Six years after the beginning of an initiative to revitalise Air Tanzania (ATCL) the country’s national carrier has come a long way, yet more progress is required to get the loss-maker off the ground. In 2016, the Tanzanian government under former President John Magufuli initiated a new push to revive ATCL by acquiring additional aircraft from Bombardier and Boeing, aiming to boost tourism, trade and investment. “The government has been making evaluations on the operations of ATCL and I think time has changed so Air Tanzania is supposed to change depending on the market situation,” Air Tanzania CEO Ladslaus Matindi tells The Africa Report. Facing stiff competition from three far more dominant carriers in Ethiopia Airlines, RwandAir, and Kenya Airways, the Tanzanian airline has planned to increase its fleet from 11 to 14 planes this year and operate more long-haul and regional flights, including to West Africa.
SOURCE: THE AFRICA REPORT