Fastjet‚ Africa's first low cost airline‚ confirmed on Monday (14 October) that it will start its international flight operations on Friday (18 October).
The airline's first international flight‚ from Dar es Salaam's Julius Nyerere International Airport in Tanzania to Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport in SA‚ is scheduled to depart at 9.15am on Friday morning (18 October) and will arrive in SA at 11.45am‚ local time.
Flights between the two cities will initially be operated by Fastjet three times a week on Mondays‚ Wednesdays and Fridays‚ increasing in frequency as soon as consumer demand dictates.
Fastjet's chief executive and interim chairman Ed Winter said: "The Department of Transport has completed its review of the additional documents it requested and has issued an updated foreign operator permit. Fastjet is delighted that‚ in line with our expansion strategy‚ operations can now start on this route.
"Until now‚ flying between Dar es Salaam and Johannesburg has been prohibitively expensive for many people. The launch of this service offers a new‚ affordable and reliable option to both Tanzanians and South Africans," Winter claimed.
Flights between the two cities will initially be operated by Fastjet three times a week on Mondays‚ Wednesdays and Fridays‚ increasing in frequency as soon as consumer demand dictates.
Fastjet's chief executive and interim chairman Ed Winter said: "The Department of Transport has completed its review of the additional documents it requested and has issued an updated foreign operator permit. Fastjet is delighted that‚ in line with our expansion strategy‚ operations can now start on this route.
"Until now‚ flying between Dar es Salaam and Johannesburg has been prohibitively expensive for many people. The launch of this service offers a new‚ affordable and reliable option to both Tanzanians and South Africans," Winter claimed.
In June this year, Fastjet, the African budget airline, was granted permission to launch international flights from its hub in Tanzania to Zambia.
The company, which is backed by Easyjet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou, will fly to South Africa and Rwanda.
It received route approvals from the relevant governments under Bilateral Air Services Agreements (BASAs).
Fastjet also said it was putting its plans to launch a domestic service in South Africa on hold.
"This is a monumental day in Fastjet's history, and brings us closer to our goal of becoming Africa's first pan-continental low-cost airline," said Ed Winter, chief executive and chairman.
"We have expended huge effort over the past six months in obtaining these rights, and we can only thank the government and population of Tanzania, who have lobbied hard to allow us to gain access to the bilateral rights to operate to these countries.
"We will soon announce launch dates for flights to Johannesburg, Kigali and Lusaka from Dar es Salaam."
The company is hoping to offer early bookers flights between Johannesburg and Dar es Salaam for around $100 (£64), one-way, excluding government taxes and charges.
Separately, on Thursday, the company agreed to create a low-cost airline operating within Nigeria, jointly with Nigeria's Red 1 Airways.
Fastjet was created following its acquisition of the African airline Fly540, and operates from four bases in Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana and Angola.
As such, it already has 10 aircraft serving around 25 destinations within Africa.
Fastjet also announced it had secured financing of up to £15m ($23.5m) through an equity deal with Darwin, a subsidiary of fund managers Henderson Global Investors Volantis Capital.
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