Fastjet, Africas first pan African low cost carrier, is pleased to announce the new
www.fastjet.com website is now live and tickets are on sale ahead of the airlines first flight later this month.
Tickets for domestic routes in Tanzania including Dar es Salaam - Kilimanjaro and Dar es Salaam - Mwanza went on sale yesterday through the Companys offices and travel agents. On-line internet booking is available from this morning with payment options available through fastjet offices, travel agents and bank acount. Fastjet will be introducing credit card and further innovative payment options including M-Pesa and Airtel Money over the coming months
fastjets CEO Ed Winter said:
We have had an great response to our first tickets going on sale with over 100 seats sold within the first two hours for flights departing from the 29[SUP]th[/SUP] November. Everyone at Fastjet is really excited about bringing low cost air travel to the people of Africa and with prices starting at US$20 one-way excluding taxes and charges, we are making flying an affordable option for more Tanzanians than ever before.
fastjet Executive Chairman David Lenigas added:
The sale of the first tickets for fastjet anywhere in the world is a momentous day for the Company and the culmination of six months of hard work from the fastjet team. Our first three Airbus A319s will be arriving in Tanzania shortly and we are very much looking forward to providing reliable airline services to an international standard for the people of Africa.
The fastjet launch in Tanzania will be the start of what the Company believes will be a truly great pan African low cost airline. Over time, we plan to have fastjet flying the Continent of Africa from north to south and east to west.
Fly540 flights in Ghana, Angola, Sierra Leone and Cote d'Ivoire can still be booked through the
www.fly540africa.com website and Kenya through the
www.fly540.com website. Strong growth has been recorded in the Angola and Ghana hubs in the last few weeks as the fastjet yield management team refine pricing and route scheduling in these areas. This performance will be demonstrated in the next month passenger statistics reporting. Passenger numbers for the month of October stood at 51,015, up 26.6% on the same month last year.
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
About fastjet Plc
fastjet Plc is the holding company for African airline Fly540, which operates from four bases in Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana and Angola. Fly540 currently has 10 aircraft serving around 25 domestic and regional destinations, carrying approximately 750,000 passengers per year with a strong emphasis on safety, security and reliability.
Following a consultancy assignment by easyJet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannous easyGroup focused on determining the feasibility of launching a European-style low-cost carrier in Africa, we are now preparing for the launch of fastjet, Africas first low-cost carrier, flying a modern fleet of jet aircraft based on the Fly540 platform of licences and routes. First flights under the fastjet brand are expected to take place late November, bringing an entirely new flying experience to the African market. fastjet Plc is quoted on the London Stock Exchanges AIM market. For more information see
www.fastjet.com
Significant African Aviation Market Potential
Africa is a growth aviation market with regional and intercontinental traffic both growing rapidly as a result of the continents continued economic expansion. With over one billion people, Africa is hampered by poor infrastructure, a lack of roads and railways and long distances between urban populations. The African aviation market is significantly underserved with air travel spending as a percentage of GDP a fraction of that of other emerging markets. With rapid economic growth and, as a result, the growing wealth of African citizens, more and more people will be able to benefit from aviation and fly for the first time. Airbus forecasts total passenger traffic in Africa will grow at an average yearly rate of 5.7% between 2010 and 2030, well above the 4.8 per cent world average growth rate and expects to deliver more than 1,100 new passenger aircraft, 4% of world deliveries, in the next 20 years to satisfy growing demand. Seven of the top 10 fastest growing global economies are now in Africa with consumer spending for the continent forecast to reach US$1.6 trillion by 2020. A recent McKinsey report (June 2010) forecast that 128 million households in Africa are expected to have discretionary income to spend by 2020, while 50% of Africans are expected to live in cities by the same date with urban jobs bringing rising incomes. The McKinsey report concluded that today the rate of return on foreign investment in Africa is higher than in any other developing region and that early entry into African economies provides opportunities to create markets, establish brands, shape.
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