African low-cost airline Fatsjet launched its third international route yesterday with flights between Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and Harare in Zimbabwe.
Forward bookings for the twice-weekly flights are “well ahead” of management expectations and a third weekly frequency is being added.
People wanting to travel between Dar es Salaam and Harare previously had to spend at least two days travelling the approximately 2,200km distance by road, or flying via Nairobi in Kenya or Johannesburg in South Africa, often involving lengthy layovers.
Chief executive Ed Winter said: “Fastjet has responded to requests from Zimbabweans and Tanzanians asking for a direct route connecting these two cities with affordable, reliable flights.
“Yesterday’s flight from Harare was fully booked, as is Saturday’s. With future bookings also looking strong we’ve decided to add a third rotation each Thursday which we expect to commence at the end of next month.”
He added: “We believe the launch of this route will stimulate business and tourism in regions where citizens have had to depend on lengthy road transportation or have been excluded from air travel by the significant costs of flying an indirect route through Nairobi or Johannesburg.”
Fares for the service start at $50 one-way, excluding airport and government taxes.