Airlines is there to take you back to the Capital City. Our Boeing 737-700 departs Blantyre at 15:55 and arrives in Lilongwe at 16:35 Monday through Sunday. Book your flight to Lilongwe today. Experience our unbeatable on-time performance. Fly Malawi Airlines.

Regional Flights

Johannesburg
No more stress. Our daily morning flights to Johannesburg provide you great and convenient opportunity to do business in the Rainbow Nation and/or connect to the rest of the region and the world. Our Boeing 737-700 departs Lilongwe at 08:20 and arrives in Blantyre at 09:00 and later departs Blantyre for Johannesburg at 09:45. Book your flight to Johannesburg today. Experience our unbeatable on-time performance. Fly Malawi Airlines.

Nairobi
Introducing flights to Nairobi, four times a week, Wednesday through Saturday. From 29th March, 2017, Malawi Airlines will commence evening flights to Nairobi with our Boeing 737-700 departing Lilongwe for Nairobi at 17:45 every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Return flights from Nairobi to Lilongwe will be at 06:15 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and Sundays. Experience our unbeatable on-time performance. Experience the difference. Fly Malawi Airlines.

Lusaka
We fly to Lusaka four times a week on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Fly Malawi Airlines and experience our on-time performance at unbelievably affordable fares.

Harare
We fly to Harare four times a week on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Fly Malawi Airlines and experience our on-time performance at unbelievably affordable fares.

Dar es Salaam
We fly to Dar es Salaam four times a week on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Fly Malawi Airlines and experience our on-time performance at unbelievably affordable fares.

Zanzibar
From 5th April, 2017, Malawi Airlines will commence late afternoon flights to Zanzibar with our Bombardier Q400 departing Lilongwe for Zanzibar at 17:30 every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Return flights from Zanzibar to Lilongwe will be at 05:15 on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and Sundays. Experience our unbeatable on-time performance. Experience the difference. Fly Malawi Airlines.

ZANZIBAR: Turkish Airlines Launches Istanbul - Kilimanjaro - Zanzibar Route

Turkish Airlines has launched flights to Zanzibar in anticipation of a flood of visitors during the festive season to the spice island of zanzibar.

The new service will route from Istanbul via Kilimanjaro to Zanzibar and back from there to Istanbul and operate initially three times a week using a Boeing B737-900NG.

Zanzibar has subsequently become Turkish Airlines' 50th African destination making it the leading non African airline offering flights into the continent. Other destinations served in East Africa are Entebbe, Kigali, Nairobi, Mombasa, Kilimanjaro, Dar es Salaam while in the wider region does Turkish fly to Mogadishu, Asmara, Djibouti and Addis Ababa.

Zanzibar has in recent years seen several new five star resorts launched while long time crowd favourites like Blue Bay Hotels have upgraded and modernized to stay in the top game of attracting tourists from around the world.

The Turkish Airlines service via Kilimanjaro to Zanzibar is clearly geared towards capturing the global tourism traffic which in this case can offer travelers the experience of both safaris and a sun and sand vacation all wrapped into one.

BOTSWANA: Air Botswana Finds New Marriage With Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways is pleased to announce a code-share partnership with Air Botswana, offering Qatar Airways travellers enhanced access to three key destinations in Botswana, Africa.

The partnership with Air Botswana, the national airline of Botswana, will provide Qatar Airways passengers with connections to the Botswana cities of Gaborone, Francistown and Maun via Qatar Airways’ South Africa gateway Johannesburg. Qatar Airways operates double-daily flights between Johannesburg and its state-of-the-art hub, Hamad International Airport in Doha, with onward flights to more than 150 destinations worldwide.

The new code-share agreement allows business and leisure travellers fast and convenient access to the home of Botswana’s rich mineral industry, abundant game reserves and luxury safari lodges. Botswana’s luxurious tourism experiences are complemented by Qatar Airways’ ultra-modern fleet of aircraft featuring the world’s best Business Class on services to South Africa.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said when making the announcement: 'Our new code-share agreement with Air Botswana will offer even greater opportunities for passengers from across our global network, especially from key markets in Europe and Asia to easily connect with popular destinations in Botswana, to take advantage of exclusive leisure experiences. Code-share partnerships and airline alliances continue to play an important role for Qatar Airways. We are committed to serving the travel needs of the African market and the addition of Air Botswana flights to Qatar Airways’ route network is an important expansion of our network'.

The Southern African region is an important market for Qatar Airways, with three destinations in South Africa including Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, and on the east Maputo in Mozambique. Expansion in this region is a key focus for Qatar Airways, having launched services to the Namibian capital Windhoek on 28th of September, with Lusaka in Zambia to follow, and the resumption of services to the Seychelles in December 2016.

Air Botswana’s Acting General Manager, Ms. Agnes Khunwana, said: 'We are delighted to join forces with a renowned global airline like Qatar Airways to launch code-share services to a number of Botswana cities. This partnership provides Qatar Airways’ passengers with easy and direct access to a number of key business and high-end leisure destinations across Botswana while providing easy access to Qatar Airways’ global network for the people of Gaborone, Francistown and Maun when booking directly with Qatar Airways. We look forward to working closely with Qatar Airways into the future'.

In Eastern Africa does Qatar Airways fly to Entebbe, Kigali, Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar and this latest expansion into Africa provides the continent with quality air services connecting Africans to the rest of the world with just one stop in the airline's award winning hub airport in Doha, Hamad International.

RWANDA: RwandAir To Open Mumbai Route

RwandAir will start flights to Mumbai, India later this years, John Mirenge, the chief executive officer, has said. Mirenge said the airline would start operating four flights to Mumbai per week in December 2016 flying its brand new A330-300 aircraft.

He said the national carrier has already appointed India's Bird Travel as the general sales agent as it prepares to launch the route.

"We want Bird Travel to position our brand by creating awareness about our products and services in this market," Mirenge noted.

He explained that the sales agent will act as the liaison point for the airline's sales development in India, providing ticketing and direct support services.

He added that Bird Travel, which is part of the Bird Group founded in 1971 as an aviation management company, use its vast experience to market RwandAir in the vast travel market presented by India.

The firm specialises in representing airlines and other travel and tourism partners majorly as sales agent for operations, and aviation management.

With over 40 years of experience and more than 45 offices supported by over 6,000 staff and an impressive clientele of over 500 top corporate companies, Praful Khosla, the Bird Travel executive vice-president, is confident RwandAir made a right choice.

"Bird Group is one of the largest and most diversified entities within the industry in the Indian sub-continent. We are therefore delighted to be associated with RwandAir as their exclusive sales agent in India," Khosla said, adding that they are optimistic about the partnership. RwandAir signed a purchase agreement with Airbus A300-200 and A330-300 last year as part of its expansion strategy to Europe and East Asia, including India.

The national carrier is IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certified, which guarantees its safety and airworthiness.

Sonia Kamikazi, the airline's corporate quality assurance manager, said the certification ensures the airline is competitive in the cutthroat aviation industry.

Currently, the airline flies to 17 destinations, including Nairobi, Entebbe, Mombasa, Bujumbura, Lusaka, Juba, Douala, Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro, Johannesburg, Dubai, Lagos, Libreville and Brazzaville.

TANZANIA: Ivory Worth Sh4.6 Billion Seized

Police in collaboration with Interpol in Southern and Eastern zones have arrested nine people in possession of 1.2 tonnes of ivory with a value of Sh4.6 billion. These are part of a group of 256 people being held for various crimes including human trafficking, drug abuse, illegal migration, trading in minerals, possession of firearms and vehicles.

The Director of Criminal Investigation (DCI), Mr Diwani Athumani told journalists at a media briefing that the two-day joint operation was broadened by the participation of officials from the ministry of Energy and Minerals, Tanzania Revenue Authority, Tanzania Electric Supply Company, Immigration department and the Wildlife division. Code-named 'Operation Usalama III', the operation was part of the wider mission of eradicating crime.

"The crackdown covered eight zones which are; Northern zone, covering Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Tanga and Manyara regions; Central zone, covering Dodoma, Morogoro and Singida and Dar es Salaam zone covering Kinondoni, Ilala, Temeke and Coastal regions," said the DCI.

Others were Southern highlands (Mbeya, Iringa, Ruvuma and Njombe), Lake (Mwanza, Kagera, Shinyanga, Mara, Geita and Simiyu), Western (Kigoma, Tabora, Rukwa and Katavi), Southern (Lindi and Mtwara) and Zanzibar, for Unguja and Pemba.

According to Mr Athumani, the operation was a by-product of a two-day meeting held in Matola, Mozambique, between May 26-27, by 27 member countries of the Southern Africa Regional Police Chiefs Co-operation (SARPCCO) and Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Co-operation Organization (EAPCCO).

The DCI said that during the operation, 10 stolen vehicles were identified, whereby five originated in England, three in South Africa and two in Malaysia. "We are still inspecting five others to establish their ownership," he said.

The police also identified 12 stolen motorbikes and investigations on 18 others are on-going. Other items that were seized include 83 grammes of heroin, 398 kilos of marijuana, 30 kilos of khat, one shotgun, 11 home-made guns, 104 riffles, and one arrow. Also on the list are counterfeit products like perfumes and cigarettes.

"We also netted 43 suspected illegal immigrants; 18 Congolese, 22 Burundians, two Rwandans and one Kenyan. All of them would be taken to court after completion of investigations and other procedures," the DCI said.

UGANDA: Will Uganda Get Another National Carrier?

President Museveni, when addressing the first cabinet meeting of his new government, reportedly told them that 'because our brothers in Ethiopia, Kenya and South Africa let us down' the formation of a national airline was now a priority.

When the former Uganda Airlines was finally dissolved it was because the carrier was broke and had been stripped of its cash cows like a ground handling monopoly, handed to a local consortium while the other profit making arm, the ownership of the local Galileo franchise, too eventually went into private hands.

No investors could be found at the time, as suitors swiftly discovered that all they would get was a debt ridden empty shell with no aircraft and few other assets.

Years later came the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development, set up Air Uganda and was after seven years of operations nearing break even point, when the Ugandan Civil Aviation Authority killed them off, as amply explained here at the time.

That in fact happened at a time when the Ugandan government had the offer on the table to invest into the airline and turn it into a quasi if not real national carrier. While government pondered the offer did the Uganda CAA do their dirty work however and - allegedly to escape ICAO sanctions - pulled the international AOC's of all Uganda registered airlines, at one stage citing safety concerns.

This however was swiftly dismissed as a fairy tale and smoke screen as domestic operations by some of the affected airlines like the Aero Club in Entebbe, Ndege Juu in Kajjansi and of Eagle Air from Entebbe were allowed to continue even though they could not fly across the national borders.

Over 230 highly qualified employees of Air Uganda lost their jobs and connections to Nairobi, Juba, Kigali, Bujumbura, Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro, Mombasa and Mogadishu literally vanished overnight leading to a scramble for seats and substantially higher fares.

While eventually then RwandAir and Ethiopian were given fifth freedom traffic rights to fly out of Entebbe, to Juba first and then, in the case of RwandAir, to Nairobi, were most other former U7 routes no longer available on direct flights and needed transit elsewhere.

A former Air Uganda employee in fact, when discussing the development last night, promptly responded, on condition of anonymity: 'Unless those responsible at UCAA for the Air Uganda closure are retired or sacked and a new team installed, what will change.

Who will guarantee a new investor that they will not pull the same stunts all over again if they are faced with a potential ICAO audit failure like it was the case when they shut down U7'.

Airline sources reached in the short time also denied that there have been 'failures' on the part of regional airlines flying to and from Entebbe in regard of fares, but that for one it was the market vis a vis supply and demand of seats which led to pricing and perhaps the lack of incentives by the Ugandan authorities to make flying in and out of Entebbe cheaper.

Others pointed to the challenges even established airlines in the region were faced with, such as Air Tanzania or Kenya Airways, and that an upstart would find it very difficult to capture traffic on especially international routes, where the likes of Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad, Fly Dubai from the Gulf and Brussels Airlines and KLM from Europe offered both competitive fares and state of the art equipment, infrastructure and global connectivity, a national airline would find impossible to match.

One other aviation source then added yet more salt when pointing out that under the NCIP - short for Northern Corridor Integration Projects - an aviation deal was reached that member countries like Uganda and South Sudan without a national airline, would let those with well developed national carriers operate routes out of Entebbe on fifth freedom rights.

Towards that end is RwandAir increasing their fleet from the present 8 to 12 aircraft by the middle of next year, offering a wider range of connections for Ugandan travelers either directly out of Entebbe or via Kigali.

Insider information suggests that a group of international aviation investors is considering the setting up of a new airline based in Entebbe, but given the trend of rising crude oil prices, the cost of new aircraft - the airline would need both short / medium haul and long haul equipment to face the competition - and the globally emerging lack of pilots meeting the required standards, this will be a mammoth task to accomplish.

'Unless a new airline starts pole pole with say two or three aircraft for short regional routes, the initial losses would be staggering. They would need an approach like Air Uganda started up, building market share on key regional routes before branching out and gradually adding more.

Even then must an investor have deep pockets to sustain the initial losses for as much as two years, hoping the world economy will not throw tantrums and that the East African region is remaining stable and the money is found for all the infrastructure projects presently under planning. Look at RwandAir how they patiently over many years now built their brand and route network. That takes time and money.

The Rwandan government is fully behind their airline, but given our budget challenges and priorities like Health, Education and infrastructure, how much can Uganda squeeze out from the annual budget to support such a venture until it matures and breaks even'

Many questions indeed and certainly fodder for thought, giving airlines already on the route enough time to plan their market strategies in the event this becomes reality, of how best to compete using their networks, known brands, ability to adjust fares into and out of Entebbe and importantly, their frequent flyer programmes which give direct incentives and benefits to their loyal passengers.
Watch this space for regular and breaking news from Eastern Africa's aviation scene.

QATAR: Qatar Airways Perpetual Winner of Awards More Awards

Qatar Airways has been announced as the winner of two prestigious accolades at the Business Traveller Middle East Awards 2016 – Airline with the Best Business Class, and Best Airport Lounge in the Middle East for the Al Mourjan Business Lounge in Hamad International Airport. Award winners are determined through votes cast by the readers of the prestigious industry magazine, Business Traveller Middle East, making Qatar Airways a firm favourite of business travellers across the region.

Mr. Ishfaq Jalal, Vice President - GCC, Levant, Iran, Iraq & Yemen at Qatar Airways, collected the award for Airline with the Best Business Class, and Mr. Abdulaziz Al Mass, Vice President, Commercial and Marketing at Qatar Airways received the award of Best Airport Lounge in the Middle East Award during a ceremony held on 24 April at Palazzo Versace, Dubai.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Mr. Akbar Al Baker, commented on the win: 'Qatar Airways is committed to going above and beyond by creating memorable experiences for our passengers whenever they fly with us. We are proud to have had our Business Class and Business Lounge facilities recognised by Business Traveller Middle East’s readers, demonstrating the service excellence we deliver is a winning strategy for the people who matter most to us. Recognition from our passengers, as well as from industry specialists such as Business Traveller Middle East, encourages us to continue to develop our offering by taking our exceptional services one step further, both on the ground and in the air'.

Mr. Abdulaziz Al Mass (centre), Vice President, Commercial and Marketing at Qatar Airways received the award of Best Airport Lounge in the Middle

The awards were received on the opening night of this year’s Arabian Travel Market, at which Qatar Airways has been showcasing its world-renowned award-winning service and hospitality, that, combined with its innovative products, demonstrate the airline’s commitment to delivering its new philosophy, Going Places Together. Qatar Airways aims to create memorable experiences for passengers as they travel across the airline’s global network.

On April 27th, coinciding with the official opening of Dubai International Airport’s Concourse D, Qatar Airways will launch its new Dubai Premium Lounge. Situated near Gate 15 in Concourse D, the Dubai Premium Lounge is available to First and Business Class passengers, as well as Privilege Club Platinum and Gold members, who can enjoy the lounge’s facilities which are set within a modern and a sophisticated space for travellers to relax and rejuvenate before their journey.

Qatar Airways serves all key destinations in Eastern Africa, Entebbe, Kigali, Nairobi, Kilimanjaro, Dar es Salaam and even Zanzibar but notably not Mombasa, a destination the airline would like to fly to but has not been given favourable consideration by the Kenyan Civil Aviation Authority as yet.

In the Horn of Africa does QR serve Djibouti, Asmara and Addis Ababa.