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.


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TANZANIA: Air Tanzania Opening New Routes

Air Tanzania starts direct flights from Dar es Salaam to Entebbe and Bujumbura later next month, bringing competition to the doorstep of Kenya Airways and RwandaAir — and convenience and savings to the regional traveller.

The Kenyan and Rwandan national carriers have over the years dominated these routes via their respective hubs in Nairobi and Kigali.

The Tanzania national carrier, which is barely into its second year of operation, revealed that it will start a four times a week direct flight to Entebbe from Dar es Salaam and a three times a week flight to Bujumbura, on two routes which other airlines had tried to feed connecting traffic to their hubs.

The direct flights offer relief to regional travellers who have had to endure the complex and unattractive connecting options on these two routes, which are routinely time-consuming and costly.

For one to fly between Tanzania and Uganda, a connection must be made through Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport or Rwanda’s Kigali International Airport.

Air Tanzania will charge $363 for a return ticket to Entebbe, flying on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

Its Bujumbura clients will pay $358 for a return ticket with flights scheduled for Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

This is less than the average of $390 that travellers pay to get to Bujumbura and Dar es Salaam via either Nairobi, Kigali or Addis, with an additional three to six hours connecting time.

Direct flights to Uganda and Burundi will eat into the earnings of Kenya Airways, which has enjoyed a near monopoly of the Dar-Nairobi-Entebbe route, its most profitable in the region.

KQ’s 15 years of dominance at the Entebbe hub could end, especially if Uganda revives its national carrier by November.

Kenya’s Transport Principal Secretary Paul Maringa however said the plans by Uganda and Tanzania would not affect KQ, given that part of the efforts to revamp the airline are aimed at making it competitive in the region.

The increased competition will not affect the operations of Kenya Airways. We will bank on the service and brand to get an edge over the competition.

Kenya Airways remains dominant on most of the routes and the expected flight to the US will give it an edge within the region, Prof Maringa said.

KQ has at least four daily flights to Dar es Salaam, five to Entebbe, four to Lusaka and at least one more other daily flight to Livingstone both in Zambia, routes that Air Tanzania will be seeking to claw back in the short term as it charts its recovery.

Nicanor Sabula, the chief executive of the Kenya Association of Travel Agents, said the sector welcomes Air Tanzania as it will introduce competition and cut the cost of flying.

We will be cautiously optimistic because we understand the sustainability question that arises in running an airline.

The history of passenger numbers and traffic on particular routes has seen some airlines scale down frequency or even introduce connectivity in a bid to remain afloat.

So do not be surprised if Air Tanzania introduces another connection via Kigali because these routes are a game of numbers for an airline seeking to make money, Mr Sabula said.

Already, both Kenya Airways and RwandAir have been doing connections out of Kigali to Bujumbura for onward flights to Nairobi, mostly driven by the low numbers from Bujumbura.

Charles Kahuthu, the chief executive officer of the East African Chamber of Commerce, said that the lack of the traffic on some of these routes has been the biggest challenge.

We have seen an increase in trade and business opportunities between Dar and Entebbe. Dar es Salaam has been very aggressive in Uganda marketing its port and this has driven up trade between the two countries. This is the market this airline will be keen on serving, Mr Kahuthu said.

Air Tanzania is expecting a fourth aircraft, a CS 300 Bombardier, from Canada in November, for both domestic and regional routes.

The airline also plans to launch new routes to Harare, Johannesburg, and Lusaka. It will then consider the Rwanda and Nairobi routes.

Last weekend, it received the first of two Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners, which should start serving domestic destinations including Mwanza, Kilimanjaro and also Entebbe and Bujumbura, in the first week of August, after the fleet crew completes training.

We expect to use this aircraft on the Mumbai route and will later fly to Guangzhou in China as we seek business on the Asian routes, Mr Matindi said.

Currently, the airline operates one international flight to Moroni in the Comoros Islands. Domestically, it flies to Mbeya, Dodoma, Songea, Mwanza, Mbeya, Tabora, Kigoma, Mtwara and Bukoba.

We are also adding new domestic routes in Tanzania to include Iringa, Mpanda, Tanga as well as Shinyanga, which will push our destinations to 17 by the end of the year, Mr Matindi said.

Air Tanzania is in the process of establishing its own ground handling, maintenance, repair and overhaul hangar facility, the construction of an executive lounge and in-flight catering units at the Julius Nyerere International Airport as part of its restructuring and growth.

Just over half the routes 12 out of 22 are operated at lower than daily frequency and just over a third 8 out of 22 are operated twice daily or more.

This low frequency makes short-duration trips departing and returning the same day difficult, whereas these are particularly important for business trips.

The situation varies by country while nearly half the routes from Kenya operate twice daily or more, no routes from Burundi operate at that frequency and few do so in the other EAC countries.

Air Tanzania is set to introduce new routes in the domestic market in the next two years.

Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL) CEO Ladislaus Matindi on Wednesday said the new destinations will include Iringa, Mpanda, Tanga as well as Shinyanga.

Mr Matindi said the airline was currently operating 10 airways from the commercial capital Dar es Salaam to Dodoma, Mwanza, Mbeya, Songea, Tabora, Kigoma, Bukoba, Mtwara and the Comoros.

Other than the new routes we were also expecting to have a new aircraft CS 300 Bombardier in May, but has been delayed and will now arrive in November, said Mr Matindi.

Tanzania received its first long-range Boeing 787 Dreamliner at the Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) in Dar es Salaam.

The new aircraft is expected to fly to domestic routes as it finalises preparations to inaugurate international flights.

The Dreamliner is expected to start flying locally three weeks from now. It will be flying between Dar es Salaam and Kilimanjaro before we start flying to India, added Mr Matindi.

The flag carrier is optimistic to launch its maiden cross-continent flight to Mumbai in September should things go as planned.

The purchase of new jets is part of Air Tanzania’s plan to grow its operations across Africa as well as to international destinations.

Tanzania’s airspace is currently dominated by low-cost carriers Fastjet and Precision that all operate both the domestic and international routes.


Tourism Observer

TANZANIA: Air Tanzania Receives First 787 Dreamliner

Boeing's first 787 Dreamliner for Air Tanzania was received at the Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) in Dar es Salaam on Sunday

The aircraft is part of Air Tanzania’s plan to grow its operations across Africa as well as to international destinations.

The brand new 787 is the first widebody airplane to join Tanzania’s flag carrier’s fleet, the manufacturers said in a press release.

We are very proud to take delivery of this Boeing 787 Dreamliner,Air Tanzania CEO Ladislaus Matindi, said.

We believe this is the perfect aircraft to realise our ambition to connect with the rest of the world through the initiation of intercontinental flights.

I am delighted to be here today with Boeing and Rolls-Royce to celebrate this important milestone.

President John Magufuli was at Julius Nyerere International Airport - JNIA to receive the aircraft.

Thousands of Tanzanians braved the cold and wet weather to witness the arrival of the plane.



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

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

TANZANIA: Air Tanzania Plane Impounded In Canada Over $38m Debt, Says Chadema MP For Singida East Lissu

A commercial aircraft that was expected to be delivered to the national carrier Air Tanzania in July this year has been detained in Canada after the government failed to pay $38 million (Tsh83 billion) owed to a contractor, an opposition member of parliament said on Friday.

Tundu Lissu, the Chadema MP for Singida East, said that the Bombardier Q400 was seized after failure by government to pay the money it owed Canadian Stirling Civil Engineering Limited over a cancelled contract.

The firm had been contracted to construct the Wazo Hill-Bagamoyo road in Dar es Salaam but the government terminated the contract.

The contractor then went to the International Court of Arbitration and won the case.

The government lost the case in 2010 and was ordered to pay the compensation amounting to $25 million with an interest of eight per cent, said Mr Lissu.

He said the debt was not paid on time and had risen to $38 million as of June this year.

The failure by the government to pay prompted an order to attach the Tanzanian government assets in Canada, France, Netherlands, Belgium, England and Uganda.

Therefore the plane, Bombardier Q400 was impounded.



Tourism Observer

MOZAMBIQUE: Mozambique's Tourism |Industry Welcomes Visa On Arrival, Dodoma Airport For 24 Hour Service

The government of Mozambique has now, for a significant number of nationalities, introduced Visa on Arrival, doing away with the cumbersome method of tourists having to apply in advance given the lack of global diplomatic representation.

44 border posts have been designated for the purpose including all the international airports such as Maputo but also Pemba, Nampula, Beira, Vilanculos and Inhambane.

In addition have key land border posts been designated for the purpose including land borders from South Africa, Zimbabwe and Tanzania.

Visa on Arrival are also available at the port of Maputo to encourage cruise ship stops and enable visitors to come on shore without the previous bureaucracy involved.

The cost of a Visa, which allows entry and one additional re-entry, was given as US Dollars 50 per person.

Mozambique's tourism industry has welcomed the move and is looking at vastly improved arrival figures for the years ahead even though language challenges remain a factor as the penetration of English remains relatively low.

Runway lights at Dodoma Airport has been completed. This will enable the airport, which currently handles only about 10 flights a day, to operate around the clock.

Night landings are now possible but presently not likely to happen. Right now do our flights operate during day times only and so do all other airlines flying charter or schedule to DOD.

But this is progress for the aviation industry and for instance urgent medical evacuations can now take place even at night after the lights were installed.

Airlines even begin to offer flights into and out of Dodoma at night to make better use of their fleet but that is still under plan .

The airport is served by Air Tanzania, Auric Air and Flightlink among other airlines flying daily or multiple times a week to Tanzania's political capital.

Dodoma one of Tanzania's airports earmarked for expansion and modernization and with the new lighting system in place has this objective been fulfilled.

The IATA code for Dodoma is DOD while the ICAO four letter code is HTDO. The runway length was given at 8.038 feet length or 2.450 metres, all tarmac.

In 1973, Dodoma was designated as the new political capital of Tanzania. New Parliament buildings were erected and plans were drafted to shift all government Ministry offices to Dodoma by the early 1980's.

However, due to limited water supplies and other environmental factors, this proved impossible and the plan was all but forgotten.

Most ministries and all embassies are still in Dar Es Salaam. Although Dodoma retains the title of capital city of Tanzania, government officials only travel to Dodoma for a few weeks each June when the government is in session.

There are many daily buses from Dar es Salaam. Driving time is seven to eight hours with a stop in Morogoro. Luxury buses leave from Ubungo. Around 11 AM buses from Dar and Dodoma leave which are air conditioned and have more leg space.

There are buses to and from Arusha via Kondoa to the north. The road is not paved, and can be bad in the rainy season. The highway is known as the Great Northern Highway.

Travel time is often in excess of 12 hours, and breakdowns are common. The best plan would be to use Kondoa as an intermediate overnight point and continue north or south the next day.

There are also buses to and from Iringa. Travel time is about six hours on a winding gravel road of varying quality. The road passes right over the Mtera Dam which is worth a look.

Dodoma is situated on the Central Railway Line which goes from Dar Es Salaam to Mwanza or Kigoma. However, the train currently (March 2010) only operates between Dar Es Salaam and Dodoma due to damage near Tabora.

If you are in a hurry the better choice is by bus. If the train service is running again and you are heading west, train is better, especially in the rainy season.

Air Zara flies daily with the exception of Saturday between Dodoma and Dar es Salam for 250.000 TSH on Monday and Thursday, also to Mbeya.

Tickets can be bought at the New Dodoma Hotel. Mission Aviation Fellowships' MAF) small planes fly throughout the country; they have a regular shuttle between Dodoma and Arusha every Monday and also fly regularly to Nairobi and Mbeya.

It is also possible to join other flights, for more information see their website and subscribe to their Joiner List.

There are many minibuses (dala dala) in Dodoma and getting around is easy. Taxis are plentiful too. There are three bus stations: city, at a place called Jamatini; medium distance, at the Saba Saba bus stand, to moderate-distance places such as Mpwapwa and Mvumi.

Long-distance buses leave from the main stand near the Parliament buildings. Some companies, eg. Scandinavia, maintain their own bus stands.

Another way to get around is by bike. There are several places in town which sell or rent (5.000 TSH/day) bikes.

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.

ZIMBABWE: Air Zimbabwe May Have A New Name Soon

Reports are emerging from Harare that the Zimbabwean government appears keen to inject a new lease of life into Air Zimbabwe, the national airline of the country.

The source from Harare made a case that the government, while attempting to find ways and means - given the budgetary constraints the country is faced with - to procure additional aircraft for the airline but was at the same time also open to taking in a strategic investor with the proven capacity to turn ailing national carriers around.

The subsequent speculation was fueled to a large part by comments attributed to a very senior Ethiopian Airlines executive who reportedly said: 'It all depends on the political will of the government of Zimbabwe, and on how they want to put it, whether it is going to be a joint venture or management consultancy. Ethiopian Airlines is ready for all that'.

In the past has Ethiopian turned around the national airline of Malawi, after Air Malawi was liquidates and a joint venture carrier, Malawian Airlines, launched two years ago.

Given other ventures Ethiopian has entered into, such as West Africa's most successful airline ASKY, are Zimbabweans now looking forward to hearing substantive announcements being made by both parties soon, in regard of new aircraft as well as in regard of a closer cooperation with Ethiopian Airlines.

Notably has a recent visit by Ethiopia's Prime Minister to Tanzania also prompted speculation that Africa's most successful airline may offer support to Air Tanzania, which is undergoing a government prompted revival with the acquisition of new aircraft including two Bombardier CS300 and one Boeing B787 Dreamliner.

TANZANIA: 10 Million US Dollars Commitment Fee Paid To Boeing For B787-8 Dreamliner

After purchasing 5 brand new aircraft from Canadian manufacturer Bombardier, among them three Q400NG's and two of the recently launched CS300's, has the Tanzanian government now made a further commitment to boost the operations of the national airline Air Tanzania.

It is understood that a 10 million US Dollars commitment fee has been paid to Boeing for the delivery of a B787-8 Dreamliner in June 2018. At that stage will all five new Bombardier aircraft be in operation on domestic and regional / African routes, helping to feed traffic into the airline's long haul services.

While no confirmation has been received from Air Tanzania is it expected that the Dreamliner will be deployed on a route to China with added suggestions that a European gateway too could be on the drawing board.

Air Tanzania, best described as moribund as recently as a year ago with just one serviceable aircraft, a Bombardier Q300 turboprop, was for long plagued by inept and allegedly corrupt management with many former managers now facing court cases.

The Magufuli government however has restructured the board of the company as well as bringing new managers into the airline with clear instructions to reverse the flagging fortunes of Air Tanzania or else - and it is the 'or else' the new team may fear most as President Magufuli does not appear to tolerate failure, in particular with so much money at stake.

A Boeing B787 Dreamliner costs anything from 220 million US Dollars upwards and the aircraft purchases from Bombardier are equally amounting to an estimated 270 million US Dollars for the five planes, two of which have already been delivered and entered service two months ago.

TANZANIA: With New Bombardier Q400NG, Air Tanzania Will Fly More Routes

Air Tanzania, and under orders by both President Magufuli and his transport minister to show results or else, has wasted no time to put the two new Bombardier Q400NG aircraft to good use.

The airline presently serves Hahaya / Comoros, the only international destination Air Tanzania flies to, three times a week every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, but had notably cranked up domestic destinations.

Arusha's municipal field is now served six times a week, daily with the exception of Wednesdays, according to the latest scheduling information, avoiding for now the more costly and distant Kilimanjaro International Airport which is more than 50 kilometres from the city of Arusha.

Mwanza, Tanzania's second largest city, is now served daily again with a mid morning departure from Dar es Salaam. Kigoma is another destinations ATCL is now flying to again, according to schedule information five times a week.

The Spice Island of Zanzibar too is back on line with five flights a week but it is anticipated that once flight loadfactors have grown this destination will see flights every day of the week.

Other destinations are under planning, among them a likely return to Mtwara, Tanzania's so called 'Gas Capital' but also to Mbeya - this airport being a challenge as a result of often having no fuel.

In the region are planners said to be eying Nairobi again as well as Entebbe, since earlier this month Fastjet withdrew from both routes leaving a glaring gap in connectivity to Kenya and Uganda.

In a related development has the airline now also advertised for recruitment of trainees for cabin crews, a further indicator that when the third new Bombardier Q400NG arrives, to be followed by two Bombardier CS300's, there will be not only new destinations served by also jobs created in the process.

TANZANIA: Government Acquires 2 Bombardier Q400NG Aircrafts For Air Tanzania

Bombardier has concluded an add on deal with the Tanzanian government to their delivery of two Q400NG's at the end of September.

Pen was put to paper yesterday for the delivery of a third Bombardier Q400NG in a single class configuration but notably did the brand new C-Series get an entry into Africa when two of the CS300 variants were ordered at the same time.
Only days ago was the first such CS300 delivered to global launch customer AirBaltic after Swiss, part of the Lufthansa Group, had taken delivery of their CS100 variant at the end of June also a global launch customer.

The delivery dates for the two CS300 jets are yet to be fully confirmed but the third Q400NG might join the fleet already in H1 of next year. This will then facilitate the resumption of flights to more domestic and regional destinations before the CS300's, the most economical aircraft on the market in its class, will then allow for the rollout of more African routes.

This deal comes at a time when local rivals Precision Air and Fastjet in Tanzania remain in loss making territory and coincides with Fastjet suspending their flights from Dar es Salaam to Entebbe and Nairobi, giving Air Tanzania unexpected openings to take on such vacated routes with smaller and more efficient aircraft.

The sale of the first ever CS series aircraft to Africa by Bombardier is a coup of sorts over other manufacturers, in particular Embraer and will probably help to open the African market for such jets in the 100 - 150 seat market.

In a related development was it also learned that the Tanzanian government is in talks with Boeing over the purchase of a Boeing B787 Dreamliner to allow a revived Air Tanzania launch intercontinental flights similar to what is presently taking place in Rwanda, where the government, through RwandAir, has however opted to buy two Airbus A330 models.

This now also makes the air very thin for a revival of Air Uganda as the regional market appears saturated, given the status of Kenya Airways as regional force, the emergence of RwandAir as a serious and fast growing African contender already serving Uganda through fifth freedom right flights and a revived Air Tanzania with eventually 6 or seven brand new aircraft which will, in combination of the three, leave any newcomer trailing in their wake.

TANZANIA: Paramilitary To Combat Poaching

In a bid to combat poaching in the country, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism has announced the establishment of a paramilitary force system that will directly protect animals from being attacked and killed by poachers.

The ministry's Permanent Secretary (PS), Major Gen. Gaudence Milanzi, said on Thursday evening that the government is prepared to stop poaching and that the new strategy is set to end the problem once and for all.

Major Gen. Milanzi was speaking on his ministry's performance in a period of one year during an interview on a local TV station. He said members of the paramilitary unit will receive tough military training and will be equipped with modern weapons to face and fight poachers.

"We are going to establish a special unit that will be able to face poachers, these will be following military system and they will be equipped with modern weapons," he said. According to the PS, the new unit is expected to directly face poachers on the ground.

"We are looking forward to improving officials' working environment including their benefits, this will also improve their performance," he said.

However, the PS said so far the situation is improving and a number of poachers have been arrested. He said the tourism sector contributes 17.5 per cent to the GDP and thus the government is forced to apply all means to protect the sector.

"This is one of the very important sectors for the country's economic growth, we are therefore supposed to do everything in our powers to protect the sector so that it could continue attracting more tourists in the country," he said.

He said the number of elephants is increasing in some areas except in Selous game reserve. However, he said his office is making sure the number is not going down anymore. "We had a serious problem in Selous game reserve, the number of elephants dropped from 100,000 to around 40,000.

At the moment we have managed to control the situation," he noted.

He said his office is continuing to resolve some of challenges, which include invasion of pastoralists to the reserved areas and grazing animals in the hunting blocks. "I am asking my fellow Tanzanians to understand what we are doing, politicians must stop politicising issues related to the protection of our game reserves by shielding some pastoralists who invade reserved areas," he noted.

On seized tusks, the PS said the government neither plans to sell them nor destroy them. On tourism, Major Gen. Milanzi said his office is doing everything in its power to promote tourism in the country. He said the ministry is also focusing at promoting beach, conference and culture tourism.

"We are now venturing on the other side in order to attract more tourists, we are now promoting our beaches, culture as well as conference tourism, our aim is to increase the number of tourists who come to our country from 1.1 million to a bigger number," he said.

He added that his office is also promoting other parts of the country so that tourists could visit them. So far 80 per cent of tourists visit Northern regions of Tanzania. The ministry is also preparing special advertisement that will be aired on both international and local media outlets. Major Gen. Milanzi said CNN and BBC are among international TV stations that air Tanzania tourism adverts.

Recently, Tanzania aired tourism adverts in London during the World Tourism Forum (WTF). He added that those who advertise that Mt Kilimanjaro belongs to them instead of telling the truth that it is in Tanzania will not affect tourism business in the country anymore, since the ministry has already designed an advert that clearly states why tourists must come to Tanzania to climb Mt Kilimanjaro.

"Our advert tells that you can see Mt Kilimanjaro from any angle, but you can only climb Mt Kilimanjaro from its home, which is Tanzania," he noted. On the revival of Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL), the PS said the company is expected to promote tourism in the country by flying tourists to various destinations across the country. He said there will be advertisement and various articles will be published in newsletters and magazines that are found onboard ATCL's bombardier planes.

On Value-Added Tax (VAT) on tourism, Major Gen. Milanzi said so far there is no negative impact from the government decisions.

He said the Tanzania National Parks (Tanapa) statistics and Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA) show that the number of tourists has been increasing.

TANZANIA: Air Tanzania To Acquire More Bombardier Aircraft

The CS300, only recently certified by the Canadian aviation regulators and one of the world's latest brand new single aisle aircraft, has been suggested as the aircraft of choice by the Tanzanian government to take national airline Air Tanzania to the next level.

Launch customer for the C-Series was Swiss a few weeks ago and Bombardier is now gearing up towards commercial deliveries of the CS100 and soon the CS300 too.

Only recently did the Tanzanian government buy two of Bombardier's Q400 turboprop aircraft to supplement the single Bombardier Q300 in service, allowing Air Tanzania to once again take to the skies in a more serious fashion and resume flights to a number of domestic destinations.

The airline's management, when handing over the new aircraft, was given a well near ultimatum to turn the company around and begin not just serving the country but make profit again, when both President Magufuli and his Transport Minister gave the managers a piece of their mind.

President Magufuli in fact mentioned at the time that his government was quite prepared to add more new aircraft - he ruled out leases and acquisitions through greed driven 'deals' - and while there was speculation this may result in the purchase of CRJ models this now seems to have been upped to the larger 135 seat CS300 series.

Two such aircraft could be added to the Air Tanzania fleet by 2018 and after that it is anyone's guess, once the domestic and regional networks are up and flying again, when the airline may set its sights to routes out of Africa, i.e. the Gulf or beyond.
Meanwhile so does the challenge for large scale aviation enterprises in Tanzania remain.

Other airlines like Fastjet and Precision Air are all still in the red, a situation they share with Air Tanzania, and aviation pundits claim it is the high level of fees and taxes the companies have to pay, among of course other reasons, which has kept them in the red.

Observers are now keenly eyeing the local media to find out what, if any, formal announcements may be made by Air Tanzania or the government, after President Magufuli, upon his return from a State Visit to Kenya, gave some indication that he will ensure ATCL does get the equipment it needs to make a serious impact on the market.

UGANDA: Restarting Uganda Airlines Will Not All Be Plane Sailing

Government is pushing ahead with plans to revamp the defunct national carrier, Uganda Airlines.

Speaking to ministers recently President Museveni said: “Ugandan travellers are suffering because of, apparently, not having a national airline.

I thought that our brothers in Ethiopia, Kenya and South Africa would serve all of us. That, however, is apparently not the case.”

Mr Museveni is right about the problem – air travel in and out of Uganda is inconvenient and expensive, with negative knock-on effects on tourism and trade – but he is wrong about the solution.

Discussions about national carriers tend to be emotional rather than rational. Set up around the time of independence, national airlines in Africa have tended to invoke political pride that far exaggerates their economic return. It might be a lousy airline, the passengers say, but it is our airline.

Yet having a national carrier will not necessarily end the suffering of Ugandan travellers. In fact, those who remember Uganda Airlines in its final days or who have ventured a trip on one of those hapless West African national carriers will tell you that the suffering caused by cancelled flights, dodgy safety standards, high prices and poor customer care is real.

In order to address the problem – the suffering of Ugandan travellers – we must explore several alternatives rather than let ourselves be blinded by patriotic fervour, like lemmings, into the enthusiasm of mass financial suicide.

Airlines are a cash-rich, low-margin business. Generally speaking, the airline industry has destroyed value for decades; 2015 was the first year in a long time that returns matched the average weighed cost of capital.

While some airlines do turn a profit, their real value is as economic catalysts, with the International Air Transport Association claiming a multiplier of eight.

Take Kenya, for instance. Eighty per cent of tourists arrive into the country by air but they are drawn in by the variety of activities, the quality of service and infrastructure, including at least 230 airfields and airstrips across the country.

Given a choice of going from plane to park in two hours (Nairobi, Kigali) and having to bear the brunt of eight hours on dangerous roads to Kidepo or Queen Elizabeth, few will choose the latter.

Similarly, having a cargo airline will only make economic sense if you have the supply- and value-chain infrastructure from farm to warehouse to plane that ensures quality and quantity consistently.

Here are some low-risk, high-return options we can explore before we take the billion-dollar leap. First, we can make airfares cheaper overnight by reducing or removing the tax that currently makes up a large chunk of the ticket price.

Then we can liberalise the skies across East Africa to create a regional airspace where for instance, Rwanda Air can take off Kigali, pick up passengers along the way in Uganda and fly to Mombasa – the buses already do it.

This is bound to create grumbling so the next logical step is to merge our airline ambitions into one regional carrier. Rwanda Air is losing money. Kenya Airways in losing money.

South African Airways is losing money. There is no way Uganda Airlines or Air Tanzania will make money in such a fragmented and high-cost market.

Yet a regional carrier would enjoy economies of scale and cancel out any pain of loss with the regional gain of making East Africa a competitive hub.

East African Community member states are already cooperating on the software issues of open-borders, single visas, free movement of labour and capital, as well as the hardware of regional railway lines, electricity interconnection lines and oil pipelines.
It would be foolish to cooperate on the ground then resort to kamikaze competition in the skies.

Ugandan travellers are suffering but setting up an airline to shave $50 off the airfare to Nairobi is the proverbial case of the medicine being worse than the disease.

Kenya Airways is flying on a wing and a prayer and we must not waste this crisis to consolidate the East African airline industry.

If its pride stands in the way let’s speak to the Ethiopians or the Emiratis – anything to stop us from throwing good money after bad.

Article By Mr Daniel Kalinaki

Mr Daniel Kalinaki is a Ugandan journalist based in Nairobi.

TANZANIA: Government Still Trying To Revive Air Tanzania

The government of President John Magufuli is committed to give Air Tanzania another chance, hopefully well advised over the risks of the aviation industry, where all three of the major airlines, Fastjet Tanzania, Precision Air and of course Air Tanzania itself, have been writing red bottom lines on their balance sheets.

It is not known at this stage to what extent the Tanzanian government will be paying up outstanding debts of Air Tanzania which were incurred by hapless former managers whose often flawed decisions cost the company billions of Tanzania Shillings and left it saddled with debt.

Aviation sources in Dar es Salaam close to the two other major airlines were for a change cautious in expressing their opinions with one saying: 'I think the main target for market shares of the revived ATCL will be Precision Air because it is obvious that a three aircraft turboprop operation will not go head on with jet airline Fastjet.

Those have their market wrapped up and if Air Tanzania sticks to those aircraft types and not make the same mistake Precision's former CEO made, they can even survive'.

The reference was in regard of Precision's entry into jet operations several years ago which however failed to make an impact on the routes the B737 was deployed and ended the company in a deep financial hole the present management is still struggling to get out of.

The other source then added: 'If the government succeeds in making Air Tanzania viable again, they might then even find a strategic investor, as long as they can clip the wings of the unions which have been a millstone around the company's neck. Of course all depends on the quality of the CEO they are now recruiting and the team that person can put together.

If he or she rely on the old guard sooner rather than later they will face the same problems. They get new aircraft, they also deserve to get a new team from top to bottom to make it a commercial success, because after all, this is my tax money we are talking about'.

TANZANIA: Minister Suspends Air Tanzania CEO

Tanzanian Minister for Work,Transport and Communications Prof. Makame Mbarawa had yesterday afternoon suspended the airline's CEO and the Director of Operations.

The reason given was that the two had allegedly selected an unqualified pilot to go for training to become type rated for the recently bought Bombardier Q400NG's, prompting the ire and wrath of the minister.

The two new planes are reportedly due for delivery as of September this year and due haste was needed to select and send pilots for training.

It could not be independently verified what issues the Minister has with the one selected pilot he singled out or if that pilot is indeed lacking qualifications or if it was simply another case of politically inspired foulmouthing, all of course at the expense of the airline.

'Buying two new planes is laudable. However, Air Tanzania is saddled with massive debts and unless those are cleared by government first will the airline continue to struggle financially.

Creditors may anytime ask courts to attach assets which has happened before. I know they are trying to optically boost the airline and then find a strategic investor but hoodwinking those into deals is no longer as easy as it used to be.

All attempts to partly privatise ATCL have failed in the past. Main reasons then were the level of debts and the influence of the union in that airline. Nothing as far as I am concerned has changed.

The airline should be liquidated to use tax payer money for more urgent causes or else merge them with Precision Air so that we have one sound strong national airline and not a flying financial wreck' did the source then continue.

Meanwhile has Fastjet Tanzania emerged as the country's leading airline in terms of passengers, followed by Precision Air and with Air Tanzania trailing as a very distant third. Other leading local airlines, operating on domestic routes and to the national parks, are Auric Air, Coastal and Regional Air.

TANZANIA: Visa Processing At Julius Nyerere International Airport So Slow

The Minister for Works, Transport and Communications, Prof Makame Mbarawa, has directed responsible authorities at Terminal II of Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) to speed-up processing of visas to check delays in issuance of the permits for foreigners arriving at the airfield.

Prof Mbarawa made the directive in Dar es Salaam yesterday after a tour at the three terminals of the country's main gateway for air transport. "It takes more than one hour for foreign passengers to process the visas and this is not healthy considering that some of them have travelled for long distances covering up to 18 hours," the minister noted with concern.

The minister observed firsthand how the arrival lounge at Terminal II was crowded with passengers who were waiting for their entry permits to be processed. An official with the Immigration Department put the blame on the National Microfinance Bank (NMB) for the delays since it had only two bank clerks to receive payments for handing out the visas.

"We have six counters with immigration officers charged with the task but NMB has only two tellers," the official informed the minister. However, Minister Mbarawa urged the responsible parties against trading blames and instead work jointly to address the challenge.

"All responsible parties including the Customs Department, the Immigration Department and the bank should chart out ways of solving the problem", he instructed. The visit by Prof Mbarawa was also a follow-up on directives by President John Magufuli in May, this year, where he instructed that two security scanners at Terminal I which were defective should be fixed. "I have been informed that the machines have been fixed and now operating.

The other issue I was following up was theft of jet fuel which I was told it has been curbed," he explained. On the other hand, Prof Mbarawa was delighted with the ongoing construction of Terminal III at JNIA, expressing optimism that the multi-million project will be completed by December, next year.

"The execution of the project is now at between 42 and 45 per cent, upon completion the new terminal will have the capacity to accommodate 21 planes at once including the largest passenger aircraft Airbus A 380," the minister noted.

The Acting Director General of Tanzania Airports Authority (TAA), Engineer George Sambali, told journalists during the tour that 45 per cent of international air transport traffic from Tanzania is taken by other countries due to lack of modern airport and thriving national carrier.

"We would be able to capture the international traffic once Terminal III is completed and when Air Tanzania is patched-up," he noted. Eng Sambali said plans were underway to upgrade other airstrips in the country to provide links to the JNIA from other countries in the region.

Regarding theft of jet fuel, the official said the airport authority had beefed up security through security camera to monitor movements of people in the airfield.

UGANDA: A Regional Airline Is The Option For East African Community

Uganda belongs to a league of five nations that make the East African Community. According to former East African Community (EAC) Secretary General Juma Mwapachu, ‘the EAC, in its various historical forms, is the oldest regional economic organisation in the world’.

Historically, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania have enjoyed a long history of co-operation. So much so that as early 1917, there was already a customs union between Kenya and Uganda, which the then Tanganyika joined in 1927.

This was followed by the East African High Commission (EAHC) from 1948 to 1961, the East African Common Services Organization (EACSO) from 1961 to 1967, and the 1967 to 1977 East African Community (EAC) which Burundi and Rwanda joined on 6 July 2009.

East Africa was lucky to have a visionary late Julius Nyerere of Tanzania which was the first country in East Africa to get independence, he was even prepared to delay his country’s independence in order to wait for Uganda and Kenya to also become independent so that the three could together, forge East African political union.

When he realized that the regional union was going to take long, he channeled his efforts into uniting the then Tanganyika and Zanzibar into the present union that is Tanzania which came into being in 1964. And after Uganda and Kenya got their independence in 1962 and 1963 respectively, Nyerere ensured he championed the creation of the EAC through which co-operation was to be made easy. His effort was repaid in 1967.

Having realized and understood the economic interests of the British colonialists in setting up the East African High Commission (EAHC) in 1948, he went ahead to put emphasis on strengthening common services like railways, harbors, airways, customs unions, postal services, a regional university of East Africa and other common services.

In order to strengthen the community further and to ease communication among the members of the community, he advocated for the adoption of a common language. Tanzania and Kenya adopted Kiswahili as their national language.

It is from this wise counsel that supporters of a regional airline have always got their inspiration. When we had an East African Airways (EAA), it was the most successful on the continent and one of the best in the world. It had enough passengers from the Community (EAC). Planes would collect passengers from the three countries, board them on one big plane and then flew them to Europe, Asia, and to the United States.

On realising that airline business was good business, the thieves in our different countries hatched plans to undermine the community airline under the guise of nationalism in order to create national airlines which they would use as their cash cow. They killed the EAC which had been established in 1967, and started national airlines which as predicted, could not stand the test of time.

When the EAC was reborn in 2000, the people of the region called for the revival of East African airways. But as usual, the usual suspects fronted some airline connected with South African Airways to make sure EAA is not resurrected because it would interfere with their thievery. As we talk today, Kenya Airways is near collapse having incurred a record Kenya Sh25.7 billion loss – making it the highest loss-making company in East Africa.

As for Uganda Airlines and Air Tanzania, they have really been dead for years. Until recently when we heard that former defunct Uganda Development Corporation (UDC), had been mandated to revive Uganda Airlines.

The purpose of this opinion is to first of all remind Uganda government that British Airways only recently pulled their operations out of Uganda and Tanzania because their operations were no longer commercially viable. We know there is of course business; the problem is that they could no longer compete with the other carries in our market. So how can Uganda Airlines compete?

What makes sense is going back to our regional airline now that the Community is back and even bigger with the addition of Rwanda and Burundi. Sudan would also like to join the community.

These are too many passengers, for one airline. A few years ago Kenya stood in the way of the revival of EAA. Today, it is on its knees, is begging to be bailed out by government, and it would gladly jump on to the idea of a revival of a well-managed regional airline. The Kenyan politicians are already calling for its liquidation.

The timing is therefore right for the revival of EAC now that there is clear evidence that going it alone our small individual airline have no chance of reaching their destinations. But most importantly, our region has never been more attractive to the outside world in terms of business opportunities.

What the people of East Africa want is a well managed, successful airline in which the people have a stake through shareholding. Once they do, they will patronize it, especially, government travelers.

The only thing standing in the way of the revival of a regional airline are the greedy leaders and their business cohorts. What is a Community for if the people can’t share in the services and benefits?

The co-operation between our cherished regional airline and other airlines should be mutual and beneficial to all. And finally, South African Airways through Alliance Air, and KLM, will go down as airlines which undermined our regional aviation industry. We now need to put the collective interests of our region first and all agreements with foreign airlines must reflect this interest.

Most importantly, let us live airline business to airline professionals. Uganda government and the Uganda Development Corporation need to consult those in the know because Airlines alone is not viable, cannot compete with the big airlines converging on Africa and East Africa in particular, and within the present international legal framework signed on by Uganda in ignorance.

By the way, as we discuss whether we need an airline or not, we need to be aware that there are many people in our region who will do anything and everything to ensure maintenance of the status quo. They must be resisted for the greater good.

TANZANIA: Minister Appoints Mr. Hamza Johari New Director General At The Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority

Tanzania's Minister for Works, Transport and Communication, Prof. Makame Mbarawa, yesterday announced the appointment of Mr. Hamza Johari as the new substantive Director General of the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority. The appointment is said to be effective 22nd of February.

Mr. Johari replaces Acting DG R. Bugomola who had himself replaced former Acting DG Charles Chacha, who was interdicted on charges of irregular procurement and financial transactions.

Mr. Johari holds a Master Degree in International Air Law and in fact lectured part time and the University of Dar es Salaam besides serving for the past decade as Executive Secretary of the TCAA Consumer Consultative Council.

Tanzania's aviation industry is in a state of flux with national airline Air Tanzania nearly broke, Precision Air still suffering losses and LCC Fastjet Tanzania, while in the meantime carrying the largest number of passengers, also still moving towards financial breakeven point.

Local airlines like Coastal Aviation and Auric Air, using small turboprop single and twin engine aircraft, successfully serve national parks, the Tanzanian Indian Ocean islands and key secondary and tertiary towns across the country while international routes are, apart from Fastjet's African destinations, served by airlines like Qatar Airways, Emirates, Etihad, FlyDubai, KLM, Swiss and South African.

Tanzania has invested heavily in infrastructure improvements in recent years, not only in Dar es Salaam where a new passenger terminal is nearing completion, but across the country with expanded and re-surfaced runways and renovations and modernization of terminal buildings and navigational equipment.

The minister for Works, Transport and Communications, Prof Makame Mbarawa, made the appointment in line with section 33(1) of the Civil Aviation Act (as amended in 2006).

Mr Johari, according to the ministry press statement, replaced Mr Redemptus Bugomola who was acting after suspension of another acting Mr Charles Chacha for massive financial and procurement irregularities.

According to Prof Mbarawa, the appointment took effect since Monday 22. Mr Johari, who holds a master's degree in International Laws major in International Air Laws, told Daily News immediately after his appointment that he will work hard to bring real change in the aviation industry.

“I humbly thank the minister. I feel honoured,” Mr Johari said “I will not let him down. “What we need is a massive change in aviation industry that way supporting economic growth,” Mr Johari said over the phone.

Prior to his appointment, new DG was the executive secretary of TCAA consumer consultative council for some ten years. He is also lecturing International Laws of Carriage (Transport Laws) at University of Dar es Salaam. And a member of Tanzania-Malawi boarder dispute committee.

Mr Chacha was suspended along with two other senior officials had been transferred following discovery of massive financial and procurement irregularities at the authority.

The TCAA officials who assigned other duties are; Principal Treasurer, Mr Said Mteule and the Procurement Manager, Mr Said Kaswella to pave way for further investigations into the said irregularities.