African low-cost airline fastjet carried more than 900 paying passengers of its first day of commercial flight operations yesterday, achieving an average booked load factor (a measure of how full planes are) each of 78 per cent.
The company said that future demand for seats on the two initial routes - from Dar es Salaam to Mwanza, and Dar es Salaam to Kilimanjaro in Tanzania - is currently "far outstripping supply".
As such, additional flights to these destinations are already being considered and fastjet wants to expand its network regional over the coming weeks as the fleet grows to three Airbus A319s.
Subscribe to MoneyWeek
Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE
Sign up to Money Morning
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter
"fastjet is delighted to see how the people of Tanzania are embracing the Low Cost Carrier model. Yesterday was a huge success and a great way to start operations," said Chief Executive Ed Winter.
"We are pleased to see reservations and bookings continuing to grow. The demand for this type of air travel has far exceeded the company's expectations. Yesterday's passengers ranged from business people through to many first time flyers who were using fastjet as an economic alternative to conventional bus transport. Clearly, as predicted, our low cost model is stimulating a whole new market of people to fly."
-
Side hustle tax changes: HMRC reforms could save thousands from filing self-assessment tax returnsThe government plans to raise the tax-free threshold for trading income – here is how it could help your side hustle
-
Return to the office: is working from home coming to an end?More and more employers want their staff to return to the office. Is it a good idea?
