29 Nov 2013 07:00
29 November 2013
fastjet Plc
("fastjet" or the "Company")
fastjet launches second international route to Lusaka; celebrates one year anniversary
fastjet, Africa's low cost airline, is delighted to announce the launch of its second international route from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to Lusaka, Zambia. Today's launch coincides with celebrations marking one year of successful flight operations from fastjet's main hub at Dar es Salaam's Julius Nyerere airport in Tanzania.
Despite strong trading between Tanzania and Zambia, driven in part by landlocked Zambia's reliance on Dar es Salaam's port, there is currently no direct air link between Dar es Salaam and Lusaka. A steady increase in the onerous, 25 hour cross-border journeys undertaken by both Tanzanians and Zambians by road, demonstrates a real need for affordable air travel between the two countries, which fastjet intends to fulfil by launching its flights along this route.
Flights on fastjet's new route, which will initially operate twice a week, are available to purchase from next week with fares starting as low as $75 (plus government charges and taxes), significantly lower than fares from operators offering non-direct flights between the two cities. The first flight is scheduled to take place on 1st February 2014.
Commenting on the launch, Ed Winter, interim chairman and CEO of fastjet said:
"Building on the successes of the past year, the launch of our second international route to Lusaka moves fastjet further along the path to becoming a truly pan African carrier.
"We are incredibly pleased that, in accordance with our planned growth strategy, the roll-out of our international route network is now gaining real momentum and we are fulfilling our promise to the people of Africa to democratise air travel across the continent. We look forward to bringing the benefits of affordable, high-quality air travel to the people of Zambia"
On the first 12 months of fastjet operations, he added:
"It is extremely exciting to be celebrating fastjet's one year anniversary today, and we are immensely proud of our achievements over the past year. It is not only the hard work and dedication of our people that has made our first year a success, but also the overwhelming support of our passengers and the Tanzanian government, whom we would like to wholeheartedly thank. We see the end of our first year as just the beginning for fastjet and we remain steadfastly committed to becoming the first true, pan African low cost airline, launching more international routes and domestic networks."
Overcoming a number of challenges, fastjet is now established as a reliable, affordable low-cost carrier. Over the past year, it has seen consistently strong passenger numbers and load factors, and maintained excellent punctuality and reliability records. The airline has carried over 355,000 passengers throughout its domestic network in Tanzania and internationally to Johannesburg in South Africa, many of whom were first-time fliers. fastjet's first international route is performing well and awareness of fastjet's brand and high-quality operational performance is increasing in South Africa.
Currently, bookings across the network look strong and as customers start to make plans for the Christmas period, early indicators point to a successful festive season.
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NOTES TO EDITORS
About fastjet plc
fastjet plc is the holding company for African airline Fly540, which operates in Tanzania, Kenya, Ghana and Angola. Flights under the fastjet brand commenced in Tanzania in November 2012. The airline has introduced Airbus A319s into its fleet and by adhering to international standards of safety, quality, security and reliability, fastjet has brought a new flying experience to the African market at unprecedented low prices. fastjet is implementing the low-cost model across Africa and its long-term strategy is to become the continent's first low-cost, pan-African airline.