Air Tanzania (TC, Dar es Salaam) will add a maiden B787-8 to its fleet next year Tanzania's President John Magufuli has announced.

Following a meeting with Boeing (BOE, Washington National) Director of Sales, Jim Deboo, in Dar es Salaam this week, Magufuli said his government has already made an initial payment for the aircraft, which is expected to be delivered on June 18, 2017.

As with the Tanzanian government's other purchases, the aircraft will be acquired by the TGF - Tanzania Government Flight (Dar es Salaam) company which will, in turn, lease it to Air Tanzania.

The order follows that confirmed with Bombardier Aerospace (BBA, Montréal Trudeau) this past weekend entailing two A220-300s and one additional Dash 8-400.

Magufuli last month said he expected Air Tanzania to use its renewed fleet to begin longhaul flights to the United States, China, and Russia.