Air Tanzania is acquiring two 76-seater Bombardier –D8 Q400 aircraft in September as it fights to stay afloat.

The two, to be paid for from part of the $250 million given by the government to revamp Air Tanzania, are among four aircraft ordered from the Canadian manufacturer and will increase to three the fleet deployed by the airline.

Chief executive Patrick Itule said the aircraft will be deployed on domestic routes.

“We are expecting air transport in Tanzania to be more competitive. The aircraft will solve the shortage of air services in Tanzania and help connect new destinations,” Mr Itule said.

Crew for the aircraft left Tanzania early this month for training in Canada. The airline recently floated 28 positions for various trades, including flight attendants.

Air Tanzania is targeting Dodoma, Pemba Island and Mpanda in western Tanzania. The airline will fly Dar es Salaam to Moroni in the Comoros as a new, regional destination, Mr Itule said.

Air Tanzania will be facing competition from PrecisionAir and FastJet.

PrecisionAir flies to Kilimanjaro, Mwanza, Tabora, Musoma, Kigoma, Bukoba, Zanzibar and Mtwara with Nairobi as its most profitable route.

No-frills carrier FastJet operates daily flights connecting Dar es Salaam to Kilimanjaro, Mwanza, Mbeya, Zanzibar, Nairobi and Entebbe.

Fare rates released by various travel agents indicated that Air Tanzania charges between Tsh220,000 ($110) and Tsh300,000 ($150) for a one-way trip to Mwanza and Kilimanjaro, respectively.

PrecisionAir fares have been set between Tsh240,000 ($120) and Tsh400,000 ($200)  for a one-way and return trip on its long routes.

FastJet’s fares range from Tsh60,000 ($30) for a one-way ticket to Tsh240,000 ($120) for a return ticket, depending on the booking period and availability of cheap tickets.

When Air Tanzania grounded its aircraft, it lost its slots on international routes to regional and global air carriers. Among these routes were Nairobi, Johannesburg, Jeddah, Milan, Frankfurt, London, Victoria, Lusaka, Entebbe and Mumbai.

Middle East-registered airlines now dominate Tanzania’s skies, providing connection to different airports in the world, while regional airlines including South African Airways, Ethiopian Airline, Kenya Airways and RwandAir have captured regional routes connecting Tanzania to other African airports.

About 1.5 million passengers fly between Tanzania and other nations using foreign registered airlines.

Chairman of the Parliamentary Infrastructure Development Committee Prof Norman Sigalla said 90 per cent of passengers from Tanzania had to rely on foreign airlines. 

Minister for Transport Prof. Makame  Mbarawa said the Tanzania government had invited aviation companies from France, Brazil and Canada to help in the purchase of new aircraft.

Early this year, Tanzania and Kuwait signed an Air Transport Agreement (ATA) for direct flights between the two countries.

The ATA allows Kuwait Airways and Jazeera Airways from Kuwait to fly to Tanzania, said the director general of Kuwait’s Directorate of Civil Aviation Yousef Al Fouzam.

Air Tanzania was established as Air Tanzania Corporation (ATC) on September in 1977 after the collapse of the regional East African Airways. Since then, the airline had been operating at a loss and depending on government subsidies.