► TANZANIA: fastjet website now live; announces timetable.

fastjet (FN) this morning activated their online booking portal - www.fastjet.com - thereby allowing passengers the option of making online reservations. Additionally, the carrier can now be followed on Facebook and Twitter.

► TANZANIA: fastjet to start ops on 29 November with Kilimanjaro & Mwanza.

fastjet, the first pan-African low-cost airline, which is backed by easyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou, announced today that it will start flights between Dar es Salaam and Kilimanjaro and Dar es Salaam and Mwanza  on November 29, with tickets to cost $20 one-way, excluding taxes. Flights will operate from Dar es Salaam's Julius Nyerere International Airport.

► FRANCE: (Pic) fastjet's first branded A319 rolls out the paintshop.

fastjet's first Airbus A319-100 (MSN: 2176 | 5H-FJA) has finally rolled out of the paintshop in Montpellier, France.

► TANZANIA: fastjet announces initial domestic and regional routes.

fastjet has revealed its first routes to be served when it launches later this month. In an bizarre interview with with Linzie Janis on Bloomberg Television's "Countdown," fastjet CEO, Ed Winter, announced the first destinations to be Tanzania, Kenya, South Sudan, Uganda and Rwanda, though could not give an exact date for operations to start, as "all the necessary government approvals were not yet in place."

■ SOUTH AFRICA: FastJet Plc revealed to have been 1Time's suitors.

The mysterious investor, who could have been 1Time Holdings knight in shining armor during its hour of need on Friday last week, have been revealed to be British group, FastJet PLC.

■ TANZANIA: (Pic) fastjet unveils new brand & livery; to start ticket sales next week.

fastjet, the continent's first pan-African low cost carrier set to launch later this month, today unveiled its new brand image and aircraft livery as the carrier readies itself for ops. It also announced it will begin selling tickets next week ahead of the airline's first flight this month.

■ TANZANIA: FastJet awards tenders to Sabena Tech, Swissport and head hunts three UK execs for top posts.

Belgian MRO specialists Sabena Technics, have been awarded a 5 year contract by nascent Dar es Salaam based LCC, FastJet, to provide its fleet with engineering services and comprehensive material support for components, standard and cabin parts, and consumables. 

■ KENYA: Its Game On as Jambo Jet granted Air Service Licence; FastJet's A319s approved by KCAA.

The battle for the East African aviation market today heated up significantly when the Kenyan Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) dually announced the granting to Kenya Airways (KQ) of regulatory approval in the form of an Air Service License for the launch of its low-cost subsidiary, Jambo Jet, whilst at the same time, it granted FastJet certification for the use of its Airbus A319s in Kenya.

► TANZANIA: FastJet to launch with 3x daily Dar es Salaam - Nairobi flights.

FastJet have announced their debut route; that of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to Nairobi, Kenya and return. The route's debut flight will operate as a return VIP flight with 3x daily service between the two East African capitals to follow. No specific date, however, was given for the start of operations, though recent news reports have hinted at a possible November date launch.

► DUBAI: Emirates looks to partner African LCC airlines in bid to establish feeder networks.

Emirati carrier Emirates (EK) has allured to plans it has for future partnerships with Africa-focused low-cost carriers as the mega-carrier moves to boost its presence on the continent.

► TANZANIA: FastJet sets Dar es Salaam, then Nairobi as first launch hubs.

FastJet, the nascent Pan-African LCC carrier being planned by Stelios Haji-Ioannou of easyJet fame, today announced that its first operating base would be in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, followed by Nairobi, Kenya, pending the certification of the Airbus A319 there.

► GHANA: Starbow expands regionally; Antrak returns to the skies whilst CTK CiTylinK suspends operations.

Ghana's civil aviation market has started to heat up considerably ahead of the launch of two new airlines - Africa World Airlines in September (tentatively) and that of Fly540's successor FastJet in November.

► GHANA: See pics of Fly540's just arrived Embraer ERJ-170!

Fly540 Ghana (5G) recently took delivery of their first Embraer ERJ-170 Jet (MSN #4|9G-FLZ) which will be used to supplement their lone ATR 72-500 on their network that currently consists of Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi, Tamale in Ghana. A second 66-seat ATR72-200 is set to join the Fly540 fleet at some stage, though it is uncertain as to which branch of Fly540 (Ghana, Tanzania, Kenya or Angola) it will go.

Fly540 Ghana Embraer ERJ-170 Jet (9G-FLZ) (BK Bishop)

In related news, Fly540's parent company, FastJet, reported a 48% rise in passenger numbers in July compared with the same month last year translating into 60,367 customers flown whilst aircraft capacity utilisation stood at 65%.

FastJet is scheduled to take delivery of the first leased 156-seat Airbus A319 in either September or October with hopes of starting service from November onwards. Once the brand has settled and become profitable the Fly540 brand is then to be phased out.

► GHANA: FastJet aims for October launch with five A319s.

Rubicon Diversified Investments PLC, parent company of soon-to-be TransAfrican LCC FastJet, has announced that the Airbus A319 has been selected for the airline's fleet with 5 expected to be leased for the first six months of operations, and 15 to be added within a year of launching, which is scheduled for October of this year.

In June, Rubicon announced  the successful completion of its deal with Lonrho Aviation and its airline Fly540, providing the merged group with existing aviation platforms and therefore easier access to already established markets, in Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania and Angola. 

Said Rubicon Chief Executive Ed Winter: 

"The decision to launch FastJet with the Airbus A319 enables us to expand rapidly with each aircraft potentially carrying around 250,000 passengers a year.  Rubicon expects passenger capacity to double from current levels within six months of the introduction of the A319 fleet.
"We plan to add at least five leased Airbus A319 aircraft to the fleet within six months of launch and up to 15 within a year."

Read More Here [4-traders]

FastJet A319 rendering.

Fleet uniformity is an important concept in the LCC model, as commonality of type allows for lower maintenance costs (as opposed to a fleet consisting of various types and makes of aircraft) thereby translating into lower fares. 

As per the original deal, fleet maintenance is to be carried out in Europe with a "major European MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) company" said to have won that particular contract.

No clues as yet have been given as to which destinations will be served first, as FastJet is still negotiating with various African governments over incentives and reduced passenger taxes; issues that play a big part in determining where FastJet plays its first card.

► KENYA: FastJet shows off livery (Pics); Fly540 brand to go.

Following on from this week's acquisition of Lonrho Aviation (t/a Fly540), FastJet Ghana's parent company Rubicon Investments, of which Stelios Haji-Ioannou of EasyJet fame is a 5% shareholder, has outlined its plans and future prospects for the transformation of and integration of Fly540 into a Pan-African LCC giant.

A Low Cost Carrier headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, Fly540 has franchises in Angola, Ghana, Tanzania and Ghana, and operates ATR 72s, CRJ-100s, DHC 8-100s and McDonnell Douglas DC 9s. Collectively, its route network includes various cities in Kenya, Tanzania, Angola, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Burundi, Liberia, Nigeria, South Sudan and Uganda.

A FastJet Airbus A319 rendering

In its beginning stages, FastJet will coexist with Fly540, whilst the former moves to build a fleet using either Airbus A319s, Boeing 737-700s and/or Embraer EMB-190s. Once fleet consolidation is achieved as per the classic LCC model (a uniform fleet keeps maintenance costs down), Fly540's current aircraft leases are to be allowed to expire, before the brand itself is phased out, leaving FastJet as the main driving force.

Ultimately, FastJet aims to carry more than 12 million passengers a year, by focussing on Africa's burgeoning middle class - a phenomenon that is fast becoming a reality in Angola, Kenya and Nigeria, where substantial economic growth in recent years has meant more money in the pocket for the ordinary man on the street.

""If you take the four countries, they have a total population of 100 million people. If you estimate that all our customers come from just those countries alone, you could see three million of them becoming customers with us, flying a couple of times a year. That would generate something like 12.8 million passengers [annually]." "

Read More Here [GhanaWeb]

At the helm of FastJet will be many of Haji-Ioannou's colleagues from his days at EasyJet: Richard Boden, a former Contracts Manager at EasyJet, Ed Winter, FastJet's new CEO and formerly easyJet's Chief Operating Officer, whilst Haji-Ioannou himself, will be a consultant.

► UNITED KINGDOM: Stelios Haji-Ioannou acquires Fly540's parent company Lonrho Aviation; FastJet one step closer to reality.

EasyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou's Rubicon Diversified Investments today acquired Lonrho Aviation, the parent company of Nairobi-based LCC Fly540, for USD$87.5 million.

Stelios Haji-Ioannou (easyGroup)

As part of the deal, Haji-Ioannou's easyGroup Holdings Limited will own 5% of the ordinary share capital of Rubicon with the option of acquiring a further 10% in addition to receiving royalties equivalent to 0.5% of revenue. Rubicon will also avail its substantial financial resources and experience with its successful Fly540 brand, to allow for the realization of "FastJet", the soon-to-be Ghanaian startup that will service West Africa.

Lonrho Aviation t/a Fly540 is a Nairobi-based LCC with franchises in Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana and Angola, who, as of 31 December 2011 had Total Assets of US$ 83.5 million and in the 15 months to December 2011, made a loss after tax of US$ 19.0 million. The majority of these losses were predominantly due to the start-up and establishment costs of opening the Angola and Ghana operational hubs.  

"In addition to the partnership with easyGroup, a key benefit of the Transaction to Lonrho is the substantial cash resources held by Rubicon (£8.8m as at 31 December 2011) which will be available for continued investment in the airline business following Completion.  

Fastjet will focus on developing a true low cost airline for Africa based on the existing Lonrho Aviation platform which, in its existing operations as Fly540, had turnover of US$57 million and carried 525,375 passengers in the 15 months to 31^st December 2011. Passenger loads continue to increase with Fly540 carrying 53,225 for the month of May 2012."

Read More Here [Lonrho]

► GHANA: LCC FastJet to lease 15 new aircraft "soon".

Backed by EasyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou and Lonrho-related "Rubicon Diversified Investments", Ghana's soon-to-be LCC FastJet plans to lease 15 aircraft of type and size unknown as of this writing, though co-shareholder Rubicon has insisted that aircraft are maintained to a "European standard".

"Fastjet.com, pending government approvals, is also expected to target routes into Senegal, Cameroon, Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Benin. Abidjan in Cote d’Ivoire is now the second largest route from Accra and Monrovia in Liberia is the third largest route.

The other potential Fastjet.com routes currently have little or no service. The carrier is likely to steer clear of countries such as Mauritania, Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali because the security levels in those countries are still considered dangerous by many Western governments."

Read More Here [Centre for Aviation]

This news follows on from an announcement 2 weeks ago by fellow Ghanaian start up, Starbow Airlines, that it intended to lease another BAe146 prior to commencement of regional services.