Fastjet, a new airline offering low cost services to Africa, is offering airfares from its first base in Tanzania.
The airline is expected to commence its operations from November 29, 2012, from Dar es Salaam, to Kilimanjaro and Mwanza.
The airline has recently acquired three Airbus A319 aircraft, that will be operated by Rubicon Diversified Investments, a UK-based holding company, in consultation with Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, founder of Easyjet, a UK-based low cost airline.
Fastjet chief executive officer, Ed Winter, said, ‘Air travel is no longer an exclusive option for a small minority in Tanzania. Fastjet will make flying an affordable option for more Tanzanians than ever before, bringing new opportunities for trade, leisure trips, and family visits.’
We have had a great response to our first tickets going on sale with over 100 seats sold within the first two hours for flights departing from November 29.’
The airline tickets are currently available on sale through its newly launched website, fastjet.com, as well as through local travel agents in Africa.
Fastjet has also announced its new brand, which replaces an existing logo with an African Grey Parrot. The new logo echoes the mission, ethics and target audience of the airline.
Winter added, ‘The African Grey is renowned for its intelligence and is therefore a perfect personification of Fastjet’s motto; smart travel. We are delighted to be unveiling this new branding today, which better reflects our individual corporate identity and speaks to our key audiences.
We hope that our friendly new mascot and logo will soon become universally recognized as symbols of reliability, efficiency and safety.’
The airline chairman, David Lenigas, said, ‘We are excited that the launch is now imminent and that Fastjet will be turning from a concept into a reality.’
However, responding to media scrutiny, he added: ‘A recent story emanating from East Africa and picked up by the Daily Telegraph contained material inaccuracies regarding disputes with two Fly540 (Kenya) suppliers. Whilst we are not able to comment directly on these specific cases, we can confirm that the amounts in dispute are not deemed material, and that we will vigorously defend the company’s interests as these cases progress. Our shareholders would expect us only to settle invoices that are accurate and appropriate.
The launch of Fastjet has generated enormous interest in East Africa and we are delighted with the strong partnerships being forged with suppliers and Governments across the region.’
