Tanzania’s privately owned Precision Air on Wednesday last week launched its much anticipated South Africa route in what Michael Shirima, board member and majority shareholder in the airline, described as “dream come true.”
The airline started with a Boeing 737-300, and three days later it launched a similar aircraft to carry out aviation business. In due course it expects to have four-weekly flights as it builds its network.
Additionally the carrier, having grown phenomenally over the years, also plans to launch flights to Angola, Comoro and DRC. Shirima said they outsell their nearest competitor Air Tanzania Corporation Limited (ATCL) by a ratio of more than 3:1.
"The recipe is a hub-and-spoke model whereby we bring passengers to destinations within our network, from where they can travel to anywhere in the world," CEO and Managing Director Precision Air Alphonse Kioko, said when asked about the driving force behind the airline success."By focusing on key markets like South Africa, Comoro and Angola, the airline has great chance of being highly successful particularly in the absence of (serious) rivals," said Kioko in Johannesburg.
Cashing in on capturing transiting passengers from Dubai, Kioko said the airline expects to service 1,500 passengers in the first month of operations. Boeing 737-300 has a two-class configuration - Business and Economy - with a total capacity of 116 seats, 16 of them in business class.
Kioko said: "The biggest challenge, however, will remain getting favourable airport slot timings as well as access to newer generation aircraft.
SOURCE: GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY
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