Precision Air prepare to launch Flights to Zimbabwe

TANZANIAN airline, Precision Air, is set to flights to Zimbabwe soon, as it emerged that officials from the airline will visit the country this week to meet authorities in the aviation industry. The team will also meet officials from the tourism industry.

Precision Air's national sales manager, Tuntufye Mwambusi, told a Zimbabwean delegation on the sidelines of the premier world and travel fair in Berlin of its intentions to fly into the country soon.

The Zimbabwean team had officials from the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA).

Mwambusi further revealed that they recently acquired a Boeing 737 aircraft, which is set to be delivered in April this year.

The aircraft will service the Harare-Dar-es-Salam ro-ute.

Previously, this route was being serviced by the national carriers of the two countries, Air Zimbabwe and Air Tanzania, both of which have since pulled out owing to viability problems.

Commenting on this development, ZTA chief operating officer, Givemore Chidzidzi, said that the coming of Precision Air would certainly boost tourism, trade and commerce between the connected countries.

"This is a morale booster from a tourism perspective and we are convinced that this development will further enhance our tourism and bilateral cooperation with Tanzania in all spheres of life including trade and commerce", said Chidzidzi.

Precision Air was established in 1993 and listed on the Dar-es-Salam Stock Exchange last year.

Kenya Airways has 49% in the airline with the remainder owned by a Tanzanian businessman, according to its website.

Its fleet include five 70-seater ATR 72-500, four 47-seater ATR 42 and one Boeing 737. Plans are underway to expand the fleet further by acquiring a second Boeing 737-300, more E-jets and ATRs.

The carrier also set flights to Nairobi and Mombasa in Kenya as well as flights to Entebbe in Uganda.

Meanwhile, Air Namibia, which has been flying to Victoria Falls twice a week, has announced that it will be doubling its frequency and start flying to Harare on March 15 2012.

Air Namibia sales executive Ireen Schroder said this development has been prompted by the unprecedented and renewed interest in Zimbabwe by travellers.

"We used to fly two times a week into Victoria Falls but we are going to be flying to Harare now four times a week starting from 15 March", said Schroder.

Despite efforts being invested by the ZTA to market Zimbabwe globally, the issue of air access has continued to pose a menace to tourism development and this has been aggravated by the failure of Air Zimbabwe to service its routes.

Ethiopian Airlines to Launch Services to Seychelles on April 1st

Ethiopian Airlines is pleased to announce that it will operate nonstop flights from Addis Ababa to Seychelles as of April 01, 2012.

The Republic of Seychelles comprises 115 islands occupying a land area of 455 km² and an Exclusive Economic Zone of 1.4 km² in the Western Indian Ocean. Of these 115 islands, 41 constitute the oldest mid-oceanic granite islands on earth while a further 74 form the low-lying coral atolls and reef islands of the Outer Islands. The country is a world leader in sustainable ecotourism which attracts a number of visitors every year.

Mr. Tewolde Gebremariam, CEO of Ethiopian Airlines said, "Ethiopian is pleased to fly to the legendary beauty and exotic Seychelles, which is a home to two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Aldabra, the world's largest raised coral atoll and Praslin's Vallée de Mai, once believed to be the original site of the Garden of Eden."

Seychelles will be Ethiopian's 41st destination in Africa and 65th worldwide. The flight schedule will be as follows:

Flight	Days	Origin	Departure	Arrival	Destination
EET879	Tue/Thu/Fri/Sun	Addis Ababa	10:10	15:25	Seychelles
EET878	Tue/Thu/Fri/Sun	Seychelles	16:25	19:40	Addis Ababa

"Ethiopian will now provide more options for passengers flying from any part of the world to the Seychelles and vise versa to the cosmopolitan city of the living museum of natural history, where colourful blend of peoples of different races, cultures and religions are found," added Mr Tewolde.

As this route commences, Ethiopian announces a promotional fare from Addis Ababa to Seychelles. As before, Ethiopian also offers special fares for tour packages to the major African tourist destinations such as Mombasa, Zanzibar, Kilimanjaro, Dar-Es-Salaam, Johannesburg, Malindi, Maputo, Djibouti and Cairo.

About Ethiopian

Ethiopian Airlines, one of the largest and fastest growing airlines in Africa, made its maiden international flight to Cairo in 1946 and now the Airline provides dependable services to 64 international destinations spanning four continents.

Ethiopian is proud to be a Star Alliance Member. The Star Alliance network is the leading global airline network offering customers convenient worldwide reach and a smoother travel experience. The Star Alliance network offers more than 21,000 daily flights to 1,290 airports in 189 countries.

Ethiopian is a multi-award winner for its commitment and contributions towards the development and growth of the African aviation industry and in recognition of its distinguished long-haul operations enhanced by the introduction of new routes and products. Recently, Ethiopian won Gold in the African Airline of the Year 2011/2012 Awards organized by the African Aviation News Portal. Ethiopian also received the 2011 AFRAA award for being consistently profitable over the years and has won the "AFRICAN CARGO AIRLINE OF THE YEAR 2011 Award" for its excellence in air cargo. Ethiopian also won the NEPAD Transport Infrastructure Excellence Awards 2009 and "the Airline of the Year 2009 Award" from the African Airlines Association (AFRAA).

Qatar Airways will Launches Maiden Flight to Kigali

Qatar Airways will make its first commercial flight to Kigali on March, 21, with its AirbusA320, giving more choices to air travelers.

We have recruited a good number in sales, airport, administration and reservation departments and ready to commence operations in Kigali

The Kigali to Doha route, via Entebbe in Uganda, is one of the latest routes by Qatar, which plies more than 100 destinations worldwide.

The airbus has a capacity to carry 144 passengers, including 12 seats in business class and 132 in the economy class.

"We have recruited a good number of staff in sales, airport, administration and reservation departments and ready to commence operations in Kigali," said a Qatar official, who refused to be named because he does not speak on behalf of the airways.

According to Richard Masozera, the Director General of Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority, the coming of Qatar Airways offers Rwandans more travel options.

Masozera said with its huge network, Rwandans will be connected to the Middle East and beyond, thus increasing the visibility of Kigali on the international scene.

"It's a big boost to the aviation industry; Qatar is the most prestigious airways with very high operating standards. I'm happy that Rwanda is becoming an important destination to modern airlines," Masozera said.

Recently, South African Airways resumed its operations in the country, and Turkish Airline is also projected to commence operations next month.

"The more players in the industry, the more choices for services, and not only services but quality services," Masozera added.

In a recent interview, RwandAir's Chief Executive Officer, John Mirenge, told Business Times that the national carrier is ready for the competition.

"New entrants are very much welcome. It is the only way we will grow the air travel market in this country. Competition is healthy as it gives passengers options. It puts the burden on operators to work hard and be smart to retain customers," he noted.

Kigali International Airport (KIA), last year, handled over 320, 000 passengers, and air traffic is expected to grow by 50 percent, following the increase of scheduled flights to 300 per week from 200 in 2011.

Emirates Airline will increase Its New Routes Globally

 Emirates Airline will increase frequencies on many of its global routes and is considering introducing a new Australian destination. Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation and Chairman and CEO of Emirates airline and Group, told Gulf News that the airline's commercial division was evaluating all its popular routes.

"You will see the frequency increasing in some flights from once to twice or even more daily; there will be new points in South and North America, Europe and China while in Australia there is a big chance of introducing a new destination," Shaikh Ahmad said. Speaking in Seattle, Shaikh Ahmad confirmed that Emirates began its fuel surcharge — confirmed last week in the face of rising oil prices — from March 1. Defending the move, he said he "cannot run a losing business at the end of the day." The surcharge could run as high as Dh610 on all business class tickets to the Americas and Dh500 for other international circuits, with increases in economy class as well.

Losses despite surcharge

The fuel surcharge issue has become a contentious one for Emirates. Tim Clark, Emirates president, told Dow Jones in an interview that the airline could take a $1.6 billion hit (Dh5.88 billion) this year to cope with the high fuel prices despite levying fuel charges. "We tried not to do it (but) you cannot afford to go out of business," Shaikh Ahmad said, pointing out that the carbon tax costs will be the next challenge before the industry. "Everybody has to pay. That's the norm for flying over Europe, failing which they will not be allowed to use the airspace."

The last couple of days saw the airline being a talking point in this Pacific North-West city, first for launching its non-stop flight to Seattle and then receiving the 1,000th Boeing 777 on Friday.

A pending order for 93 more 777s is due over the next eight years, and Emirates is also going ahead with the scheduled delivery of Airbus A380s. Asked what the utilisation plan for such a huge fleet would be, Shaikh Ahmad said: "Since we have bought the planes, we also know where they will fly. Obviously, we are not going to speak about it too early as we don't want to give a heads-up to our competitors way in advance."

Hangar space for fleet

According to a recent estimate, Emirates will start receiving at least three planes a month this year and doubts had been raised whether there was enough hangar space for them.

Asked about it, Shaikh Ahmad said: "Concourse 3 should open by the first quarter of next year and that itself can accommodate up to 20 Airbus 380s. The plan by 2020, however, is to finish Terminal 4, following which all the international carriers will be moved there while terminals 1-3 will be devoted to us."

On the growing number of competitors in the region — including Qatar Airways and Etihad — Shaikh Ahmad said: "I always believe that competition will be there, but what can you do about it? The way I see it, Qatar and Etihad are now complementing what we are doing for the whole region.

"At the end of the day, we look at the numbers to see whether our seat factor dropped and the answer is no," he said. "In the UAE itself, you now have Air Arabia, flydubai and RAK Airways. There could be more airlines from Saudi Arabia as well. That's life for you," he said.

Kenya Airways suspends air ticket sales in Malawi due to Forex problems

Kenya airways has indefinitely suspended air ticket sales in Malawi, coming soon after Ethiopian Airlines made a similar decision two weeks ago.

In a circular sourced by Zodiak Radio, the airline says air tickets can be sold from any other point of sale outside Malawi for travels starting in the country.

Ethiopia Airlines also suspended ticket sales in Malawi last month.

Inside sources say the airlines are failing to change the Malawi kwacha into foreign currency which has become a scarce commodity in the past years in Malawi as the DPP government is failing to deal with the situation.

Malawians intending to travel by Kenya airways now have to book their ticket online and pay using credit card or travel to the nearest point of sale outside the country.

Kenya Airways has requested its officers not to make any bookings or issue tickets in Malawi with effect from Friday March 2.

The move by two airliners will greatly affect most travel agents and may lead to loss of business and subsequent job cuts, according to some travel agents interviewed by Zodiak Radio.

This development leaves South African Airways as the only international airliner that takes the local currency for air ticket bookings.

Arik Air resumes flight to South Africa

Nigeria's Arik Air said it will resume daily flights to Johannesburg Saturday, 24 hours after suspending them in protest over South Africa's refusal to let in 125 Nigerians on health grounds.

"Arik Air is reinstating flight operations between Lagos, Nigeria and Johannesburg, South Africa effective immediately with tonight's (Saturday, March 3) scheduled service departing from Lagos," a statement said.

Arik earlier said it suspended flights between Lagos and Johannesburg, Africa's two financial hubs, due to a dispute with health authorities over yellow fever vaccination cards presented at OR Tambo International Airport by passengers.

The airline said that flights will now re-commence with operations over the weekend "to protect its passengers in the interim period until the matter is resolved."

A meeting between the two governments over the dispute is scheduled for Monday, it said.

Passengers who have new yellow fever vaccination cards issued in Nigeria or are travelling to South Africa for the first time will not be allowed to board on Saturday's and Sunday's flights to Johannesburg, it added.

Arik, the only Nigerian-owned commercial airline on the lucrative Lagos-Johannesburg route, said 50 passengers were refused entry on Friday while ThisDay newspaper said that 75 other Nigerian passengers on South Africa Airways were also turned back.

"Many passengers have been detained and refused entry in recent months," the airline said in an earlier statement.

It said health authorities gave the reason as incorrect or unrecognised batch numbers on the documentation which is mandatory proof before entry.

Arik, which began once-daily flights to South Africa in June 2009, currently operated a combined number of more than 120 daily flights to some west African countries, Heathrow (London), New York JFK (US) and Johannesburg.

Ethiopian Airline Cuts its fare by $200

As part of Ethiopia's effort at promoting tourism in its country, the country's national carrier Ethiopian Airline has announced a slash in its fares by $200.

This was made known to journalists and Nigerian tour operators who were on tourism familiarization visit to the country, at the airlines' headquarters in Bole International Airport, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Tuesday.

The manager, Passenger Market Development, Mr Solomon Dawit, who made the disclosure, said the reduction in price was aimed at attracting tourists to the country.

Dawit said that the reduction in price was effective immediately and would only be made available to its passengers who were on tourism visits to the country from across the globe and most especially, Africa.

He added that Ethiopia was working towards ensuring that it became the leading tourist destination in Africa, come 2025.