Fastjet’s first flights were ‘a huge success’ says CEO Winter

FastJet Plc is the holding company for African airline Fly540, which operates from four bases in Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana and Angola. Fly540 currently has 10 aircraft serving around 25 domestic and regional destinations, carrying approximately 750,000 passengers per year with a strong emphasis on safety, security and reliability.

New African budget airline Fastjet (LON:FJET) this morning said it carried more than 900 paying passengers on its first day of flights.

The group began flying domestic routes in Tanzania yesterday taking passengers from the capital Dar es Salaam to its second city Mwanza, as well as Dar es Salaam to Kilimanjaro.

In all eight sectors were flown, with a more than 900 passengers in total giving an average load factor of 78%. Fastjet also points out the three of the eight sectors had load factors of more than 90%.

Fastjet told investors that demand for seats on these initial routes far outstrips demand and additional flights to these destinations are now being considered.

The company also plans to expand its route network regionally in the coming weeks as its fleet grows.

“Fastjet is delighted to see how the people of Tanzania are embracing the Low Cost Carrier model. Yesterday was a huge success and a great way to start operations,” said chief executive Ed Winter.

“We are pleased to see reservations and bookings continuing to grow.

“The demand for this type of air travel has far exceeded the company’s expectations. Yesterday’s passengers ranged from business people through to many first time flyers who were using Fastjet as an economic alternative to conventional bus transport.

“Clearly, as predicted, our low cost model is stimulating a whole new market of people to fly."