Air Tanzania to Start Q400 Operations 15 October

[Phone Wind]

ATCL plans to start operating its 2 new Dash8 Q400s on 15 October once TCAA Certification is complete. Initial destinations will include Arusha, Mbeya and Mtwara with fares starting at around $75, one way.
President Magufuli has announced that more aircraft will be purchased in the next 3 years as funds become available. One of the types they're rumoured to be looking at is the new CS300.
Dutch Bombardier-approved maintenance provider SAMCO is providing technical support.
ATCL takes off on October 15 - News | The Citizen

This will certainly provide tough competition to money-losing competitors Fastjet who seem to have completely mis-managed the introduction of their leased E190, the first of which is still sitting on the ramp at Dar while they struggle to keep to any sort of schedule with a single A319

[ZINDONDA]

The q400s are cruising the skies with their blue tails,its quite refreshing to see the rebirth...ooh plus an all TZ crew,a step in the right direction for the National Airline.

[ZINDONDA]

currently the E190 is flying..just not sure where to....hehehe

[Phone Wind]

The E190 is on dry lease to Fastjet from Bulgaria Air. FJ will shortly be brining in another leased A319.
The problem with ATCL is that their fares are too high compared with Precision and FJ, though they have said they'll bring them down - maybe because 2 other new airlines are soon going to start scheduled services from Dar.
ATCL are probably going to be buying a couple of CS3000 to start operating in 2018.

[ZINDONDA]

True indeed, Actually by late 2017,the CS300 will be in to cover the regional market.Itll be interesting to see how the CS 300 matches the B737 ,A319 and E170 fleets of rival airlines. Theres also been a few whispers of long haul jetliner coming in 2018...only time will tell.

[ZINDONDA]

Meanwhile the 2 new airlines coming up...what market are they targeting, internal or regional because all seem to be very highly competitive now.

[Phone Wind]

Air Tanzanian have now paid for the third Q400 scheduled to arrive soon and has confirmed orders to make it the launch customer of the new Bombardier CS300 in Africa.
President Magafuli is also rumored to have authorized a deposit of $10 million on a B787 dreamliner for delivery in June 2018

https://wolfganghthome.wordpress.com...ew-dreamliner/

[4runner]

Not to be a Negative Nancy, but....First of all, 10 mil is not a deposit on a 78, especially from an inexperienced operator and new airline of a country with historically poor relations with the West and bad credit. Secondly, Tanzania noticed that one of its neighbors has created a viable airline in the region and got jealous. Thirdly, its Tanzania...

[Phone Wind]

Ok, $10 million is a statement of intent, but a pretty good one as the government has paid cash for its new Q400s - actually owned by the government and leased by ATCL.
ATCL is not a new operator - though, admittedly it's been effectively moribund for years.
Yes, it's Tanzania, but with Magafuli (the Bulldozer) possibly not the Tanzania of 10 years ago. After all, in just 1 year of the new government it's operating 2 Q400s

[ZINDONDA]

4runner in June 2018 when the 787 arrives, be sure to receive a PM from me titled " This is Tanzania"
Like Phone wind said Tanzania today has flipped a new page, I suggest you flip yours as well.

[salvo montalbano]

Does somebody knows if they accept applications from foreign pilots?

[4runner]

I'm not anti-Tanzania....I am realistic. Anyone that has ever attempted to clear a vehicle or container through customs in Dar would be skeptical. There's a great episode on Vice about African Cowboys that does a good job showing just how difficult navigating post-colonial, post-socialist Tanzanian buearocracy. A 787 is a very sophisticated aircraft. It takes years to build up the network necessary to economically operate an aircraft that size and years to get all the necessary approval to use it to its full capability. You don't just sign a letter of intent and magically start a global flag carrier. Tanzania WANTS a 787. There's a big difference between wanting and doing. Your neighbor RwandAir has been operating it's own aircraft for almost 8 years and is aggressively expanding and they just got their first wide body. A big aircraft can do a lot of financial damage if it's not properly managed and planned. Proceed with caution and optimism, but be realistic...

[kibz2005]

A widebody aircraft requires a very large support network. It's not enough to look at other carriers and say "they come here with widebodies everyday. We should get our own and we'll fill ours too." People travel on bigger carriers for their route network which sadly, Air Tanzania does not yet have. It would be great to see the airline grow and open up opportunities in the region. However, growth should be cautious lest they realise that a widebody can sink a company into debt levels equal to the GDP of a small country.

[254HEAVY]

Yup case example the airline next door. 2 787 & 5 T7 wet leased and 2 T7 just stored at the hangers! Wide-bodies are a headache to manage/run leave alone them returning money!

4runner is right on the money. Since commencing operations in 2002, Rwandair got their first "heavy" in Sept this yr and the second one about 2 weeks ago. They built and utilised their Dash 8 & CRJ's for year and years to get the right amount of loads & networks that would require a "heavy". They are adopting the ET model and YES RWD have also placed a "future" 788 1 order too!

[Phone Wind]

The way the Tanzanian economy is heading at present may well mean they won't have as large an international market in the next few years

Nigeria's Dangote clash with Tanzania's John Magufuli will leave investors worried ? Quartz

[nonsuch123]

4runner is right with his assesment, planning to buy a single dreamliner is terrible waste of money indeed. These guys cant even put a working website:

http://www.airtanzania.co.tz/air-tan...0King/Queen/10

Just one of many dead links on the website. At least now they have put up some news explaining why online booking is not working since months...
Only reason why the boss here in TZ bought this plane is to show off, esp. to Kenya

Let me quote for you:

In January 2009, the Airbus A320 underwent a Check D, also known as a Heavy Maintenance Visit, which is done after every four to five years. Subsequently in July 2010, the aircraft was returned to the lessor, a Lebanese firm, Wallis Trading Company. The government on paper incurred a loss of $39 million on the lease of the Airbus, which according to the report did not fly. But the report further shows that the debt accumulated from the transactions with the Lebanese firm rose to Tsh322 billion ($200 million), enough to purchase three brand new Airbuses of the same series. According to Airbus Aircraft 2012 Average List prices, the purchase order price of a brand new Airbus A320 series is $88.3 million. Controller and Auditor General Ludovick Utouh says that the government involvement in business decision making at ATCL is a serious problem.

Chinese firm leased obsolete aircraft for Air Tanzania - News

[Phone Wind]

nonsuch123,
You're obviously totally out of touch with what's happening in Tanzania. The article you posted your second link to was published in 2012, since when Tanzania has had a change of government and ATCL has had a change in management, with almost all the old senior management swept away.
Sure, some bits of the website aren't yet working properly - I have the same problem with AF/KLM and frequently complain to them. However, I had no problem at all using it to book a flight from Mwanza to Dar a couple of weeks ago at a cost of $90.
Compared with Fastjet, I found the experience much better with a full service flight and everything hassle free and on time

[pfvspnf]

What happened to the guys a few years ago who went to their local MPs complaining about employment? Did some of them end up as chopper pilots? Any chance things can get moving again?

[kibz2005]

There's tumbleweeds running through this thread right now :-/ Any word on the incoming widebody? With 5 months to go, shouldn't it be all over the news?

[4runner]

Yeah. Sooooo. Not trying to be a negative Nancy. But it’s Tanzania. The only country that makes Tanzania look good in the region is Burundi. Mozambique has a fleet of new 737’s operating. Once again, try clearing a vehicle or container from Dar Es Salaam and then talk about starting a global flag carrier. Tanzania is a nightmare for doing anything other than a safari. It’s even difficult to bring aid into the country. Think about that for a minute. It’s a challenge to bring stuff to give away to the needy. You have to bribe a multi layered bureaucracy to bring in charity to much needed peeps. I’ve had a caravan on short final try to land on top of me in Kilimanjaro while we back taxi the runway. The controller blamed us for “improperly” taxiing our Boeing, and the caravan for “exceeding” speed on final and that he knows the operating characteristics of ALL aircraft. Until there is accountability, honesty and transparency in Tanzania, any attempt at a legitimate national airline is bound to fail. You can take that to the bank and get some stamps and certificates along the way.