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Business Reporter
fastjet, the low-cost pan-African airline, has increased the number of flights on its Harare- Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) route, in response to strong passenger demand.

The airline will now offer daily flights from Harare International Airport to Dar es Salaam’s Julius Nyerere International Airport from the previous flights four times a week.

fastjet said this will provide Zimbabweans and other travellers between the countries with increased and more convenient travel options at affordable fares.

The airline currently operates this route four times a week, and its expanded schedule will see approximately 1 000 extra seats each week added to the flights between the two cities.

fastjet said the new daily flight schedule will commence on September 13 2015 and tickets for the additional flights are currently on sale. Air fares start from as little as $50 one-way, excluding airport and government taxes.

“We have always promised to increase the frequency on our routes between Harare and Dar es Salaam as and when our customers demand it,” says Mr Richard Bodin, chief commercial officer of fastjet.

“The increased daily frequencies emphasise our commitment to growing our flight schedule in Zimbabwe, making air travel easy, safe and affordable.

“We really are thrilled at the positive reception that fastjet has enjoyed in Zimbabwe,” said Bodin. “With our low-cost fares, fastjet is making air travel more accessible than ever before for Zimbabweans, with many of our passengers being first time flyers who would otherwise not have been able to afford to travel by air.”

fastjet’s announcement of its new daily frequency to Dar es Salaam follows the airline’s announcement that it is in the final stages of its application to the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe for an Air Operating Certificate (AOC) for fastjet Zimbabwe, which once issued, means that formal approval has been secured for fastjet flights to commence domestically in Zimbabwe.

fastjet Zimbabwe will be a majority locally-owned low-cost airline that will give Zimbabweans the freedom to travel by air locally and internationally, at affordable fares.

The company recently concluded a recruitment drive in order to provide employment opportunities for Zimbabwean people, including pilots, crew, sales and customer support staff.

The company expects to employ a similar level of staff as it has for fastjet in Tanzania, which employs nearly 170 people directly involved with the airline, with hundreds people set to more work in secondary supporting services.

fastjet announced in May 2015 that it had leased an Airbus A319 jet aircraft that is expected to be ready for operations before the end of this month and is planned as the first aircraft for the fastjet Zimbabwe fleet when it starts operating.