Air Tanzania freighter to tap export potential

Boeing and Air Tanzania celebrated the delivery of the airline's first 767-300 freighter recently.

The airplane arrived at the airline's hub in Dar es Salaam and will provide the operator with dedicated air freight capacity to serve the country's growing cargo market. The delivery also marks the first direct 767 freighter delivery from Boeing to an African carrier.

"We are thrilled to welcome the 767-300 Boeing freighter to our fleet," Ladislaus Matindi, Managing Director, Air Tanzania had said at the time of the delivery. "The 767 will cater to the growing cargo demand which was previously carried by passenger airplanes. The 767 will enable Air Tanzania to support a journey towards a more sustainable future and time critical cargo schedules across Africa and beyond. We are looking forward to expanding our imports and exports industry that require timely delivery. The arrival of the airplane will open opportunities for global businesses to transport commercial cargo goods to various parts of the world, which will boost national economic growth."

Capable of flying 3,255 nautical miles with a revenue payload of more than 52 tonnes, the 767-300 freighter is the ideal airplane for growing e-commerce and express cargo markets.

"The absence of a wide body aircraft (cargo flight) that can carry a large volume of cargo at once, and availability of perishable goods that need to be exported to the international market to reduce transportation time were the key parameters to decide on the Boeing 767-300 freighter," says an official spokesperson.

The Air Tanzania Boeing 767-300 freighter is likely to cover Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, Kenya, Dubai World Central, Jebel Ali, UAE, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai, India, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, Guangzhou, China and two airports in the Democratic Republic of Congo - N’djili International Airport, Kinshasa and Luano International Airport, Lubumbashi.

The freighter will be used to focus on exports of fresh meat, fresh flowers, avocados, fish maws, fish fillet, rough gemstones, sea food and fruits and vegetables. "On the return leg, focus will be on pharmaceuticals, electronics equipment, garments and spare parts."

And there could be shipments of around 20+ tonnes from Dar Salam to Dubai of avocados, fresh fruits and meat products.

The other promising sectors/routes for Air Tanzania Cargo, according to Nair, could be Zanzibar, Lumbumbashi and Kinshasa.

Air Tanzania refused to give any business outlook, cargo revenue for 2022 and revenue expectations from cargo operations. A simple answer: "To be communicated in the future."

If all goes well, Air Tanzania may look at adding another freighter in the future even as it plans to add more passenger planes on various sectors.