fastjet shares rise on milestone passenger numbers
fastjet shares surged Monday as the low-cost airline announced it carried its 100,000th passenger and launched a new credit and debit card payment service.
fastjet shares surged Monday as the low-cost airline announced it carried its 100,000th passenger and launched a new credit and debit card payment service.
The milestone comes almost four months since the African airline started flights from Dar es Salaam.
The budget carrier partnered with credit card Wirecard to facilitate bookings using Visa and MasterCard, to allow greater access for consumers and travel agents across the globe.
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
"Whilst credit and debit cards usage is not large in East Africa (less than 10% of the population in East Africa have credit or debit cards), we have been inundated with requests from outside Africa for people looking to purchase seats on the fastjet website, and I am delighted to say that having partnered with Wirecard we are now in the position to be able to facilitate these bookings," said Chief Commercial Officer Richard Bodin.
"This coupled with our hugely popular mobile money payment facility really means that our customer base has the full suite of payment processes available to them."
RD
Sign up for MoneyWeek's newsletters
Get the latest financial news, insights and expert analysis from our award-winning MoneyWeek team, to help you understand what really matters when it comes to your finances.
-
Older renters £2,000 worse-off than homeowners – the risks of renting in retirement
There are financial risks to renting in your golden years, research suggests
By Marc Shoffman
-
Waspi women targeted in fake compensation scam
The Waspi campaign has warned of a steep rise in fraudulent websites which claim compensation is available for 1950s-born women affected by state pension age changes
By Daniel Hilton