Fastjet cancels December, January trips
What you need to know:
- The airline says the move was due to some operational issues, which it didn’t clarify in its statement
- Travelers, who bought tickets for trips starting from December 20, will be refunded
- This latest move comes at a time when Fastjet is racing against time to stabilise itself before authorities halt its operations.
Dar es Salaam. Fastjet Airlines Ltd (Tanzania) announced today, December 17, 2018, that it has cancelled all trips planned for December and January 2019.
This comes on the back of financial woes the airline has been facing lately.
In a statement, Fastjet said that the cancellation of its trips was due to operational issues, which it did not explain, forcing customers who had already booked tickets to consider other options as the festive season draws closer.
In an attempt to calm down their customers, Fastjet said that those who had bought tickets for trips starting on December 20 will be refunded.
The statement comes at a time when Fastjet is racing against time to stabilize its operations before authorities consider revoking its licence.
Fastjet had only 11 days to effectively counter a threat by the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) to cancel its licence.
TCAA director general Hamza Johari told The Citizen yesterday, December 16, 2018, that the civil aviation regulator is seriously considering cancelling Fastjet's operating licence following mounting flight cancellations, which have disrupted travelers’ holiday plans.
A statement by the aviation authority, which was released a few days after the airline suspended its domestic and foreign flights, said the suspensions forced more than 100 passengers to spend a night in town.
"We suspended all foreign trips (by Fastjet) since December 2 this year after realising that the airline was facing a financial crisis. The company will resume the foreign trips after we are fully satisfied that it has the capacity to operate," said Mr Johari, who confirmed that the ultimatum to the airline was issued by TCAA on December 2.
Failure of the airline to effectively address the problems within the period of the regulator's ultimatum will result in the airline's licence being revoked, Mr Johari stressed.
According to him, Fastjet Tanzania started facing financial woes after one of the firm's original owners, Fastjet Plc with 49 per cent shares, withdrew from owner-ship and the airline was sold to Tanzanian investors on November 14, 2014.
