Fastjet signs GDS agreement, overhauls routes

AFRICAN LCC, fastjet, is a
step closer to making its
inventory available to travel
agents on the GDS. The
airline recently signed an
agreement with Amadeus,
and hopes to be available
on the GDS by the end of
October.
In an effort to reduce
costs and bring it closer to
its home markets, fastjet
will relocate its head
offices from Gatwick to
Johannesburg.
The airline will reduce the
number of frequencies on
underperforming routes and
direct services. Although
it could not stipulate
when, changes will include
reducing frequencies
between Dar es Salaam
and Zanzibar, and replacing
a daily flight from Dar es
Salaam to Nairobi with
a twice-weekly service
between Nairobi and
Kilimanjaro.
The airline is also reducing
the size of its fleet and has
returned three A319s and
plans to sell its sole-owned
aircraft and sub-lease the
remaining two A319s.
In their place, fastjet
will use the Embraer and
Bombardier aircraft, which
are expected to yield a
15% reduction in operating
costs. The first Embraer
E190 is due to arrive in
Tanzania at the beginning of
this month.