Tanzanian carrier Precision Air (PW) over the weekend announced that its planned new routes to Harare, Zimbabwe and Lilongwe, Malawi, would only begin "in August this year" instead of early July as originally planned as the airline intends to await the arrival of more aircraft prior to servicing the new routes.
Precision Air's ATR 42 in Nairobi (Alexander Johmann) |
Precision Air's new aircraft order will include four ATR42-600 aircraft, as well as a larger ATR72-600 to be delivered between October 2012 and 2014.
As reported previously by The African Aviation Tribune, Precision Air is to also restart operations to Arusha, Tanzania with effect from July.
Also announced by Precision Air Chief Executive Officer, Alfonse Kioko was a strong profit of 1.1billion Tanzanian Shillings in spite of heavy fuel and operating costs.
"“At the moment, our fuel bill consumed 40 per cent of operation costs. This is after the price almost doubled since last year to 1.25 US dollars,” Chief Financial Officer Charles Ogolla Ogolla said."
Precision Air's relative prosperity comes as fellow struggling competitor Air Tanzania's new CEO, Captain Milton Lusajo Lazaro, "expressed optimism" with regards to Air Tanzania's future, given the unceremonious firing of his predecessor, Paul Chizi, and 4 board members by Harrison Mwakyembe, Minister for Transport for alleged murky dealings and incompetence.