FASTJET STEPS UP MBEYA FLIGHTS AS PRECISION AIR SUSPENDS ROUTE
(Posted 30th May 2014)
Fastjet’s Richard Bodin confirmed yesterday that the airline has added extra flights from Dar es Salaam to Mbeya Airport (MBI) with immediate effect as main rival Precision Air has announced the suspension of their flights, citing ‘lack of aviation fuel’ on location as a major factor of operating the route with a loss. Precision has been using a smaller and slower turboprop ATR aircraft for the service while Fastjet is operating an Airbus A319 on the route, giving them the advantage of speed and the number of seats of an aircraft type which can uplift a full fuel load for the return flight without the limitations suffered by the smaller ATR, which reportedly forced Precision to operate their flights with empty seats to cater for the added fuel uplift.
The introduction however of another daily frequency to Mbeya by Fastjet will very likely prevent a successful return to the route by Precision Air in the future, even after a regular supply of aviation fuel has been established, similar to other routes where the two airlines have gone head to head.
No information could however be obtained from Fastjet on their timeframe to commence flights to other regional destinations or their proposed startup date in Kenya. Watch this space for breaking and regular news from East Africa’s aviation scene.
