No false start again, Air Tanzania cautioned

Air Tanzania

President Jakaya Kikwete has challenged the new management of Air Tanzania to avoid past mistakes as it moves to reconstitute a sound national airline from the ruins of a turbulent four-year loss making marriage with South African Airways.



He said at a meeting with Tanzanians living in France, attended by the new ATCL Managing Director, Mr David Mattaka in Paris last week, that the national flag carrier cannot afford another false start.



“I sincerely hope there will not be another false start,” the president told Mr Mattaka, who was on a business mission. Mr Kikwete, who was on official visit to Italy and France, returned home on Wednesday evening.



The president was apparently referring to the new Air Tanzania management’s plan to lease nine aircraft before the end of the year to service domestic, regional and long haul routes to the Middle and Far East.



“We don’t expect to see another George Hallack affair,” he cautioned, referring to a contractor who leased defective aircraft to the national arline in the 1980s. Air Tanzania wants to use the leased planes to revive services to Burundi, DRC, Mozambique, Rwanda, Zambia and start new routes to Dubai, India, China and Hong Kong, pending the purchase of five Airbus A320 aircraft.



The company has reclaimed its ticket code, which was discarded by the South African investors and introduced electronic ticketing.



Meanwhile, President Kikwete said it would be wishful thinking for Tanzanians to expect an abrupt change in economic fortunes. Measures by government to improve social and economic services and raise people’s incomes promised good results but delivery would take time.



“Our performance will each year be better than the previous year, but it will be a long while before the goal of improving the living standard of every Tanzanian is realized, He explained.



He said enormous resources were required to harness economic services. “Last month we collected a record 316bn/- revenue, but that is nothing compared to our needs,” he said, adding that external support would continue to play a big role in the country’s economic development.