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If you read my posts you will easily understand why I say No!
We have yet to stabilise what’s left of Fjet.
Masaimara
Noooooooo!
Dar es Salaam. Yesterday, the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) said that the validity of the licence of Fastjet Tanzania expired on January 3, 2019.
This was after the troubled airline failed to meet the air transport regulator’s criteria, including payment of licence fees and the relatively huge debt it owes TCAA.
But Fastjet’s executive chairman and majority shareholder Lawrence Masha told The Citizen a few days ago that discussions with TCAA on the related issues were still ongoing.
“Everything will be made public in due course. Kindly give us room so that we can finalise our talks with the regulator,” Mr Masha said in an exclusive telephone interview.
For his part, TCAA director general Hamza Johari told The Citizen yesterday that Fastjet – which owes TCAA, other service providers and assorted creditors a total of Sh7 billion – was required to obtain a new licence before January 3 this year, but failed to do so.
“They (Fastjet Tanzania) were supposed to protect their business licence by paying debts to TCAA, and also pay operating licence charges,” Mr Johari explained.
Fastjet requires an aviation licence which enables it to operate two types of services, namely: charter services, and scheduled flights.
The fee for each of the two services is $1,200, and the airline needed to pay a total of $2,400 (about Sh5.4 million) for a new licence before January 3, 2019.
On December 17 last year, TCAA issued a 28-day notice of intention to revoke the cash-strapped Fastjet’s operating licence over what the Authority described as ‘poor management’ that resulted in frequent flight cancellations.
In the event, the regulator required Fastjet to – among other things – pay all the debts it owed to its service providers, including unpaid licence charges to TCAA, and also officially appoint an ‘accountable manager’ who must be an expert in aviation matters.
The raft of conditions also included requiring the airline to prepare a business plan which would, among other issues, outline the airline’s future management structure.
This was deemed important after a change in Fastjet’s shareholders as announced late last year.
“Fastjet did not meet even one of the conditions that we outlined for it to qualify to operate in the country (Tanzania),” Mr Johari told The Citizen in the interview – adding that this was one of the reasons which led to the ceasing of its operating licence.
“They will have to apply for a new licence if and when they are able and ready to do so. We are willing to give them all the support needed.”
In the meantime, TCAA would hold Fastjet’s aircraft until the company pays all the debts it owes the regulator and other service providers. Earlier on, the regulator had revealed that Fastjet had only two aircraft (E190 Embraer), one of which was grounded for maintenance, while the other was recalled by the lessor.
According to Mr Johari, Fastjet did put together a business plan which it submitted to T
It was just a tightening of the spread. Re 10% rise
Air Tanzania to operate Dar es Salaam – Harare – Lusaka – Dar es Salaam service from 22FEB19 with A220-300, 3 times a week. Harare and Lusaka both previously served by the airline until mid-2000s
Absolutely , very much hand in mouth, Mozambique taking a mahoosive bashing with the entry of Mozambique Ethiopian start up and Zimbabwe whilst doing well has its cash stuck in Zimbabwe, as for news on SA startup let’s wait and see what the cost of the get out clause for the ATR72 final costs are, add this to who will pay the monies owed in TZ which caused an E190 being impounded, add to this the cost of the E190 lease satisfaction and i doubt if there will be any change left for an SA start up anytime soon
These flights are now cancelled and will re run over seasonal periods only next available are a short series over Easter
https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/oped/1840568-4917146-c1x4nlz/index.html
How have the leases been satisfied on the two E190 when one is held by TZ authorities until payments made to suppliers and the other unknown since it went to Nairobery
http://dlvr.it/Qv4bG1
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Fjet TZ was purchased with landing rights not aircraft, still scrambling to purchase fjet PLC remaining stake
Apparently financially-embattled Fastjet-Tanzania is nonetheless expected to acquire new Boeing 737-500 planes as part of its revival plans, the company’s executive chairman, Lawrence Masha, has revealed.
This somewhat surprising announcement was made just a few days after the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) grounded the company’s only plane on account of debts owed by the airliner to its creditors. Consequently, the company was forced to suspend its scheduled internal flights
Speaking on a Clouds TV 360 programme on Wednesday (December 19,2018), Mr Masha said the plane is expected to arrive “in the next three days.
“After taking delivery of the first plane on Saturday, we expect another two Boeing 737-500 planes to increase our fleet – thereby resolving the flights cancellation challenges which the airline has been facing lately.
“All the planes we acquire will be registered in Tanzania – and, as the air travel demand grows, we expect to acquire one or two more Bombardier planes,” he said.
Fastject-Tanzania had 45 per cent of the air travel market share in Tanzania before it was hit by a financial crisis in recent times. It is already struggling to revive its services and regain the public confidence it had temporarily lost after some seven years of operations in Tanzania and beyond.
“We are in dialogue with the authorities, including especially TCAA, to allow us to start selling air traveltickets once again, as we have fulfilled some of the regulatory requirements and are continuing with the dialogue,” he said.
Arrival of the Boeing 737-500 plane will enable Fastjet to restart operations on its regional routes, including Dar es Salaam-Johannesburg, and Dar es Salaam-Nairobi. It will also enable the airline to revivfe its domestic schedules to and fromSongea, Dodoma, Bukoba and Arushausing the new Bombardier plane.
Despite cessation of the company’s services, all its employees were nonetheless paid their December salaries in advance and efforts are continuing to pay products and services providers as due – as well as paying debts to the regulator.
Mr Masha said he expects to meet with strategic investors from South Africa, China, Malaysia and India who have shown interest to invest in Fastject-Tanzan
https://twitter.com/edwardsianga/status/1075425972076363776?s=21
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Fastjet-Tanzania is taking in a fresh breath of air on the road to recovery. It has announced plans to acquire four new planes, includingthree Boeing 737-500 and a Bombardier.
The first Boeing 737-500 is slated to be delivered in Dar es Salaam this Saturday
According to the news report, the Tanzanian government also revealed that Fastjet owed Tsh1.4 billion to TCAA for provision of services including security.
https://twitter.com/mlandeli_ndlela/status/1075321272085725184?s=21