Air Tanzania resumes South African connection after 10 yrs

June 29, 2019: After a decade, Air Tanzania has reintroduced service between South Africa and the East African nation with four weekly flights on Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The first flight took off from OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg, recently.

Bongiwe Pityi-Vokwana, general manager of OR Tambo International Airport, said, “We are delighted to welcome Air Tanzania, particularly as increasing mobility between African countries are essential to economic development. The successful implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), signed by 44 African countries last year, requires greater movement and trade among African countries. We, therefore, believe that new direct connections between South Africa and Tanzania will deepen regional integration, improve intra-regional trade levels and air connectivity.”

Air Tanzania will operate two types of aircraft on the route, a B787 Dreamliner with 240 seats and an A220 with 120 seats.

Along the similar lines, MD of Air Tanzania Ladislaus Matindi, stated, “We have listened to our passenger requests to have direct flights to Johannesburg and believe that this will also offer more travel opportunities for South Africans. Tanzania is in an increasingly popular destination within Africa and we believe greater connectivity will encourage more South Africans to visit our country. For us, this new route is a significant entry to the southern African market and we are confident of being able to grow further around the region.”

The carrier will connect to four local airports in Tanzania - Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam; Zanzibar International Airport; Kilimanjaro International Airport and Mwanza International Airport in northern Tanzania.