Dar es Salaam-based Air Tanzania will add two Bombardier CS300 airliners to its fleet after the Tanzanian Government Flight Agency (TGFA) signed a firm purchase agreement with the manufacturer. Also included in the deal is a Q400 turboprop.
The three aircraft, which have a combined value of $200m, will be leased and operated by Air Tanzania. Two Q400s entered service with the carrier earlier this year, flying domestic and regional services.
The Q400 will feature a 76-seat all-economy configuration while the CS300 will be in a two-class layout and equipped with WiFi and in-flight entertainment.
“The domestic market in Tanzania as well as the regional market are becoming more competitive as both business and leisure travel are steadily increasing,” said Dr Leonard Chamuriho, Permanent Secretary at Tanzania’s Ministry of Works, Communications and Transport. “Therefore it is vital to operate aircraft that offer superb passenger comfort and amenities. Of course, high reliability, operational flexibility, as well as excellent fuel efficiency and economics are also necessary. Both the Q400 and CS300 aircraft more than satisfy these parameters.”
Jean-Paul Boutibou, Vice President, Sales, Africa and the Middle East, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft, added: “We are delighted that the Q400 aircraft which entered service with Air Tanzania earlier this year are proving their superior economics and versatility. The CS300 aircraft will allow Air Tanzania to expand both its domestic and regional markets, and it has the range to open new international destinations such as the Middle East and India at the lowest cost. The C Series jet aircraft have the right attributes to develop these markets.”
Bombardier says this deal takes its recorded firm orders for the Q400 to 566 and the C Series to 360.
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