FASTJET’S MAIDEN FLIGHT TO ENTEBBE – A DAY AND COUNTING
(Posted 15th September 2014)
The billboards are up in Kampala now and the new offices of Fastjet at the Entebbe International Airport have been furnished, connected and occupied by staff only employed days ago, who have undergone a rapid indoctrination of the company’s philosophy and working manuals.
DAS Handling was appointed as ground handling agent for Fastjet when flights commence on Tuesday the 16th of September, with initially two services per week out of Dar es Salaam, due to rise to four flights a week effective 29th of September.
Prebookings it is understood are encouraging and no doubt justify the doubling of flights within the space of two weeks and with early bird fares of US Dollars 50, PLUS TAXES of an equal amount – an indicator of how airports and regulators make flying in East Africa expensive inspite of constant assurances to the contrary – has flying between the two countries never been cheaper.
The market segment targeted are for one of course the business community in both countries which after the halt of Air Uganda operations and their twice daily flights had to fly via Kigali or Nairobi to reach Dar es Salaam but also those who for cost reasons could not afford to fly until now and had to use long distance busses, enduring up to 30 hours on the road as opposed to under two hours flying time.
The airline’s advertising agency in Uganda has made sure that at strategic locations, the key roundabouts in and out of the city’s business district, flyers will be distributed while also targeting the bus terminals from where the intercountry road trips begin.
While the first flight will be welcomed to Entebbe International Airport with the traditional water cannon salute, the arrival ceremony is being kept at low key with a proper launch party to be arranged at a later date, or so it is understood from members of the Fastjet launch team on site. They have also confirmed that it is all systems go for the Tuesday arrival of their first ever flight to Uganda with their Airbus A319.
Meanwhile, in a related development, has it been learned from Kenyan aviation sources that at least one airline is trying to pull out all stops to delay and make difficult if not outright obstruct the license application filed by Fastjet for the setting up of an operation in Kenya, while another airline is said to have done likewise vis a vis applications from Fastjet Tanzania to commence flights between Dar es Salaam and Nairobi. Those requests have reportedly been been pending before the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority for a while now and the decision, apparently much to the dislike of the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority, is still outstanding. Certainly something to watch this space for to get the news as and when the two decisions have been made.
For now however it is a warm ‘Welcome to the Pearl of Africa‘ and Happy Landings for crews and passengers.
2 Responses
How can Kenya hope to develop if they try to stifle competition. They are not living in the real world.
Well THAT sort of competition would really shake up the establishment and shuffle the deck of cards afresh.
Hence, those not too keen to see their rich picking grounds eroded will do what they can and for long as they can to keep them out of Kenyan skies.
Thanks for continuing to read my blog and commenting on issues.
W.