fastjet celebrates flying two million passengers

This achievement, just 15 months the airlines first million passengers in January 2015, represents another significant achievement for the low-cost airline as it is embraced into the hearts and minds of first time and repeat travellers in Tanzania and further afield across East and Southern Africa.

Peace Mteketa Matovu, a local Tanzania citizen, is one of fastjet's first time flyers and the airline's two millionth passenger. She was travelling on a return fastjet flight from Nairobi to Dar es Salaam where she was surprised with a bouquet of flowers at Dar es Salaam's Julius Nyerere International Airport.

Since its launch in November 2012, fastjet has flown more than 21,800 flights between its domestic routes connecting Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, Kilimanjaro, Mbeya and Zanzibar in Tanzania, and its international routes to Johannesburg in South Africa, Lusaka in Zambia, Harare and Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, Entebbe in Uganda and Nairobi in Kenya.

fastjet, which currently provides air transport services for passengers to travel between 11 African destinations, continues to champion affordable air travel. The airline's fares on domestic routes in Tanzania start from as little as US$20 one-way, with international fares costing as little as US$50 one-way, excluding airport and government taxes.

"fastjet has flown just over 281,000 flights at our cheapest domestic and international fares, and has grown its fleet to five A319 aircraft," says Richard Bodin, fastjet's Chief Operating Officer. "We have also increased flights to more than 250 scheduled return flights a week across our network, making air travel affordable and accessible to more Africans and enabling them to fly more often for business and leisure."

fastjet's busiest destination from Dar es Salaam is Mwanza with nearly 829,000 passengers flying into and out of Mwanza since flights started in November 2012. It's most popular international route is between Johannesburg and Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar, which has carried close to 90,000 passengers since the route launched in October 2013.

The airline revealed that it has carried over 900,000 items of baggage in line with its policy of charging passengers for items of luggage, which is consistent with low-cost airline best practice worldwide.

"fastjet has remained committed to stimulating business and tourism on the African continent, and these figures give an insight into the impact that low-cost air travel has already had - and the potential that it offers for future growth," says Bodin.

"We've made it possible for entrepreneurs to be spared the time it would have taken them to travel between cities by road, for families who would otherwise be disconnected by distance to reconnect with one another, and for tourists to connect to some of the continent's most remarkable destinations, such as Kilimanjaro and Victoria Falls."

Highlighting the impact that affordable air travel can have on the growth of African economies is the US$22 million figure in airport and government fees and taxes that fastjet Tanzania estimates it has collected from its passengers on behalf of the various countries and airports that it flies to and from. Furthermore, the company has committed US$15 million to growth and development in Zimbabwe, in support of the Zimbabwean government's goal of growing inbound tourism.

The airline now directly employs more than 230 people in Tanzania, 46 people in Zimbabwe, and it estimates that it has indirectly created employment for a further 500 and more in secondary services in all the countries it flies to.

"fastjet continues to engage with governments and civil aviation authorities on the continent to expand its network," Bodin adds. "It took us two years to fly our first million passengers, and just 15 months to fly the next million. We're looking forward to making it possible for more people to fly to more destinations, with nearly four out of ten fastjet passengers flying for the first time."

In recognition of fastjet's services of making air travel more affordable, safe and reliable across its pan-African network, the airline was recently named Africa's Leading Low-Cost Airline at the 23rd Annual World Travel Awards held in Zanzibar, Tanzania on 9 April 2016.

This adds to fastjet's growing collection of accolades, with the airline winning the Transport Innovator Award at the eighth Transport Africa Awards in 2015, as well as being named the cheapest low-cost carrier in Africa by flight comparison site WhichAirline.com in 2014.