Friday, July 06, 2007

Tanzanias Troubled National Flag Carrier


In its battle to remain afloat, Air Tanzania Corporation Limited (ATCL), has announced plans to recapture its lost routes and introduce new African and transcontinental destinations.

So far, it has been Tanzanian government subsidy that has kept the airline alive. According to Apolinari Tairo of eTN, ATCL's chairman Mustapha Nyanganyi said the cash-strapped 30-year-old airline bounced back to its original 197 ticket stock numbered to comply with the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Starting Jul 17, 2007, the airline will be issuing e-tickets and ATCL’s other targets will be leasing and later on buying its own aircraft through bank loans.

ATCL was created in 1977 when the East African Airways (EAA), once owned jointly by the three Eastern African states of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, was broken up. The airline has been financialll troubled since 2004, when it posted a loss of over $7.3 million. Compared to Kenya Airways, ATCL has been crippled with no more than three old Boeing 737s in its fleet.