Africa-Press – Tanzania. CRDB Bank and Air Tanzania Corporation Limited (ATCL) have signed an agreement to enable passengers to purchase tickets through the lender’s network after integrating their payment systems.
The signing came as the national career is planning to introduce flights to Nigeria, South Africa, the United Kingdom and China in near future.
CRDB, one of the largest lenders in the inland and the airline inked the deal in Arusha city on Tuesday, where the airline passengers can now buy tickets via the bank’s 268 branches and over 20,000 agents plus using Simbanking digital features.
CRDB’s Managing Director, Mr Abdulmajid Nsekela said the partnership with the national airline will simplify ticket payment methods for passengers and tipped to better service for ATCL.
“While customers will be able to pay for their tickets more easily, the integration of this payment system with the ATCL system will significantly increase efficiency in terms of receipt of tickets payment,” Mr Nsekela said during the soft signing ceremony.
The agreement elevated the previous method where passengers were able to pay using the lender’s TemboCard only. This means any passenger may procure tickets using the new integrated system regardless one is a customer of CRDB or not.
“I challenge passengers to use this payment means, which I assure them is safe and easy to use…our [CRDB wakala] agents across the country welcome you onboard,” Mr Nsekela said.
The ATCL Managing Director and CEO, Eng Ladislaus Matindi said CRDB is the first bank to offer such service to the airline saying they currently controls 75 per cent of the market share.
“In near future, we will introduce some strategy oversea frequencies to Nigeria, South Africa, China and the United Kingdom expected to begin soon,” Eng Matindi said:
“We are confident that this partnership with CRDB will help achieve our goal of providing quality air transport services in and outside the country.”
The airline boss said the payment system integration has gone hand in hand with their domestic and international expansion programmes.
“This partnership goes parallel with our business expansion strategies that geared to ensure that the customers enjoy better services whenever they are,” Mr Matindi said.
Under the agreement passenger will continue to book online via the airline website or agent and give a control number which will be used to make payment using the CRDB network from branches to ‘wakala’ to Simbanking—the digital platform.
“A passenger needs only to show ticket reservation number and make payments at any the lender’s branch or agent. In the case of SimBanking the passenger will go to the menu and select payment and then ATCL airline, enter the reservation number and then make the payment, ”said Eng Matindi.
For More News And Analysis About Tanzania Follow Africa-Press
