African low-cost carrier Fasstjet has reported its highest monthly passenger carryings in July.
The airline’s operations in Tanzania carried a total of 71,763 passengers in the month, surpassing the previous record achieved in April by more than 3,600 and a 36% increase on the same month in the prior year. The load factor for July was 72%.
The increase in passengers was achieved in part by the start of flights to Malawi and additional flights to Mwanza. This has resulted in an aircraft utilisation figure of more than 12 hours a day at the end of July.
Fastjet has signed a six year operating lease for the first Airbus A319 in its Zimbabwe fleet with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. The aircraft will be on its way to Zimbabwe this month in readiness for the final stage of the Air Operator Certificate application – a demonstration flight for the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe. Seats for the first flights by Fastjet Zimbabwe will go on sale shortly after the demonstration flight has been completed.
The carrier’s newly released winter schedule includes increased frequencies on a number of routes including Dar es Salaam to Johannesburg moving from three flights a week to a daily operation while a service linking Dar es Salaam with both Lusaka and Harare also increases.
An additional Airbus 319 is planned to be introduced into the Tanzanian fleet later this month to handle the rise in capacity.
Chief executive, Ed Winter, said: “We are delighted to be reporting our highest monthly passenger numbers demonstrating the appetite for low-cost aviation in east and southern Africa.
“The new schedule underlines our commitment to grow the Tanzanian operation, building frequency on our most popular routes, and significant growth across the route network cements our position in the Tanzanian market.
“We are now at our target figure for utilisation of our existing fleet and we will shortly be introducing a fourth aircraft into the Tanzanian fleet.”