FASTJET NAMED AFRICA’S NUMBER ONE LOW COST CARRIER
(Posted 01st July 2014)
Fastjet, in operation since late 2012, has according to the latest survey conducted by airline comparison site www.whichairline.com been found to be Africa’s number one low cost carrier, while world wide has Fastjet claimed the fifth spot, competing against long established LCC’s like Easyjet, Ryan Air or Air Asia.
The survey was based on average ticket prices with over 3 million fares compared, for flights with and without checked baggage.
Richard Bodin, Chief Commercial Officer and Executive Director of Fastjet, expressed his delight when passing on the information: ‘This independent survey is a resounding endorsement that Fastjet is achieving its stated intent: to democratise air travel on the African continent by offering affordable, safe, and on-time flights’.
More detailed results of the survey show that the average cost of a Fastjet flight, excluding luggage, is US$71, while adding one 20kg piece of checked-in luggage will see the fare rise to US$81. The cheapest airlines in the world are mainly found in Asia – with first place going to Malaysian airline Firefly whose total fare including a checked-in luggage fee was only US$41, though European and North American LCC’s too were highly visible in the survey results.
Fastjet today serves four airports in Tanzania, Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro, Mwanza and Mbeya while international destinations are Johannesburg and Lusaka with Harare following in early August. The airline is also well on the way to establish an operational base in Zambia and has after parting company with former partner Fly540 Kenya last week announced that they will seek an air service licence from the Kenyan Civil Aviation Authority to commence domestic and regional flights out of Nairobi.
