JPM urges patriotism as he receives new ATCL plane
President John Magufuli cuts the ribbon to commission the new Bombardier Q400 airliner after it arrived at Dar es Salaam’s Julius Nyerere International Airport from Canada yesterday. PHOTO | STATE HOUSE
Dar es Salaam. President John Magufuli yesterday reiterated his call for unity and patriotism among Tanzanians.
He said Tanzanians, regardless of their political affiliation, should be united for the sake of development.
“Elsewhere, people are always united when advancing their countries’ development agenda,” Dr Magufuli said when receiving the third Bombardier Q400 airliner bought by the government for Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL) after the aircraft arrived at Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) from Canada.
The President made no mention of how the plane was released after it was seized in Canada, saying that the three planes delivered so far belonged to Tanzanians and had been bought to serve them.
“We need to put national interests first. We should not get divided because this plane which arrived today is for our own benefit,” he said.
The turboprop airliner was initially scheduled to arrive in the country last year, but its delivery was delayed after it was seized at the request of the Canadian construction firm Stirling Civil Engineering Ltd.
Stirling’s claim stems from a 2010 compensation ruling by the International Court of Arbitration over a road contract that was terminated a number of years back.
After a long wait, the aircraft finally touched down at JNIA at 5.07pm yesterday.
There was excitement among the crowd at JNIA when the plane landed, and people were seen taking selfies with the aircraft in the background as it taxied after touching down.
The government purchased the plane for $32 million from Canada’s Bombardier Aerospace as part of the revival of the state-owned ATCL.
“We will receive three more aircraft – jet airliners this time. We will have a Boeing 787 Dreamliner and two Bombardier C300 series. They will arrive before the end of this year,” said President Magufuli, who received the plane after laying the foundation stone for a new radar system at JNIA. New radars will also be installed at Kilimanjaro Internal Airport and Mwanza and Songwe airports (see story on Page 4).
Dignitaries who attended yesterday’s ceremony included Works, Transport and Communications minister Makame Mbarawa, Constitution and Legal Affairs minister Palamagamba Kabudi and Tanzania’s High Commissioner to Canada Jack Zoka.
