AUDIT REPORT SET TO REVEAL FULL EXTENT OF AIR TANZANIA’S DEBTS
(Posted 25th August 2017)
Regular aviation sources in Dar es Salaam have confirmed that the long awaited special audit by the Auditor General’s office for Air Tanzania will be published next week.
The true extend of the indebtedness of Tanzania’s national carrier has for long been concealed as piece meal bailouts were handed to them over the years. It was in fact the lack of knowledge of just how deep the airline is in the red – some figures quoted in the past suggest the debt could be over 130 billion Tanzania Shillings – which prompted the government to only let Air Tanzania ‘use‘ the fleet of new aircraft already delivered but to have ownership vested in a separate legal entity to prevent debtors from getting court orders confiscating the new planes.
Meanwhile is the delivery of the third Bombardier Q400NextGen, which was expected to be delivered in June, still shrouded in mystery. Questions are being asked for the reason of the delay, but of course not answered by anyone, which could impact on the ability of ATCL to expand their route network.
All eyes will be on the audit report when it is being published so keep watching this space for an update as and when figures are available.
