This was unveiled in Dar es Salaam on
Tuesday by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Transport, Dr
Shaban Mwinjaka, at the launch of the Abu Dhabi-registered airline,
Etihad Airways daily flights between Dar es Salaam and Abu Dhabi.
“The government is committed to improve
airport infrastructures to cater for the rising demand of aviation
services and handle more domestic and international flights,” he said
adding that the industry has posted an annual passengers’ growth of 12
per cent, one of the highest in the region.
Dar es Salaam is Etihad Airways’ third
departure point in East Africa along with Nairobi and Entebbe and it’s
the ninth destination in the continent. The gulf carrier adds to the
list of growing Middle East carriers eyeing Tanzanian and African
airspace.
The Julius Nyerere International Airport
(JNIA) Director, Mr Thomas Haule, said the introduction of Etihad
Airways is increasing the number of gulf carriers and filling the vacuum
of some European carriers that pulled out recently.
“JNIA is one of the most secure airports
in Africa,” Mr Haule assured Etihad Airways in his opening remarks. The
flights will be connecting the Tanzanian capital with 45 destinations
across the Middle East, Europe, the Indian Subcontinent, North and
Southern Asia and Australia through daily flight.
Etihad Airways’ Senior Vice-
President-Global Sales Mr Daniel Barranger said, “The inauguration of
direct flights to Dar es Salaam is consistent with our strategy of
targeting areas with strong growth in emerging markets”.
He said Dar es Salaam was a wonderful
destination for tourists seeking to experience the great culture and
history of Tanzania, gateway to numerous national and international
tourist attractions including the wildlife rich national parks, Mount
Kilimanjaro and the spice island of Zanzibar.
Etihad Airways joins the list of a
growing number of Middle East registered airlines lobbying East African
skies. Dar es Salaam will be Etihad Airways’ 110th destination globally
and its 11th destination in Africa and the Indian Ocean, reports from
the airline’s head office in Abu Dhabi said.
The daily flights will be operated with
Airbus A320 aircraft and set to attract more passengers from Tanzania
and its neighbouring states.
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