Fastjet notches another record as South Africa launch nears

Africa-focused discount airline Fastjet (LON:FJET) has seen another record for the number of passengers carried by its operation in Tanzania.

The Tanzanian business carried over 33,000 passengers in August, a 5.8% increase on the previous month and at a load factor, or the percentage of seats sold per plane, of 84%.

Fastjet has now carried 260,000 passengers since its launch last November in Tanzania. The first international flights between Johannesburg and Dar es Salaam are scheduled to start at the end of the month.

Including the fly540 operations, Fastjet carried a total of 78,500 passengers in August, up 30.2% on a year ago.

Ed Winter, Fastjet’s chief executive officer and chairman said: "As reported earlier this month, we have seen a continued growth in passenger sales revenue in Tanzania. The strong load factor and revenue in excess of US$2.7mln exceeded expectations for the month.”