Africa’s Cheapest Airline Launches New East African Route

 Niyi Aderibigbe Business, Logistics & Transportation

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VENTURES AFRICA – Low-cost airlines are joining the scramble for East African skies, with Fastjet announcing the launch of a new route; running flights between Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Entebbe, Uganda.
The announcement by the the low-cost airline, the cheapest on the continent, comes just days after Flydubai launched flights to three East African cities.
“We believe the launch of this route, the only direct air link
between Uganda and Tanzania, will stimulate new business and tourism traffic in Uganda,” said Ed Winter, CEO and interim chairman of fastjet.
Entebbe, a major town in central Uganda is fastjet’s fourth international destination and the only direct air link between the Ugandan capital and Dar es Salaam.
The airline has expressed confidence that the newly added route would be a commercial success, as it offers stimulating fares that could go as low as $50 excluding airport and government taxes. Carriers operating in Uganda had increased air fares after Air Uganda ceased flying; fastjet, being a cheaper alternative is expected to therefore enjoy huge patronage.
Flights are set to commence on Tuesday, 16 September 2014 and will operate on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the first weeks of September, before increasing to four weekly flights from the 29 September.
“We look forward to commencing flights and hope this is the beginning of a wider fastjet network from Entebbe,” said Winter.
Fastjet already operates a significant Tanzanian domestic network including flights from Dar es Salaam to Mwanza, Kilimanjaro and Mbeya. It flies internationally from Dar es Salaam to Johannesburg, Lusaka in Zambia and Harare, Zimbabwe.