Tanzania Purchase USD200m Bombardier Aircraft
The Government of Tanzania recently signed
a USD200m purchase agreement with Canadian manufacturer Bombardier for two
CS300 jetliners and one Q400 turboprop aircraft.
They will be used for commercial
airline operations by Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL), the national carrier
of Tanzania.
The Q400 aircraft will have an
all-economy, 76-seat interior with two lavatories. The two CS300 airliners will
be configured in a dual-class layout, and will be equipped with WiFi internet
and in-flight entertainment.
“The domestic market in Tanzania as well as
the regional market are becoming more competitive as both business and leisure
travel are steadily increasing,” said Leonard Chamuriho, Permanent Secretary at
Tanzania’s Ministry of Works, Communications and Transport.
“Therefore it is vital to operate aircraft
that offer superb passenger comfort and amenities. Of course, high reliability,
operational flexibility, as well as excellent fuel efficiency and economics are
also necessary.
Both the Q400 and CS300 aircraft
more than satisfy these parameters,” he added. In September 2016, Bombardier
delivered two Q400 turboprop airliners to Tanzania following the purchase
agreement signed in August 2016.
“We are delighted that the Q400 aircraft which
entered service with Air Tanzania earlier this year are proving their superior
economics and versatility.
The CS300 aircraft will allow Air Tanzania to
expand both its domestic and regional markets, and it has the range to open new
international destinations such as the Middle East and India at the lowest
cost.
The C Series jet aircraft have the
right attributes to develop these markets,” said Jean-Paul Boutibou, Vice
President, Sales, Africa and the Middle East, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft.
Air Tanzania ATCL is the flag carrier airline of Tanzania based in Dar es
Salaam with its hub at Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA). It was
established as Air Tanzania Corporation (ATC) in 1977 and wholly owned by the
Tanzanian Government until 2002 when it was partially privatized.
The Government therefore reduced its
shareholding to 51% and entered into a partnership with South African Airways.
The partnership ended in 2006 when the Government of Tanzania repurchased the
shares and the airline became once again a wholly owned government company.
0 comments:
Post a Comment