Dar es Salaam. Saudi Arabian national carrier, Saudia Airlines, on Sunday, March 26 launched direct flights from Jeddah to the Julius Nyerere International Airport, Dar es Salaam.
The inaugural flight that arrived in Dar es Salaam at 6am with about eight passengers aboard the180-seater Airbus A320, was welcomed with a water salute.
From Dar es Salaam to Jeddah, the airline which is handled by Swissport Tanzania, carried 61 passengers.
Works and Transport minister Makame Mbarawa said the airline, which is the first to make direct flights between the two destinations, is set to boost the number of international travellers to Tanzania.
Quoting the data from Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority, Prof Mbarawa said the number of international travellers have increased by 55 percent in 2022 compared to 2021.
Under the period of review, he said that the number of travelers climbed from 1.694 million to 2.618 million.
Many people travelling between the two countries are tourists and business people.
“The coming of a new operator is a vote of confidence in the country’s business environment,” he asserted.
Tanzania becomes 14th African countries in which Saudia Airlines operate direct flights, Prof Mbarawa told a gathering that was there to witness the inaugural flight.
With the launch of the direct flights, the travelling time has been cut to about 4.40 hours from the previous 10 when travellers were flying to Saudi Arabia through other destinations like Addis Ababa and Doha.
Tanzania Airports Authority (TAA) director general Mussa Mbura said the airline will be flying between JNIA and King Abdulaziz International Airport four times a week—Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays
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