Author: EDWARD Q ORRO
AfricaPress-Tanzania: TANZANIA’S resilience to the novel Coronavirus disease is now paying off after three major airlines increased their flight frequencies to the country.
Ethiopian Airlines becomes the first among the three, to increase its frequency to 14 flights a week, from the initial four landing and departures from Tanzania.
The bold move by the Ethiopia’s flag carrier is necessitated by Tanzania’s decision of opening its skies in June this year and the high demand of air travel in the country.
“Thanks to the government’s efforts of containing the deadly virus, some of the major airlines are now increasing their routes at all major airports in the country,” revealed the elated Kilimanjaro Airports Development Company (KADCO) Acting Managing Director Christine Mwakatobe, while receiving an Ethiopian Airline Dreamliner, christened ET- ATJ at the Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA).
Other major airlines that will be following a similar suit, according to Ms Mwakatobe include the KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, which added a number of its flights from one to four a week, while Qatar Airways increased its flights from two to 14 a week.
“These airlines have sent a strong message to the world that Tanzania is now free of the killer virus,” explained the KADCO official.
She equally urged tour operators and their overseas agents to seize the moment in wooing in more tourists to the country and marketing destination Tanzania.
Echoing similar sentiments, Regional Commissioner Anna Mghwira described the move as an important step in boosting the tourism sector, saying Tanzanians had every reasons of holding their heads high, adding that the country had proven to the naysayers that the country was indeed now a safe destination.
