Fastjet Airlines Limited (Tanzania), also known as Fastjet Tanzania, was a low-cost airline that operated flights under the fastjet brand in Tanzania. The airline was founded in 2011 as Fly540 Tanzania, but on the acquisition of Fly540 in 2012, it was rebranded as Fastjet Tanzania. Based in Dar es Salaam, the airline carried more than 350,000 passengers in its first year of operations and sold one million seats by December 2014, but failed to make a profit, and went into liquidation on 25 November 2019.
History Fastjet Tanzania was founded in 2011 as Fly540 Tanzania, a subsidiary of Kenya-based Fly540. Using a Bombardier CRJ100 and a Dash 8-100,"Fly540 Tanzania suspends operations ahead of Fastjet launch". Ch-aviation. 14 October 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2016. it flew to eight destinations in Tanzania and two in Kenya."African low-cost carrier Fastjet announces Dar es Salaam base". Ch-aviation. 21 September 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
In June 2012, Fly540 was acquired by Rubicon Diversified Investments, which intended to merge all of Fly540's operations into its new venture Fastjet."Lonrho sells Fly540 to Rubicon as basis for new African LCC FastJet". CAPA - Centre for Aviation. 14 June 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2016. Fly540 Tanzania suspended operations on 13 October 2012 before being rebranded as Fastjet Tanzania.
Fastjet Tanzania was Fastjet's first operating base in Africa, with flights from Julius Nyerere International Airport commencing on 29 November 2012. Initial flights operated successfully between Dar es Salaam and Kilimanjaro, and between Dar es Salaam and Mwanza. Further routes were to be added quickly, both domestically and to other East African destinations.Fastjet tickets go on sale . Easy.com (13 November 2012). By August 2015 it had come to operate domestic routes linking Dar es Salaam with Mwanza, Kilimanjaro and Mbeya, and four international routes from Dar es Salaam to Johannesburg, Harare, Entebbe, Lilongwe and Lusaka.
Ultimately unable to generate sufficient cash flow to cover its debts, the airline was declared insolvent and a liquidator appointed on 21 December 2019.
Corporate affairs Ownership Fastjet Tanzania was originally 49% owned by Fastjet Plc. On 14 November 2014, it was announced that Fastjet Plc had entered into an agreement to sell an interest in fastjet Tanzania to Tanzanian investors. The issue of the shares brought the total Tanzanian legal and beneficial ownership of fastjet Tanzania to 51%.
Business trends Fastjet Tanzania began trading on 29 November 2012, and financial results were incorporated in the Fastjet Plc group accounts. Some information was made available for the Tanzanian operation (as at year ending 31 December):
20122013201420152016 Turnover (US$ m)3.626.153.864.659.7 Profits/losses after tax (US$ m) Number of passengers (m)0.030.370.600.78n/a* Passenger load factor (%)78.9**72.573.366.7n/a* Number of aircraft (at year end)33353 Notes/sources**Deconly
Head office Fastjet Tanzania maintained a head office in Samora Avenue, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania."Contact fastjet." (Archive) Fastjet. Retrieved 7 May 2013. "fastjet Tanzania Plot No 767/39, Suite No. 1 Samora Avenue Dar es Salaam P.O. Box 38639 Upanga""Feedback." (Archive) Fastjet. Retrieved 7 May 2013. "fastjet Head Office Plot No 767/39, Suite No. 1 Samora Avenue P.O. Box 38639 Upanga Dar es Salaam Tanzania"
Destinations As of March 2018 (shortly before the operation closed), Fastjet Tanzania was serving the following destinations:
BaseFutureTerminated route
CityCountryIATAICAOAirportArusha and Moshi Tanzania JRO HTKJ Kilimanjaro International AirportDar es Salaam Tanzania DARHTDAJulius Nyerere International Airport [Base] Entebbe Uganda EBBHUENEntebbe International Airport (ended 3 December 2016) Harare Zimbabwe HREFVHAHarare International AirportJohannesburg South Africa JNB FAOR OR Tambo International Airport (ended 15 January 2017) Kigoma Tanzania TKQ HTKA Kigoma AirportLilongwe Malawi LLW FWKI Kamuzu International Airport (ended 8 February 2016)Lusaka Zambia LUN FLKK Kenneth Kaunda International AirportMbeya Tanzania -HTGWSongwe AirportMoroni Comoros HAHFMCHPrince Said Ibrahim International Airport Mwanza Tanzania MWZHTMWMwanza AirportNairobi Kenya NBOHKJKJomo Kenyatta International Airport (ended 3 December 2016)Zanzibar City Tanzania ZNZ HTZA Abeid Amani Karume International Airport
Cargo Fastjet signed an agreement with one of Africa's largest cargo operators, BidAir Cargo, to carry cargo on its fleet of Airbus A319s.
Fleet
The Fastjet Tanzania fleet included the following aircraft as of June 2017: + Fastjet Tanzania fleetAircraftIn serviceOrdersPassengersNotesATR 72-600—370Embraer 1902—100June 2019Total23
See also List of airlines of Tanzania
References
External links Official website (Mobile)