This archive report was first published on 11 August 2019.
On August 11, 2019, Air Tanzania took a significant step towards launching direct flights to Britain by securing three landing slots at London's Gatwick Airport.
The national carrier plans to operate three flights a week from Dar es Salaam's Julius Nyerere International Airport to Gatwick via Kilimanjaro International Airport, using its Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.
However, securing landing slots does not mean the airline can start plying the route immediately. Air Tanzania still needs to fulfill other requirements, including securing EU safety standards certification.
According to Josephat Kagirwa, Air Tanzania's communications manager, the airline is yet to confirm the date of the launch of the London flights.
With this development, Tanzania is set to regain direct flight connections to the UK, which were lost in 2013 when British Airways abandoned the route between Dar es Salaam and Heathrow International Airport.
Currently, passengers from Dar es Salaam can fly to London via Cairo with Egypt Air or via Kilimanjaro and Amsterdam with KLM.
Andrew Rosindell, the UK's trade envoy to Tanzania, welcomed the move, saying it would present a great opportunity for stronger collaboration in promoting trade and tourism-related investment.
Patrick Ndekana, Air Tanzania's commercial director, stated that the airline's aim is to 'grow the European market' using the London flights as a link to other European and American markets.
