TCAA ENDS SWISSPORT MONOPOLY
After years of arguments and heated exchanges between airlines and the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority has a decision finally come down to end the unsustainable monopoly at the countrys key airport Dar es Salaam, to license another handling company.
Swissport already had lost Tanzanias largest airline company, Precision Air, which after a prolonged struggle was during a previous licensing hearing granted self handling status, after repeatedly accusing Swissport of being overpriced in comparison with regional handling standards in particular in Nairobi, where about a dozen handling agencies offer a wide range of pricing and service options.
New kid on the block, Aviation Handling Services, is now embarking on a major sales drive to persuade airlines switch their business to them, offering lower tariffs and arguably better services, with Swissport bracing themselves for considerably lower revenues in 2012, now that competition has finally dawned on them. Well done for a change to the TCAA licensing committee, which at the same time also approved other handling agencies for airports like Zanzibar, Mbeya and Mtwara, amongst others. Watch this space for the most current news from the aviation scenes across East Africa and to the Indian Ocean islands.
