Fastjet continues to extend its reach within Africa, moving forward with a number of different developments on the continent in spite of increasing competition.
In response to customer demand, the airline is adding four return flights a week on its Dar es Salaam and Mwanza route. The extra flights will operate on Sundays, Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays, bringing the total number of return flights each week to 25. Flights are scheduled to commence on August 1.
From August 17, fastjet will also operate an additional return flight on Sundays between Dar es Salaam and Lusaka, bringing the number of flights linking Tanzania and Zambia to four a week.
Meanwhile, ticket sales for its new Dar es Salaam-Harare route, due to start operating on August 5, have been strong, says Richard Bodin, fastjet Chief Commercial Officer.
The airline hopes to have a base in Lusaka up and running in the near future. “The project to obtain our Air Operator Certificate is well under way and things are moving forward positively,” Bodin says.
He adds that in-depth discussions and planning are taking place in Kenya with regard to the establishment of a new airline in the region, under the fastjet brand. The company recently disposed of its holding in Fly540 Kenya. “At the end of the day, we decided it would make more sense to apply for a brand-new AOC,” he says.
“We are rapidly developing flights across Africa into South Africa.” The aim, he says, is to increase fastjet’s presence in South Africa by linking multiple destinations to Johannesburg. He says fastjet’s route between Dar es Salaam and Johannesburg continues to grow, and has developed into a strong route.
Bodin believes fastjet’s success in Africa has attracted new competition in the way of LCCs such as flyafrica.com. “There are 1,1 billion people in Africa, representing a vast untapped market. As such, we believe that competition can only be a good thing.”
