Fastjet (Dar es Salaam) is in talks with various lessors concerning the availability of A319-100s over the next three to six months. CEO Edward Winter told Bloomberg news in an interview that the carrier is looking to grow its fleet from the current three A319s to as many as thirteen by the end of next year.
“People were sceptical about us putting A319s into Africa but they’ve worked well with good reliability and punctuality,” he said. “We’re getting close to saying these planes are full and I hope we’re about to see an opportunity to really expand.”
In the interim, fastjet is set to lease two A319s from China's ICBC Leasing, replacing aircraft due to be returned to Sweden's Volito.
The CEO added that the carrier's expansion plans are contingent on adequate funding being raised with talks currently ongoing with potential African backers. Middle Eastern carriers are also candidates to invest he added.
Winter disclosed that Fastjet Zambia (Lusaka) is on track to secure its Air Operators Certificate (AOC) later this year though hopes for its Kenyan subsidiary, Fastjet Kenya (Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta), will only come online once protracted talks have been finalized.
The Tanzanian LCC intends to base three jets in Lusaka, Zambia with two in Harare International, Zimbabwe and one in Kenya, Winter added. In the long term, bases could open in South Africa and Uganda in 2016, while by 2018 Winter sees a fleet of up to 34 jets, nine in South Africa, seven in Tanzania and Kenya, four in Uganda and Zimbabwe and three in Zambia.
Talks with Emirates (EK, Dubai International) concerning a possible codeshare deal have also resumed, Winter ended.
