Tanzania has received its first cargo aircraft, bringing joy and excitement to thousands of Tanzanians who thronged the Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) to witness the historic event.
The freight plane, named Lake Tanganyika and owned by Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL), landed at JNIA with President Samia Suluhu Hassan leading the welcoming party, marking an important milestone for the country to capitalize on the massive air cargo market.
The aircraft, which bears the Air Tanzania emblem, has a carrying capacity of 54 metric tons and is set to transport perishable goods such as fish fillets, seafood, meat, flowers, fruits, and vegetables to markets in countries like India, France, Germany, Spain, and Malta.
ATCL Director-General Ladslaus Matindi pointed out that the new aircraft, which can fly for an average of 7 to 10 hours without landing, depending on the weight of the load it carries, will stimulate growth in the cargo transportation service.
"We appreciate the fact that the government has allocated funds for the construction and improvement of warehouses in key locations to aid in the collection and handling of cargo prior to shipping," the ATCL director general said during the ceremony, as quoted by local media. "Tanzania's geographic location means that ATCL would also tap into neighboring countries freight businesses."
The company has plans to have 20 aircraft, including short, medium, and long-range planes, and one large cargo plane, by 2026-27.
However, demand in the cargo transportation market in Tanzania requires at least one more cargo plane, which ATCL requested from President Samia Hassan.
"So we bring our request to you to add one cargo plane to meet market demand," Matindi said, addressing the country's leader.
President Samia said that the Government is working towards fulfilling ATCL's request to bolster the country's ability to capitalize on the air cargo market.
The president, who inspected the new aircraft in the cockpit with Captain Neema Swai, who piloted the aircraft, and later toured the cargo section with ATCL officials, expressed her gratitude to the Tanzanian people for the success achieved and promised to carry out a number of other development projects.
"I have been asked for another cargo plane here; our promise to you, the people, is that we will work on it. We thank you very much," President Hassan told the crowd.
According to Tanzanian Works and Transport Minister Makame Mbarawa, the East African country's annual production of fish, meat, flowers, vegetables, and fruit products amounts to 24,971 metric tons on an average basis.
However, during a recent media briefing, he stated that only 1.7% of that total, or 420 metric tons, was being transported to markets through the country's airports. The official explained that the rest of the shipments were flown through airports in neighboring countries.
"We have not utilized the markets to the maximum since we had no cargo aircraft, thus making our transportation costs higher than neighboring countries," Mbarawa said. "The coming of cargo planes is a sigh of relief to farmers and exporters. It will cut down costs for exports and imports of various products."