Dar es Salaam. The Kenyan airliner, JamboJet, is poised to enhance the East African tourism experience with its new direct route from Mombasa to Zanzibar, slated to commence on July 1, 2024.
According to JamboJet Chief Executive, Mr Karanja Ndegwa, tourists in Mombasa who may have previously hesitated to consider Zanzibar due to travel inconveniences now have a convenient option, potentially attracting a new segment of visitors to Tanzania.
“We appreciate the support we have received from both the Kenyan and Tanzanian governments, which enabled us to obtain a license to operate on this route,” Mr Ndegwa told journalists on Tuesday, June 4, 2024.
“Between Mombasa and Zanzibar, there is a lot of history that we need to continuously connect,” he said.
Commencing on July 1, 2024, the airline will operate four flights per week between the two destinations, with plans to increase frequency to daily flights in the subsequent months.
“We want to grow the Mombasa and Zanzibar markets, bringing more tourists to experience the beauty of both destinations,” he said.
“We’ve made air travel possible for many who never thought they could fly,” Ndegwa said, highlighting Jambo Jet’s commitment to affordability.
He revealed that the airline, which started operations in 2014, has flown over 7.4 million people, with a significant portion being first-time flyers.
In Kenya, the airline has garnered an impressive 52 percent market share in the domestic aviation sector.
Jambojet is a regional low-cost airline that operates flights to seven destinations from its primary hub at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
These destinations include Mombasa, Eldoret, Kisumu, Malindi, Ukunda (Diani), Lamu, and Goma in the Eastern DRC.
Additionally, the airline operates two routes from its secondary hub in Mombasa to Kisumu and Eldoret.
Mr Ndengwa also highlighted that the airline had been recognised as the most reliable and punctual airline in Africa and the Middle East by winning the 2018 and 2019 De Havilland Canada Reliability Award for outstanding performance in dispatch reliability on the Dash 8-400 series.
According to the Bank of Tanzania (BoT), Zanzibar’s economy grew by 2.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2023. Notably, according to the central bank, much of the service receipts originated from tourism activities, contributing to Zanzibar’s overall positive economic outlook.
By March 2024, service receipts, in particular tourism, rose by 6.1 percent to $958.0 million following an increase in tourist arrivals.
Share this news
This Year's Most Read News Stories
Tanzania Declares End of Marburg Virus Disease Outbreak
Tanzania today declared the end of Marburg virus disease outbreak after recording no new cases over 42 days since the death of the last confirmed case on 28 January 2025.
The outbreak, in which two confirmed and eight probable cases were recorded (all deceased), was the second the country has experienced. Both this outbreak, which was declared on 20 January 2025, and the one in 2023 occurred in the north-eastern Kagera region.
In response to the latest outbreak, Tanzania’s health authorities set up coordination and response systems, with support from World Health Organization (WHO) and partners, at the national and regional levels and reinforced control measures to swiftly detect cases, enhance clinical care, infection prevention as well as strengthen collaboration with communities to raise awareness and help curb further spread of the virus.
Growing expertise in public health emergency response in the African region has been crucial in mounting effective outbreak control measures. Drawing on experience from the response to the 2023 Marburg virus disease outbreak, WHO worked closely with Tanzanian health authorities to rapidly scale up key measures such as disease surveillance and trained more than 1000 frontline health workers in contact tracing, clinical care and public health risk communication. The Organization also delivered over five tonnes of essential medical supplies and equipment.
“The dedication of frontline health workers and the efforts of the national authorities and our partners have paid off,” said Dr Charles Sagoe-Moses, WHO Representative in Tanzania. “While the outbreak has been declared over, we remain vigilant to respond swiftly if any cases are detected and are supporting ongoing efforts to provide psychosocial care to families affected by the outbreak.”
Building on the momentum during the acute phase of the outbreak response, measures have been put in place to reinforce the capacity of local health facilities to respond to potential future outbreaks. WHO and partners are procuring additional laboratory supplies and other equipment for disease detection and surveillance and other critical services.
Marburg virus disease is highly virulent and causes haemorrhagic fever. It belongs to the same family as the virus that causes Ebola virus disease. Illness caused by Marburg virus begins abruptly. Patients present with high fever, severe headache and severe malaise. They may develop severe haemorrhagic symptoms within seven days.
In the African region, previous outbreaks and sporadic cases have been reported in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda.
Source: allafrica.com
Zanzibar liquor importers face fresh hurdle despite court order
The liquor shortage in Zanzibar is far from over, even after a court order granted relief to the three importers.Continue Reading
British Investor’s $1.6 billion real estate project in Zanzibar lies in limbo
The revocation of British developer Pennyroyal’s leasehold for the construction of Blue Amber Resort by the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar has sent shock waves in the nascent property market on the Isles.Continue Reading
