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Low-cost airline
launches sixth international destination with twice-weekly flights connecting
Malawi and Tanzania
fastjet Tanzania’s first flight between
Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and Lilongwe in Malawi took off today, marking the
launch of the low-cost airline’s sixth international route in Africa.
Flight FN209 departed Dar es Salaam’s
Julius Nyerere International Airport at 09h40 with Tanzanian government officials,
local passengers and media on board. Upon arrival at Malawi’s Lilongwe
International Airport at 10h20, fastjet hosted an official launch ceremony
before returning to Dar es Salaam on flight FN210 at 10h55, landing at 13h35
(all local times).
The Dar es Salaam – Lilongwe flights
will initially operate twice a week on Mondays and Fridays, using the airline’s
modern Airbus A319 jet aircraft with seating for up to 156 passengers. fastjet Tanzania expects to add more capacity to this route as demand for its safe, quick, affordable and on-time service
increases.
Tickets for flights with fastjet are on
sale starting from US$50 one-way, excluding taxes, with the promise that the
earlier the booking is made, the lower the fare will be. This compares favourably
with other carriers on the route that charge upwards of $300, plus taxes. The
journey by road between the two cities takes at least 21 hours, travelling
1,520km around Lake Malawi.
With its low-cost fares, fastjet
Tanzania expects many of its passengers on this new route to be first time
flyers who would otherwise not have been able to afford to travel by air.
Supporting this belief is the research undertaken by the airline in December
2014, which showed that 35% of its passengers were first time flyers.
“Until now, it has been prohibitively
expensive to fly between Lilongwe and Dar es Salaam,” says Jimmy Kibati, fastjet Tanzania’s General Manager for East Africa.
“We believe that affordable fares on a direct route between the two cities will
make it possible for more people in Malawi and Tanzania to experience the
safety and convenience of air travel. We have worked closely with the
governments of these two magnificent countries to establish this route, as we
all agree that it will strengthen the trade, tourism and business sectors.”
fastjet will be offering its ‘Freighty’
luggage option that allows passengers to transport up to
80kg of checked in bags, as well as its ‘Smart Class’ fares, which include
pre-booked premium seat selection, increased baggage allowance of 32kg and the
ability to change flight dates.
“We expect Freighty to be popular with
traders flying to purchase wholesale produce internationally to transport back
to their home markets for resale, as fastjet’s low fares support their
businesses by reducing their overall procurement costs,” says Kibati. “Low-cost
air travel stimulates economies in a number of ways, and we’re excited to
contribute to economic growth in the countries we operate in.”
Bookings can be made online at www.fastjet.com, through any fastjet
office, through travel agents or by contacting fastjet’s 24 hour call centre on +255 784 108 900. Payment for tickets can be made with
cash, online with a credit card, or through Mpesa and Tigo Pesa.
fastjet Tanzania already operates domestically from Dar es Salaam to
Mwanza, Mbeya and Kilimanjaro, as well as between Kilimanjaro and Mwanza, and
internationally between Dar es Salaam and Johannesburg in South Africa, Lusaka
in Zambia, Entebbe in Uganda, and Harare in Zimbabwe. fastjet also flies
between Kilimanjaro and Entebbe.
Low-cost airline
launches sixth international destination with twice-weekly flights connecting
Malawi and Tanzania
fastjet Tanzania’s first flight between
Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and Lilongwe in Malawi took off today, marking the
launch of the low-cost airline’s sixth international route in Africa.
Flight FN209 departed Dar es Salaam’s
Julius Nyerere International Airport at 09h40 with Tanzanian government officials,
local passengers and media on board. Upon arrival at Malawi’s Lilongwe
International Airport at 10h20, fastjet hosted an official launch ceremony
before returning to Dar es Salaam on flight FN210 at 10h55, landing at 13h35
(all local times).
The Dar es Salaam – Lilongwe flights
will initially operate twice a week on Mondays and Fridays, using the airline’s
modern Airbus A319 jet aircraft with seating for up to 156 passengers. fastjet Tanzania expects to add more capacity to this route as demand for its safe, quick, affordable and on-time service
increases.
Tickets for flights with fastjet are on
sale starting from US$50 one-way, excluding taxes, with the promise that the
earlier the booking is made, the lower the fare will be. This compares favourably
with other carriers on the route that charge upwards of $300, plus taxes. The
journey by road between the two cities takes at least 21 hours, travelling
1,520km around Lake Malawi.
With its low-cost fares, fastjet
Tanzania expects many of its passengers on this new route to be first time
flyers who would otherwise not have been able to afford to travel by air.
Supporting this belief is the research undertaken by the airline in December
2014, which showed that 35% of its passengers were first time flyers.
“Until now, it has been prohibitively
expensive to fly between Lilongwe and Dar es Salaam,” says Jimmy Kibati, fastjet Tanzania’s General Manager for East Africa.
“We believe that affordable fares on a direct route between the two cities will
make it possible for more people in Malawi and Tanzania to experience the
safety and convenience of air travel. We have worked closely with the
governments of these two magnificent countries to establish this route, as we
all agree that it will strengthen the trade, tourism and business sectors.”
fastjet will be offering its ‘Freighty’
luggage option that allows passengers to transport up to
80kg of checked in bags, as well as its ‘Smart Class’ fares, which include
pre-booked premium seat selection, increased baggage allowance of 32kg and the
ability to change flight dates.
“We expect Freighty to be popular with
traders flying to purchase wholesale produce internationally to transport back
to their home markets for resale, as fastjet’s low fares support their
businesses by reducing their overall procurement costs,” says Kibati. “Low-cost
air travel stimulates economies in a number of ways, and we’re excited to
contribute to economic growth in the countries we operate in.”
Bookings can be made online at www.fastjet.com, through any fastjet
office, through travel agents or by contacting fastjet’s 24 hour call centre on +255 784 108 900. Payment for tickets can be made with
cash, online with a credit card, or through Mpesa and Tigo Pesa.
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