FASTJET CONFIRMS LAUNCH OF ENTEBBE FLIGHTS
(Posted 01st September 2014)
Fastjet, as previously indicated here, has now formally announced the launch of their 4th international destination out of Dar es Salaam and will commence flights to Entebbe from the 16th of September starting with initially two flights a week on Tuesday and Thursday. Two weeks after the inaugural Fastjet flight to Entebbe will departures be doubled on the 29th of September, bringing the number of services between Dar es Salaam and Entebbe to four, operating on traffic days 1, 3, 5 and 7, i.e. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
The airline’s other international routes presently are Johannesburg, Harare and Lusaka while the domestic airports served from their Dar es Salaam hub are Mwanza, leading with 25 flights per week, Kilimanjaro and Mbeya.
Fastjet will use one of their Airbus’ A319’s in an all economy configuration for the service and one way tickets will sell for US Dollars 50 plus taxes, a significant cost element when flying out of Entebbe. All other fees, for seat pre-selection, checked baggage and other services will apply as per terms and conditions of Fastjet in use in Tanzania at the time of going to press.
Commenting on the launch, Ed Winter, CEO and interim chairman of Fastjet was quoted to have said: ‘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. Fastjet is delighted with this opportunity to enter the Ugandan market and the support it has received from the Ugandan government and authorities. We very much look forward to commencing flights and hope this is the beginning of a wider Fastjet network from Entebbe’.
There has subsequently been some speculation if, similar to Tanzania, where Fastjet is now an established airline, and Kenya, where Fastjet is in the process of setting up an operation, the airline may also set up a base in Uganda. However, from conversations with regular aviation pundits and sources thought close to the airline it was learned that they apparently prefer to obtain 5th freedom rights rather than setting up a separate airline. One source in particular attributed this reluctance to the UCAA having gone berserk in June, when, faced with being cited by ICAO over SSC’s – short for Significant Safety Concerns – they axed all international flights by licensed Ugandan airlines to escape imminent action by ICAO. Upon further questions, on condition of anonymity, one source then reluctantly said: ‘If a Tanzania based airline can get 5th freedom rights from Entebbe, why set up a base there. You wrote enough about how the UCAA misbehaved. Can you blame an airline for opting for 5th freedom rights rather than spending tens of millions of dollars to start another new airline when the regulators are so unpredictable? These guys have done more damage to the country’s aviation sector and reputation than is acknowledged right now. This will hang over Uganda like a dark cloud for many years to come’.
Hence is a scenario emerging that Fastjet, after flights from Dar es Salaam to Entebbe have started, could be interested to eventually have an aircraft based in Uganda to operate 5th freedom flights to destinations presently underserved after the UCAA gutted Air Uganda and drove that airline to the wall. Interesting times ahead for sure and Entebbe will be one place to watch in coming months for upcoming breaking aviation news.
For additional information on Fastjet, their terms and conditions of bookings, schedules and fares, click on www.fastjet.com
