Budget airline Fastjet to cut jobs in turnaround plan

Dar es Salaam. Changing business and economic environments in the country have forced country’s lone low cost airline Fastjet to redesign its operations, including retrenching its employees.

The company, which operates Airbus A350, said it was also in the process of changing to ‘smaller planes’ as part of its mission to cut operating costs.

The firm’s top officials confirmed the development, but could not divulge more information on the type of planes they were going to buy for the company’s operations.

They said such detail would be revealed after negotiations with the suppliers were concluded in the United Kingdom.

But a letter has been circulated to all Fastjet employees notifying them of the impending changes. The statement says consultations were going on with the employees who would be affected by the retrenchment.

According to the statement, the company also plans to slim its fleet from current three to only one plane.

“As part of its strategic turnaround plan, Fastjet Airline has started the process of making organisational and operational changes. As a result of these changes the company has decided to restructure its organisation and reduce the size of the Fastjet operated fleet supplemented by wet leased aircraft,” reads part of the statement.

Speaking over the phone to The Citizen on Sunday yesterday, Fasjet general manager John Corse confirmed the changes noting that they have been informed by the current economic environments.

He said that the number of passengers has dropped and unless they changed their operations by looking at its fleet and number of employees, they were going to record losses.

However, he said the number of employees to be affected by the re-organisation would only be known once consultations have been completed by next week.

But he noted that the moves which the company has taken have no any links with the government plans to revive the national career -- Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL).