ATCL’s new e-ticketing next week

KATARE MBASHIRU

AIR Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL) is expected to launch a new modern system of ticket booking next week with the company’s Managing Director, Ladislaus Matindi assuring customers that they will be able to make their booking in an easier and quick system from anywhere in the world.

At the same time, the national carrier has rubbished reports published by a Kiswahili daily that one of its new aircrafts was facing serious technical hitches to an extent that it could not be able to fly from Mwanza airport on Wednesday.

Addressing a news conference in Dar es Salaam yesterday, Mr Matindi said for a long time, ATCL was facing a challenge on ticket booking with customers complaining on the hurdles they were facing when doing their booking.

According to him, customers will now be able to make their booking electronically including booking through their mobile phones unlike the old system that had various complications. He said the new system will pass through three phases namely reservation system, Revenue Management System as well as Global Distribution System.

“Our aim is to provide modern services to our customers after the first phase that saw the government purchasing new aircrafts,’’ he said. The new system, he said is the best and that it was being used by other airline companies worldwide.

According to him, the new system was currently on a pilot project before it is launched later on February 9. In another development the ATCL boss refuted reports in an article published by a local daily that one of the newly purchased aircrafts had encountered serious problems in Mwanza on Wednesday. He described the report as baseless, unprofessional with no any grain of truth.

The unbalanced report aimed at tarnishing the image of the national airline, he said. According to ATCL Director of Operations, Captain Richard Shaidi said what happened at Mwanza airport was a minor mishap which usually happen.

He said it was normal for pilots to make an emergency landing after a plane takes off, whenever it was realized that something was not working well. He said the problem was fixed immediately by engineers after which the aircraft flew from Mwanza to Dar es Salaam.

“ATCL is a giant airline leading in the country’s aviation industry with a history of over 40 years and competent and experienced pilots,’’ he said adding that even other pilots operating other aircrafts in the private companies were groomed by the national carrier.

Captain Shaidi said when a pilot decides to make an emergency landing that becomes a first safety measure before taking off again after an engineer confirms that it is fir for a flight.