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Wednesday, January 9, 2013

► TANZANIA: fastjet posts strong first month pax numbers with almost 30'000 flown with near 80% load factors.

fastjetTanzanian based LCC fastjet (FN) has revealed its first month's operating figures since taking to the skies in late November 2012, with almost 30'000 passengers carried during the month of December, averaging almost 80% loads factors.

Since its inaugural flight on 29 November, fastjet says it has carried a total of 31'315 passengers with 29'547 in December at a load factor, or passengers as a percentage of the number of available seats, of 78.9%.

Ed Winter, Fastjet’s chief executive said:
"To have achieved a 78.9% Load Factor and carry almost 30,000 passengers is a fantastic result for the first month of Fastjet operations, and clearly demonstrates the latent demand for low cost reliable air travel in Africa.

“Press concerns over infrastructure have proved unfounded with no scheduled Fastjet flights cancelled and 99.6 % arriving within 15 minutes of schedule.
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Source [fastjet]
fastjet in Dar es Salaam (fastjet)
fastjet's strong initial growth is sure fray nerves once more as recently, Juma Fimbo, chairman of the Tanzanian Civil Aviation Authority - Consumer Consultative Council (TCAA-CCC), had to calm nerves in the local Tanzanian aviation industry following "complaints from various quarters about Fastjet, their business model and its implications for smaller Tanzanian airlines."

Fastjet has grown out of Lonrho’s Fly540 (currently online in Kenya, Ghana and Angola) arm and will use its operating bases as the core of a pan-African no-frills carrier that could eventually have a fleet of 40 Airbus 319s.

Including its Fly540 operation total passenger numbers in December were 98'443, up from 60'423 a year earlier, with a load factor of 71.8%.

The twelve month running total was 697'297 passengers, up 54.4% on a year ago.