African low-cost airline, fastjet Tanzania has been given clearance by the Kenyan government to operate flights between Kenya and Tanzania under the Bilateral Air Services Agreement between the two countries, as previously approved by the Tanzanian Government.

From January 11, 2016, it will operate a daily flight between Dar es Salaam and Nairobi and between Kilimanjaro and Nairobi. Flights between Zanzibar and Nairobi and Dar es Salaam and Mombasa are also expected to be added to the network later in 2016.

“fastjet Tanzania has been working towards the launch of these routes for some time and we are extremely pleased that clearance has now been granted to commence operations,” said Ed Winter, Chief Executive Officer, fastjet.

To date, passenger traffic between the major cities of Dar es Salaam and Nairobi, which have a combined population of over eight million people, has been limited by high air fares which we believe, have excluded large parts of the local population from air travel. The only alternative to flying is to undertake a long and difficult journey by road, which can take up to 12 hours.

“As has been the case with other routes that we have launched, we expect to stimulate the market as passengers embrace fastjet’s great value, safe, reliable flights and move from road to the air,” added Winter.

Expanding the network into Kenya marks an important milestone in fastjet’s strategic development. Nairobi and Dar es Salaam are not only key travel destinations, and two of the busiest airports in the region, but also hubs with extensive regional and international networks.