GOING – GOING – GONE AS FASTJET SELLS TWO FORMER FLY540 ATR’S
(Posted 09th December 2014)
After halting operations of Fly 540 Angola and Fly 540 Ghana, two companies which Fastjet acquired while still pursuing a partnership with Fly 540 in Kenya, something which ultimately proved elusive, were two ATR 72-500 aircraft of these West African operations remaining as major assets. As this aircraft type does not fit into the Fastjet business model, which relies on the use of a single type fleet of Airbus A319’s did the two turboprops have to go.
While plans exist to revive both country’s operations in the future along the LCC concept lines of Fastjet, this will take some time as priorities at present dictate that the new Zambian franchise must take to the air as soon as possible while pursuing plans in East Africa to establish the airline in Kenya and begin to utilize the 5th freedom rights granted by the Ugandan CAA.
Subsequently were the two aircraft now sold with the proceeds reportedly going directly to the African Import and Export Bank which had initially financed the acquisition of the two aircraft by Fly 540. No time frame is available when the West African companies will be made operational again nor has there been any movement as of yesterday on the processing of Fastjet Tanzania’s application to the Kenya authorities for landing rights to commence flights between Dar es Salaam and Nairobi, nor about the deferred application for an Air Service License to set up a franchise operation in Kenya or in fact the status of processing the 5th freedom rights which the Ugandan CAA gave to Fastjet to begin flying from Entebbe to Nairobi but using their Tanzanian AOC and 5H registered aircraft.
