Geza Ulole
JF-Expert Member
- Oct 31, 2009
- 65,136
- 91,917
RECISION AIR ANNOUNCES DAILY FLIGHTS TO MBEYA
When on the 16th of January Precision Air, Tanzanias premier airline, launched their flights to Mbeyas revamped Songwe Airport, they cautiously announced that the new destination would be served four times a week, linking the commercial capital Dar es Salaam with this western Tanzanian municipality.
The airlines strategy to connect the country by air, like it was never done before, however paid off beyond their wildest expectations and Linda Chiza, Precision Airs Head of Marketing and Branding, yesterday announced to this correspondent that effective 12th of February the Mbeya route will be served daily with ATR turboprop aircraft.
At the same time she also confirmed that Mtwara, the oil and gas capital of Tanzania, will see additional frequencies added as on that route too the demand was simply outstripping the available number of seats. As the airline operates both the ATR 42 and the ATR 72, there is added flexibility to move from the smaller 48 seat turboprop to the larger 70 seat version.
An aviation source in Dar es Salaam, contacted for a comment, had this to say: Precision has a vision for the country. They have the right type of aircraft to fly to all those other towns where the big jets cannot land. They have more ATRs on order and when they have them delivered they will fly more often to more places than any other airline in Tanzanias history has ever done. Now that is what I call a service to the nation. Others come with big noise and then only fly between Dar and Kili or Mwanza. With Precision you fly to almost every corner of our country. And you get a full service on the plane and have no hidden cost when you buy your ticket at the advertised fare. Others make wild claims on fares and when you book you find a lot of extra charges or be told THAT FARE YOU NEED TO PREBOOK MANY WEEKS IN ADVANCE and then at the airport you pay extra still for other services like you baggage.
Clearly Precision are doing something right somewhere as the airline continues to grow and the partnership with the regions largest airline Kenya Airways has helped in many ways to become Tanzanias own Pride in the Sky, pun fully intended of course. Watch this space for breaking and regular aviation news from the Eastern African region.
Wolfganghthome's Blog
3rd February 13
Boeing 737-200 burden to ATCL
Florian Kaijage
Ailing Air Tanzania Company Ltd (ATCL) has suspended operations of the leased Boeing 737-200 on the Dar es Salaam - Mwanza route and operates with a single plane, the Bombadier Dash 8-300 in a bid to cut operational costs, The Guardian on Sunday has reliably learnt.
Information reaching this paper this week had it that the national airline has reduced the frequency of the Boeing plane on the main route as its costs proved unbearable.
Well placed sources with the national carrier in Dar es Salaam affirmed that the plane, leased last October from a South African company, StarAirCargo (Pty) Ltd at a rate of $1,350 (Sh (2,160,000) for every block hour with a guarantee of 150 block hours a month, made its last trip to Mwanza early this week.
We are operating with Dash 8 only for the past three days. It flies to Kigoma in the morning and in the evening it goes to Mwanza. I am told this is due to high costs of running the Boeing, a well placed official indicated.
The source added: This may be logical on costing grounds but on the other hand it poses a risk of losing out on the passengers due to different flying durations between Dar es Salaam and Mwanza for the two aircraft.
Under normal circumstances the jet-engine Boeing 737-200 flies for 75 minutes whereas a propeller-engine Dash 8 spends about 140 minutes between the two cities.
The Guardian on Sunday has also established that ATCL is in the process or reviving its route to the Comoro islands using the Boeing aircraft. The last trip to the Indian Ocean islands was mid 2012 using Boeing 737-500 formerly leased from Aerovista of Lebanon. It was returned to the owners following a contractual dispute.
The ATCL Acting Commercial Director, Mwanamvua Ngocho confirmed yesterday on the phone that the route to the Comoros would be revived.
The plan is still there and the revival date will be announced soon, she stated.
But when asked about the reduced frequency of the Boeing for Mwanza route she replied: Listen, why asking us on the type of aircraft we are operating with? Do you ask the same question to other airlines? We operate according to our commercial plans and we are not supposed to explain to anybody including you. These are our internal matters, the acting director snapped.
ATCL can operate with any aircraft which meets airworthiness requirements. What I know is that the Boeing flew to Mwanza last week and it also flew this week, she further clarified.
When asked as to why the leased aircraft operates once a week while some of the charges such as fees, local transport and hotel bills for the crews accumulate on daily basis and the money to settle them are public funds, Ngocho responded:
It doesnt matter how many times the plane operates a week. It can be once, twice or otherwise. It depends on our plans. If the crew members are still in the country then there is work for them to do.
She also accused this paper and the reporter of publishing information aimed at sabotaging ATCL.
A score of ATCL staff and I share the sentiment the airline is not at your heart as you are one of the people wishing this company to collapse, she declared.
This paper has written extensively on the national carrier revealing to the public a number of issues on airline operations.
In October 2012 an exclusive report by this paper showed that the leased Boeing 737-200 would cost Sh1billion in three months, the duration for the lease agreement.
Another report on October 28, 2012 queried as to whether the leased plane could survive amid surging fuel prices as it read below;
As Air Tanzania eyes its golden old days with a leased Boeing 737-200 to operate domestic and regional routes, the biggest question is: Can this type of aircraft operate profitably amid surging fuel prices?
According to our survey, some aviation experts reveal stark reality to the contrary; the Boeing 737-200 consumes at least three tons of fuel for a single trip to Mwanza, a moderately short hop of approximately 75 minutes.
To put things in perspective, for a return trip between the two cities (Dar-Mwanza), the leased Boeing 737-200 would be consuming six tons of fuel, not to count other operating costs.
The 737-200 was succeeded in 1984 by the 737-300, a much quieter, larger and more economical aircraft boasting a host of new features and improvements and whose fuel bill was a comforting 20 percent less than its predecessor.
The airlines biggest competitor, PrecisionAir, operates a fleet of those relatively economical 737-300 planes for its domestic and regional routes.
At the current fuel price Sh1.6 million per tone (Sh1600 for a single litre of Jet fuel-A1), what these figures mean to ATCL is that the cash-strapped national airline would roughly spend Sh860.76 million within 90 days just by operating one domestic route of Dar-Mwanza.
In monetary values, ATCL would spend Sh4.8 million in fuel just to operate a single flight to Mwanza. If we factor in the leasing fee plus fuel cost without adding all other operational costs, the figures show that within three months, the national airline would dole out nearly Sh2 billion.
Fuel is the most crucial component in the airline business, and aviation experts estimate that it could consume up to 40 percent of its entire revenues which is why most airlines have been going for fuel-efficient aircraft to curb the surging fuel costs.
In East and Southern Africa, for instance, most airlines have abandoned or replaced their 737-200 with 300, 400, 500 and 800 series to reduce fuel costs and make sense in business.
The 737-200 can carry at least 106 passengers and crew. Introduced in February 1965, the 737 was originally envisioned as a 60- to 85-seater, before it was improved to accommodate 100 passengers and six crew.
Whereas the leasing fee of $1350 per block hour with a tied guarantee of 150 block hours a month -- would cost a whopping $202,500 (Sh324 million) a month and $607,500 (Sh972, million) in three months, per diems for nine crew members would cost another 64,800 (103.68 million).
GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY
Boeing 737-200 burden to ATCL
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[TD="class: contentheading"]Sh2.4bn lawsuit for Fastjet?[/TD]
[TD="class: buttonheading, align: right"] Send to a friend[/TD]
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[TABLE="class: contentpaneopen"]
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[TD="class: createdate"]Sunday, 03 February 2013 09:40[/TD]
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[TD]
Local representatives of Fastjet say the burden is not theirs to pay off. They say the matter is a legacy issue inherited when the carrier took over Fly540
By The Citizen Reporter and Agencies
Dar es Salaam. Freckle-faced budget airline Fastjet could be sued for over Sh2.4 billion ($1.5 million) by local tax authorities for failing to pay taxes for almost a year, UK daily The Telegraph reported Thursday.
The Tanzanian arm of the firm, which is listed at the London Stock Exchange, failed to pay payroll and property taxes, according to The Telegraph brief.
Sources told the UK paper that the company was found to owe the Tanzanian government billions in unpaid dues during a tax audit last month.
Local representatives of Fastjet say the burden is not theirs to pay off. They say the matter is a legacy issue inherited when the budget carrier took over local hauler Fly540 in June last year.
[Fly540 chief executive] Don Smith has accumulated significant debt from Fly540, Fastjet has no liability for these, says a Fastjest press note sent to The Citizen on Sunday.
Firm spokesperson Meg Muigai insists all money issues were settled during the buyout. Fastjet owes the Fly540 executive no other favours, she says in the statement.
Mr Smith certified in a document signed by him on 24 July 2012 that other than specific liabilities as set in the document, there is no other liability or indebtedness due to him or any entity controlled by him.
The Telegraph reported that Fastjet was also on the hook for missed airport departure charges accrued by its newly-bought asset between January and November last year.
These claims are the latest in an array of other demands and legal issues the embattled budget carrier is grappling with in East Africa.
The firm is embroiled in bitter disputes in Kenya and Uganda, according to British media.
In an earlier response, the UK paper quoted a Fastjet spokesperson who said the company works closely with the Tanzanian government to properly address all historic issues relating to tax.
Tax officials in Dar es Salaam have told The Citizen on Sunday they are unaware of any revenue backlog issues pertaining to the newly-launched no-frills carrier.
Senior Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) officer Lupinje Hamis said he was unaware of any tax issues, and could not comment on the Fastjet matter.
The firm shook the Tanzanian airline industry to the core with the introduction of ultra-cheap air travel in November last year.
It is positioning itself as a major contender in Africa, with an aggressive growth strategy that has seen it pursue partnerships and acquisition in West, Central and Southern Africa.
Sh2.4bn lawsuit for Fastjet?[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
When on the 16th of January Precision Air, Tanzanias premier airline, launched their flights to Mbeyas revamped Songwe Airport, they cautiously announced that the new destination would be served four times a week, linking the commercial capital Dar es Salaam with this western Tanzanian municipality.
The airlines strategy to connect the country by air, like it was never done before, however paid off beyond their wildest expectations and Linda Chiza, Precision Airs Head of Marketing and Branding, yesterday announced to this correspondent that effective 12th of February the Mbeya route will be served daily with ATR turboprop aircraft.
At the same time she also confirmed that Mtwara, the oil and gas capital of Tanzania, will see additional frequencies added as on that route too the demand was simply outstripping the available number of seats. As the airline operates both the ATR 42 and the ATR 72, there is added flexibility to move from the smaller 48 seat turboprop to the larger 70 seat version.
An aviation source in Dar es Salaam, contacted for a comment, had this to say: Precision has a vision for the country. They have the right type of aircraft to fly to all those other towns where the big jets cannot land. They have more ATRs on order and when they have them delivered they will fly more often to more places than any other airline in Tanzanias history has ever done. Now that is what I call a service to the nation. Others come with big noise and then only fly between Dar and Kili or Mwanza. With Precision you fly to almost every corner of our country. And you get a full service on the plane and have no hidden cost when you buy your ticket at the advertised fare. Others make wild claims on fares and when you book you find a lot of extra charges or be told THAT FARE YOU NEED TO PREBOOK MANY WEEKS IN ADVANCE and then at the airport you pay extra still for other services like you baggage.
Clearly Precision are doing something right somewhere as the airline continues to grow and the partnership with the regions largest airline Kenya Airways has helped in many ways to become Tanzanias own Pride in the Sky, pun fully intended of course. Watch this space for breaking and regular aviation news from the Eastern African region.
Wolfganghthome's Blog
3rd February 13
Boeing 737-200 burden to ATCL
Florian Kaijage
Ailing Air Tanzania Company Ltd (ATCL) has suspended operations of the leased Boeing 737-200 on the Dar es Salaam - Mwanza route and operates with a single plane, the Bombadier Dash 8-300 in a bid to cut operational costs, The Guardian on Sunday has reliably learnt.
Information reaching this paper this week had it that the national airline has reduced the frequency of the Boeing plane on the main route as its costs proved unbearable.
Well placed sources with the national carrier in Dar es Salaam affirmed that the plane, leased last October from a South African company, StarAirCargo (Pty) Ltd at a rate of $1,350 (Sh (2,160,000) for every block hour with a guarantee of 150 block hours a month, made its last trip to Mwanza early this week.
We are operating with Dash 8 only for the past three days. It flies to Kigoma in the morning and in the evening it goes to Mwanza. I am told this is due to high costs of running the Boeing, a well placed official indicated.
The source added: This may be logical on costing grounds but on the other hand it poses a risk of losing out on the passengers due to different flying durations between Dar es Salaam and Mwanza for the two aircraft.
Under normal circumstances the jet-engine Boeing 737-200 flies for 75 minutes whereas a propeller-engine Dash 8 spends about 140 minutes between the two cities.
The Guardian on Sunday has also established that ATCL is in the process or reviving its route to the Comoro islands using the Boeing aircraft. The last trip to the Indian Ocean islands was mid 2012 using Boeing 737-500 formerly leased from Aerovista of Lebanon. It was returned to the owners following a contractual dispute.
The ATCL Acting Commercial Director, Mwanamvua Ngocho confirmed yesterday on the phone that the route to the Comoros would be revived.
The plan is still there and the revival date will be announced soon, she stated.
But when asked about the reduced frequency of the Boeing for Mwanza route she replied: Listen, why asking us on the type of aircraft we are operating with? Do you ask the same question to other airlines? We operate according to our commercial plans and we are not supposed to explain to anybody including you. These are our internal matters, the acting director snapped.
ATCL can operate with any aircraft which meets airworthiness requirements. What I know is that the Boeing flew to Mwanza last week and it also flew this week, she further clarified.
When asked as to why the leased aircraft operates once a week while some of the charges such as fees, local transport and hotel bills for the crews accumulate on daily basis and the money to settle them are public funds, Ngocho responded:
It doesnt matter how many times the plane operates a week. It can be once, twice or otherwise. It depends on our plans. If the crew members are still in the country then there is work for them to do.
She also accused this paper and the reporter of publishing information aimed at sabotaging ATCL.
A score of ATCL staff and I share the sentiment the airline is not at your heart as you are one of the people wishing this company to collapse, she declared.
This paper has written extensively on the national carrier revealing to the public a number of issues on airline operations.
In October 2012 an exclusive report by this paper showed that the leased Boeing 737-200 would cost Sh1billion in three months, the duration for the lease agreement.
Another report on October 28, 2012 queried as to whether the leased plane could survive amid surging fuel prices as it read below;
As Air Tanzania eyes its golden old days with a leased Boeing 737-200 to operate domestic and regional routes, the biggest question is: Can this type of aircraft operate profitably amid surging fuel prices?
According to our survey, some aviation experts reveal stark reality to the contrary; the Boeing 737-200 consumes at least three tons of fuel for a single trip to Mwanza, a moderately short hop of approximately 75 minutes.
To put things in perspective, for a return trip between the two cities (Dar-Mwanza), the leased Boeing 737-200 would be consuming six tons of fuel, not to count other operating costs.
The 737-200 was succeeded in 1984 by the 737-300, a much quieter, larger and more economical aircraft boasting a host of new features and improvements and whose fuel bill was a comforting 20 percent less than its predecessor.
The airlines biggest competitor, PrecisionAir, operates a fleet of those relatively economical 737-300 planes for its domestic and regional routes.
At the current fuel price Sh1.6 million per tone (Sh1600 for a single litre of Jet fuel-A1), what these figures mean to ATCL is that the cash-strapped national airline would roughly spend Sh860.76 million within 90 days just by operating one domestic route of Dar-Mwanza.
In monetary values, ATCL would spend Sh4.8 million in fuel just to operate a single flight to Mwanza. If we factor in the leasing fee plus fuel cost without adding all other operational costs, the figures show that within three months, the national airline would dole out nearly Sh2 billion.
Fuel is the most crucial component in the airline business, and aviation experts estimate that it could consume up to 40 percent of its entire revenues which is why most airlines have been going for fuel-efficient aircraft to curb the surging fuel costs.
In East and Southern Africa, for instance, most airlines have abandoned or replaced their 737-200 with 300, 400, 500 and 800 series to reduce fuel costs and make sense in business.
The 737-200 can carry at least 106 passengers and crew. Introduced in February 1965, the 737 was originally envisioned as a 60- to 85-seater, before it was improved to accommodate 100 passengers and six crew.
Whereas the leasing fee of $1350 per block hour with a tied guarantee of 150 block hours a month -- would cost a whopping $202,500 (Sh324 million) a month and $607,500 (Sh972, million) in three months, per diems for nine crew members would cost another 64,800 (103.68 million).
GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY
Boeing 737-200 burden to ATCL
[TABLE="class: contentpaneopen"]
[TR]
[TD="class: contentheading"]Sh2.4bn lawsuit for Fastjet?[/TD]
[TD="class: buttonheading, align: right"] Send to a friend[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[TABLE="class: contentpaneopen"]
[TR]
[TD="class: createdate"]Sunday, 03 February 2013 09:40[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]
By The Citizen Reporter and Agencies
Dar es Salaam. Freckle-faced budget airline Fastjet could be sued for over Sh2.4 billion ($1.5 million) by local tax authorities for failing to pay taxes for almost a year, UK daily The Telegraph reported Thursday.
The Tanzanian arm of the firm, which is listed at the London Stock Exchange, failed to pay payroll and property taxes, according to The Telegraph brief.
Sources told the UK paper that the company was found to owe the Tanzanian government billions in unpaid dues during a tax audit last month.
Local representatives of Fastjet say the burden is not theirs to pay off. They say the matter is a legacy issue inherited when the budget carrier took over local hauler Fly540 in June last year.
[Fly540 chief executive] Don Smith has accumulated significant debt from Fly540, Fastjet has no liability for these, says a Fastjest press note sent to The Citizen on Sunday.
Firm spokesperson Meg Muigai insists all money issues were settled during the buyout. Fastjet owes the Fly540 executive no other favours, she says in the statement.
Mr Smith certified in a document signed by him on 24 July 2012 that other than specific liabilities as set in the document, there is no other liability or indebtedness due to him or any entity controlled by him.
The Telegraph reported that Fastjet was also on the hook for missed airport departure charges accrued by its newly-bought asset between January and November last year.
These claims are the latest in an array of other demands and legal issues the embattled budget carrier is grappling with in East Africa.
The firm is embroiled in bitter disputes in Kenya and Uganda, according to British media.
In an earlier response, the UK paper quoted a Fastjet spokesperson who said the company works closely with the Tanzanian government to properly address all historic issues relating to tax.
Tax officials in Dar es Salaam have told The Citizen on Sunday they are unaware of any revenue backlog issues pertaining to the newly-launched no-frills carrier.
Senior Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) officer Lupinje Hamis said he was unaware of any tax issues, and could not comment on the Fastjet matter.
The firm shook the Tanzanian airline industry to the core with the introduction of ultra-cheap air travel in November last year.
It is positioning itself as a major contender in Africa, with an aggressive growth strategy that has seen it pursue partnerships and acquisition in West, Central and Southern Africa.
Sh2.4bn lawsuit for Fastjet?[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
