Precision Air (PW) on Wednesday made its maiden
commercial flights to Mbeya’s new Songwe International Airport.
The airline
however was compelled to reduce the number of passengers from 70 to 50 during
the Dar es Salaam-Mbeya to provide space for fuel due to lack of jet fuel at
Songwe airport here.
The historical inauguration, graced by Director of Transport
Services in the Ministry of Transport Peter Lupatu and also attended by Mbeya
government representatives, corporate heads and aviation stakeholders, took
place at Songwe airport, with Mbeya residents expressing joy over the inaugural
flight.
The airline used its 70-seater ATR-72 aircraft to flag off
its services in the new route, with an introductory flight schedule showing
that it will fly to Mbeya four times a week—Monday, Wednesday, Friday and
Sunday—at an introductory fare of 249,000/- for a return ticket and 165,000/-
for one way ticket.
“I call upon Mbeya residents to fully use this opportunity
provided by Precision Air that has launched commercial flights to the region,”
said Mr Lupatu. Precision Air Board Chairman Michael Shirima asked the
government to look for an investor to supply jet fuel at Songwe Airport to help
the airlines flying to the airport reduce operational costs.
“My plea to the government is to ensure that aviation fuel
is available here...this will greatly help to cut down operational costs
incurred by airlines using the route. At the moment, we are forced to carry
reserve fuel which increases load to the aircraft, forcing us to carry few
passengers to leave room for the reserve fuel,” said Mr Shirima.
The Precision Air founder asked the government to hasten
installation of navigation aid at the airport because of its location and for
the safety of the aircrafts and their passengers. He assured Mbeya residents
that the airline will in future increase its flight frequencies to Songwe
subject to an increase of passengers.
Acting Mbeya Regional Commissioner Norman Sigala on his
welcoming remarks said he was happy with Precision Air’s decision to fly to
Mbeya because it will reduce transport challenges that Mbeya residents face.
“The inauguration we are witnessing today is a blessing to Mbeya region and
their neighbour...Precision Air has flagged commercial flights to this region;
you will see many other airlines coming soon,” he said.
Songwe becomes the 18th destination for Precision Air, which
has grown from a very humble background of starting as a crop spraying company
with a single aircraft in 1987 to the lone Tanzanian airline flying regionally.
Source: The Daily News, www.dailynews.co.tz, reported from Mbeya
0 comments :
Post a Comment