Air Tanzania gets a B737-500 to restart operations

Sources in Dar es salaam confirmed that Air Tanzania Company Limited is expecting to get the 108-seat Boeing 737-500 leased by from Aero Vista Dubai.

 With the crashed Bombardier a Dash8-300 turboprop, was seriously damaged in a mishap at Kigoma Airport.

The new jet will however only be able to fly to such destinations like Kilimanjaro, Dodoma, Mwanza or Zanzibar, as most other airports and aerodromes are only able to cater for the landing of smaller turboprop aircraft, a fact now used by competitor Precision Air which is serving domestic destinations with their ATR fleet.

Apart from the delay mention on the citizen newspaper, ATCL acting managing director Paul Chizi confirmed that the aircraft did not arrive as promised and declined to offer any details, saying he would be in a better position to explain what happened today. He also refused to disclose when the aircraft would arrive.

 The Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority, whose experts went to Cairo to inspect the plane, said the aircraft had been cleared and a landing permit was issued yesterday evening.
“We have inspected the aircraft and granted ATCL a landing permit this evening (yesterday), but we cannot tell precisely when it will arrive in the country. You may wish to crosscheck with the airline management,” said Mr Manongi.

ATCL said on Wednesday that experts from Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority had completed inspection of the plane in Cairo and the aircraft was expected to be flown to the country yesterday, but it did not arrive.

Aviation experts said that Q400 is efficient especially in Tanzania where most airports are unpaved.“For me this plane fits most of our airports because it has a large clearance which enables it to land on unpaved airstrips,” said Tanzania Air Services Limited director Abdukadir Mohamed.