ATCL cargo plane to kick off with Mumbai, Dubai routes

Dar es Salaam. The newly acquired cargo plane for Air Tanzania Company Ltd (ATCL) will start flying on 28th July, the company said yesterday.

It said it was finalising several regulatory procedures before releasing it.

The ATCL CEO, Mr Ladislaus Matindi said at the 47th Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair (DITF) yesterday they were also finalising training of pilots and registration of the plane before taking off on July 28 this year.

“We will start with Mumbai (India) and other parts of Africa including Lubumbubashi (DRC), Lusaka (Zambia), Harare (Zimbabwe), Nairobi (Kenya) and Entebe (Uganda). We are also finalising plans to go to Kinshasha (DRC) and start a new route to Lagos in Nigeria,” he said.

The company also plans to introduce cargo flights to Dubai and China, depending on the demand by the business community.

He said they have continued acquiring more airplanes to reach the current 12 and expect to increase three for medium-range aircraft make Boeing 737 Max 9 and long-distance aircraft including a Dreamliner.

“We faced technical problems defective engines in Airbuses. It was a global issue but we expect to return two of them by the end of August or early September and start to provide service,” he said.

In March this year, ATCL and Air Senegal considered a joint action against the engine manufacturer of Airbus A220-300 aircraft, which had remained grounded for several months owing to technical problems.

An Air Senegal delegation was in Dar es Salaam in March for discussions with Air Tanzania officials on how best to take on Pratt & Whitney, the American aerospace company that produces the PW1524G-3 engines used by the planes.

Yesterday, Mr Matindi said ATR also faced the same challenge but expect they will strengthen service delivery by mid or end of July.

He explained that there is high demand for the service with three aircraft operating for Mwanza and Dodoma.

“Efforts to ensure they are lights at Dodoma airport are ongoing and we are told by November they will be ready and therefore enable travellers to decide what time to travel,” he said.