Fastjet offers Zanzibar flights to travelers from South Africa through partnership with local airline

FASTJET STRIKES DEAL TO OFFER ZANZIBAR CONNECTIVITY

(Posted 09th December 2014)

While not operating flights to and from Zanzibar directly has Fastjet recognized that demand for vacations on the ‘Spice Island’, in particular from South Africa, exists and is apparently growing as the festive season approaches.

Subsequently has the airline now struck a deal with a local Tanzanian airline, which operates the flights to and from Zanzibar and connects Fastjet passengers, arriving on the presently three flights a week from Johannesburg. It could not be ascertained if this extension is also available to passengers from Lusaka, Harare, Entebbe and the domestic destinations Mwanza, Kilimanjaro and Mbeya.
Return tickets for the short 20 minutes long flights across the Indian Ocean are sold via the Fastjet website www.fastjet.com/za and cost South African travelers 2.170 Rand, all inclusive for the return journey.

While Fastjet passengers depart, and arrive, at the main terminal which serves for international flights but also caters for the domestic flights by Fastjet and Precision Air, do all other domestic departures, to Zanzibar, Pemba and Mafia islands but also to the national parks and a range of destinations across the country, take off from the old terminal where the bulk of the smaller safari airlines are located.

Fastjet’s partner for the Zanzibar flights in fact collects arriving passengers from the main terminal for check in to Zanzibar, a car ride of about 10 minutes from terminal to terminal. Passengers arriving from Zanzibar and connecting to a Fastjet flights are also transferred back to the other terminal free of cost for them.

According to Ellis Cain-Jones, Head of Commercial, has Fastjet in the space of just a few weeks sold over 300 tickets to Zanzibar, arguably resulting in those travelers flying from Johannesburg to Dar es Salaam on Fastjet’s services rather than on other airlines. Travel from South Africa to Tanzania and Zanzibar is easy as a bilateral agreement between the two countries, both members of SADC, did away with Visa requirements for their nationals flying both ways.