Targeting the fast-growing tourism and rising business opportunities in Tanzania, international airlines are looking at best options to fly to Dar es Salaam (Julius Nyerere – DAR), Tanzania’s commercial capital, and Arusha (Kilimanjaro Airport – JRO), East Africa’s tourist capital.
The coming of Air Seychelles, the official air carrier of the Indian Ocean tourist island of the Seychelles, to Tanzania today, is a testimony of the global airlines program targeting Tanzania’s airspace.
Tourism is a leading business which has been a magnet to pull global and reputed airlines to fly to Tanzania, aviation analysts say.
Air Seychelles, which is launching its twice a week flights to Tanzania today, has targeted tourists and leisure travelers in Tanzania and East Africa, looking at the Spice Island of Zanzibar as a key source of international-class tourists and leisure travelers between East Africa and the Seychelles.
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates has expanded its African route network, and will launch its daily service to Dar es Salaam from Abu Dhabi next year. Vice President of the Airline, Moris Pholeli, said Dar es Salaam is one of the fastest-growing cities in the world, and his airline has decided to enter into the market by starting operating with an Airbus A320 aircraft, with 16 Business Class and 120 Economy class seats on its Abu Dhabi and Dar es Salaam route.
Emirates Airlines has launched five times weekly flights between Dar es Salaam and Dubai to complement the airline’s daily operations. Launched in October this year, the five flights available brought the total to 12 flights a week on the Dar es Salaam and Dubai routes, an indication of the growing business between Tanzania and other countries, mostly the Middle East and Far East.
Qatar Airways operates daily flights between Dar es Salaam and Doha in Qatar, making it stand among leading global airlines with great lust to Tanzanian airspace. Qatar Airways links Tanzania and other parts of the world.
South African Airways has increased its flights between Johannesburg and Dar es Salaam twice, making it to operate two daily flights between the two cities. This brings to 14 flights per week under South African Airways (SAA) in its Tanzania’s airspace.
From Dar Es Salaam there are frequent connections through several reliable local operators to Kilimanjaro (JRO) or Arusha Airport (ARK).
Global airlines operating in Tanzania with direct flights to Kilimanjaro include KLM, Ethiopian Airlines, Qatar, Turkish Airlines, Kenya Airways and Rwandair.