Tanzania plans to overhaul national airline's management: official

Tanzania has expressed intention of overhauling the management of the national airline, Air Tanzania Corporation Limited (ATCL) so that it remains with the best staff to improve the airline's efficiency.

Makame Mbarawa, Tanzania's Minister for Works, Transport and Communications said on Tuesday that for the national flag carrier to withstand regional competitiveness it needs to boost its performance.

"And the only way for ATCL to meet this is by overhauling the management as well as bringing in new and well-trained staff," the minister said in a statement.

Prof. Mbarawa said that the fifth-phase government was determined to revamp the airline and become one of the best in east and central Africa in few years to come, hence "we want the ATCL with competent team to realize the government's dream."

The minister gave one month for the airline top management to do the overhauling process and remain with the staff which is competent.

Recently, Tanzanian government purchased two Q400 aircrafts with Canadian manufacturer Bombardier as part of efforts to revive the national airline.

Tanzania's President John Magufuli announced two weeks ago that the government has already ordered two jetliners for the national flag carrier, including a Boeing aircraft and a Bombardier CS300 plane.

Tanzania's intention is to ensure that by 2018, the country has seven new planes, which are expected to revamp the country's tourism industry as the national flag carrier will introduce new direct flights as far as Europe, the United States and China.