- ...Magufuli promises two brand new, long range planes
PLANS are well underway for the government to purchase two more new aircrafts to revamp the ailing national flag carrier, Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL).
President John Magufuli affirmed in Dar
es Salaam yesterday that already the government has allocated adequate
money to buy a 160-seater aircraft and another plane with capacity to
carry over 240 passengers.
“If we purchase the aircraft that
carries 240 passengers, customers will be assured of direct flights from
Dar es Salaam to China or US and our tourists from China, US, Russia,
Germany and other countries will comfortably arrive in our country,’’ he
said.
Dr Magufuli was speaking at the Julius
Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) at the official launch of the two
new aircrafts that have just arrived from Canada. The government
procured the two brand new Bombardier Q400 NextGen aircrafts from Canada
at a cost of 46.6 million US dollars (over 90bn/-).
The planes are expected to boost ATCL’s performance in the domestic and international flights.
The president said the government
decided to buy the aircrafts that have been leased to ATCL to operate
professionally and recoup the government's invested capital.
He expressed his satisfaction on the new
board, saying it was one of the best with good brains, insisting that
the government hired the ATCL’s Chief Executive who was working abroad.
The president said the government has
already allocated 100bn/- for the construction of various airports
countrywide to enable people interested on using air transport to do so
without any problem.
In improving transport in Dar es Salaam
city, the president hinted that the government plans to buy trams, buy
more wagons for commuter trains and build interchange at Ubungo
junction.
The official inauguration of the two new
aircrafts was attended by, among other leaders, Chief Secretary (CS),
Ambassador John Kijazi and the Minister for Works, Transport and
Communications, Prof Makame Mbarawa.
ATCL recently got a new Director General
Ladislaus Matindi and new board of directors chaired by Eng Emmanuel
Korosso. Prof Mbarawa last week gave ATCL a three-month ultimatum to
restructure the entire management.
Ambassador Kijazi, speaking at the event
yesterday, said that the two aircrafts were not an ultimate solution to
the ATCL’s woes. “The company needs to come up with a strategy that
will help it to run commercially and generate profit … the challenges
are known and it's now time to make changes,’’ he said.
He said the two government owned planes through ATCL will be operated on lease agreement.
Dr Magufuli said they opted for the
modality in order to ensure that the planes were not operated in
'business as usual' style that has crippled ATCL in the first place
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