Tanzania’s state carrier plans to double the size of its fleet to 14 aircraft by 2022 and is exploring new routes and code-sharing agreements with other airlines, a senior government official said on Saturday.
The plans were announced by Tanzanian transport ministry permanent secretary Leonard Chamuriho at a ceremony in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam marking the delivery of the airline’s second Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.
The arrival of the plane brought the number of new aircraft purchased by the government to seven.
Air Tanzania currently holds just over 70% of the country’s domestic air travel market, Chamuriho said.
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“We aim to introduce flights to Guangzhou, China, by the end of this year as well as new routes to Nairobi, Lubumbashi and Kinshasa by June next year,” he said.
The government hopes that a more efficient national airline will help boost tourism, the main foreign exchange earner in the East African nation’s economy.
Air Tanzania’s existing fleet now includes two Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners, two Airbus A220-300 jets and three DHC Dash 8-400 aircraft, formerly known as the Bombardier Q400 turboprop.
