Listed on the London AIM market, fastjet made its maiden flight on 29 November 2012 between the Tanzanian cities of Dar es Salaam and Mwanza. Applications were made to fly to Johannesburg but negotiations proved less than easy culminating in the cancellation of the original inaugural flight scheduled for earlier this year.
As always it was a SA government department that proved to be the flea in the ointment. fastjet CEO and Interim Chairman, Ed Winter, said: “The South African Department of Transport has (now) completed its review of the additional documents it requested and has issued an updated Foreign Operator Permit. fastjet is delighted that, in line with our expansion strategy, operations can now commence on this route.
“Until now, flying between Dar es Salaam and Johannesburg has been prohibitively expensive for many people. The launch of this service offers a new, affordable and reliable option to both Tanzanians and South Africans”.
