Breaking News
FIRST BOMBARDIER C-SERIES SALE GOES TO TANZANIA
(Posted 30th November 2016)
It was reliably learned overnight that Bombardier has concluded an add on deal with the Tanzanian government to their delivery of two Q400NG’s at the end of September.
Pen was put to paper yesterday for the delivery of a third Bombardier Q400NG in a single class configuration but notably did the brand new C-Series get an entry into Africa when two of the CS300 variants were ordered at the same time.
Only days ago was the first such CS300 delivered to global launch customer AirBaltic after Swiss, part of the Lufthansa Group, had taken delivery of their CS100 variant at the end of June also a global launch customer.
The delivery dates for the two CS300 jets are yet to be fully confirmed but the third Q400NG might join the fleet already in H1 of next year. This will then facilitate the resumption of flights to more domestic and regional destinations before the CS300’s, the most economical aircraft on the market in its class, will then allow for the rollout of more African routes.
This deal comes at a time when local rivals Precision Air and Fastjet in Tanzania remain in loss making territory and coincides with Fastjet suspending their flights from Dar es Salaam to Entebbe and Nairobi, giving Air Tanzania unexpected openings to take on such vacated routes with smaller and more efficient aircraft.
The sale of the first ever CS series aircraft to Africa by Bombardier is a coup of sorts over other manufacturers, in particular Embraer and will probably help to open the African market for such jets in the 100 – 150 seat market.
In a related development was it also learned that the Tanzanian government is in talks with Boeing over the purchase of a Boeing B787 Dreamliner to allow a revived Air Tanzania launch intercontinental flights similar to what is presently taking place in Rwanda, where the government, through RwandAir, has however opted to buy two Airbus A330 models.
This now also makes the air very thin for a revival of Air Uganda as the regional market appears saturated, given the status of Kenya Airways as regional force, the emergence of RwandAir as a serious and fast growing African contender already serving Uganda through fifth freedom right flights and a revived Air Tanzania with eventually 6 or seven brand new aircraft which will, in combination of the three, leave any newcomer trailing in their wake.
For breaking aviation news from Eastern Africa, look no further than this space.
