Fastjet enjoys strong July, despite Ramadan effect
01-Aug-2013 Low-cost African airline Fastjet (LON:FJET) has the wind beneath its wings after a strong trading performance in Tanzania in July.
On the day tickets for the carrier's soon to be launched Tanzania-South Africa route go on sale to the general public, the company revealed passenger revenue in July increased 10% from June's levels to more than US$2.5mln, continuing a trend that has seen monthly revenues improve by more than US$700,000 since May 2013.
The company said that the performance is particularly pleasing given that Ramadan fell over the last 21 days of the month; Ramadan is a period when travel and business activity by Muslims usually tails off.
Fastjet said the improvement in revenues could be attributed to a number of things, including: an increase in passenger volumes on existing routes; the successful relaunch of the Kilimanjaro to Zanzibar route and a 17% increase in ancillary revenues, such as on-board refreshments.
"These are excellent figures. They show the strength of our brand and the support we are receiving from the Tanzanian population. We expected the drop in travel over the religious period to be challenging, but our figures suggest that the Fastjet proposition is gaining popularity. This only bodes well for the future," said Ed Winter, Fastjet's chief executive.
"The introduction of international flights is critical for our future and we are delighted to have now launched ticket sales for the route to Johannesburg. We are confident that we will be adding more international routes our flying programme in the near future," Winter added.