TCAA denies Fastjet claims on airline’s leased plane

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) has refuted claims by the troubled Fastjet Tanzania that it denied the airline permits to bring in another aircraft until it first settled its debts.

The airline was planning to bring in a leased plane from South Africa last Saturday as part of its recovery strategy, but failed to do so for lack of permits.

TCAA director general Hamza Johari told reporters yesterday in the city that it was not true that they denied the airline the permit but that the applications were submitted late and were yet to be processed because of holidays.

“We received their application through email on December 24, just hours before Christmas,” he said.

The DG said on December 24, the authority received three letters from Fastjet Tanzania including one in which the company requested to bring in the Boeing 737-500 plane from South Africa, another on its business and financial plans and the last on the name of the appointed accountable manager.

Mr Johari said one of the directives the airline was given was employing an accountable manager, who must be an aircraft expert.

“We will respond to all the letters in accordance with the law, but let me advise the airline that if they really want to invest in the aviation sector, they must be more serious,” he stressed.

The TCAA boss also refuted allegations that it was favouring Air Tanzania Limited Company (ATCL) so that it would have the monopoly over the local market, adding that the claims were unfounded as the sector was already competitive.

He also revealed that Fastjet owed service providers about Sh4 billion, and this was the basis of the directive that the company must first clear all debts before it is allowed to operate in Tanzanian sky.

He noted that the company had already paid Sh700 million to TCAA, but other suppliers were yet to be paid.

The authority issued a statement just a day after Fastjet’s executive chairman Masha had claimed that the airlines leased plane from South Africa had been denied entry into Tanzania without any valid reasons.

Speaking shortly, Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF) executive director Godfrey Simbeye advised Fastjet airline to obey the rules and regulations guiding the sector if they want to invest in the country.

“I come here purposely to find out what is going on in Fastjet, but after I heard the explanations from the director general, I understand that the company needs to clear its house,” he said.

Mr Simbeye said: “We thought maybe TCAA didn’t want locals to invest in the aviation sector.”

On December 18, the authority gave the airline 28 days to settle regulatory and non-regulatory issues such as clear the debts owed to various suppliers and aircraft maintenance, appointing an accountable manager as well as submit the business and financial plans.

Phone calls to Fastjet’s officials went unanswered.

as The Citizen sought clarification on various issues facing the troubled airline