Mozambique: LAM to start flights to Dubai and China by July - Theunis Crous
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The Pan African low-cost airline Fastjet has announced that it will shortly launch its domestic service in Mozambique.
In a press release, the company revealed that it is entering the Mozambique market in partnership with Solenta Aviation Mozambique. Solenta is the Mozambican subsidiary of a South African company which, up until now, has specialised in charter flights. Fastjet currently operates in Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.
Commenting on the new routes, the chief executive of Fastjet, Nico Bezuidenhout, said “Mozambique is a very important market for Fastjet and we will soon have the opportunity to offer daily flights between some of the main cities in the country at affordable fares”.
The routes will be served by Embraer E145 aircraft which have a capacity of fifty passengers.
Bezuidenhout added that “we have flown more than 2.5 million passengers since out launch in 2012 and there is no better way to celebrate our fifth anniversary than to launch the Fastjet brand and ticket sales in Mozambique. As we grow in Mozambique we plan to increase our fleet and introduce larger aircraft to meet the demand”.
In September, the Mozambique Civil Aviation Institute (IACM) for the first time ever opened the domestic route market to foreign airlines. The routes were put out to tender earlier this year and Ethiopian Airlines and Malawi Airlines successfully applied for authorization to fly the domestic routes.
Also Read: Low cost airline Fastjet enters Mozambican market
Five Mozambican companies were also authorised: namely Mozambique Airlines (LAM); its subsidiary Mocambique Expresso (MEX); the air transport division of Mozambique Railways, CFM Transportes Aereo; the long-established light aircraft company TTA; and Solenta Aviation Mozambique.
LAM has come under severe criticism for its poor service with issues such as overbooking, delayed flights and even cancellations. It will now face strong competition from the low-priced Fastjet and the highly regarded Ethiopian Airlines.
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