Tanzanian low-cost airline Fastjet (LON:FJET), has recently announced that it has increased the number of flights on its route Harare-Dar es Salaam from four to seven a week, as part of its plan to expand in Zimbabwe.
Fastjet started its flights to Harare on March 25th, 2015 when it received the Air Service Permit (ASP) from the Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development.
The company also applied for an Air Operating Certificate (AOC) from the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) to operate within the country.
Fastjet has identified several potential routes in Zimbabwe for its low-cost model which are currently served by more than 100 buses at fares of around USD 120 per trip.
The increase on flight’s frequency between Tanzania and Zimbabwe, consequent of strong passenger demand, is planned to start on September 13th, 2015 and will allow Fastjet to carry 1,000 more passengers a week between.
Fastjet wants to tap in the growing Zimbabwean civil aviation market which has grown by 7.85% to 301,265 passengers at the end of 2014 from 279,347 in 2011, against an average growth of 4.79% in the Sub Saharan Region.