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Tanzania, Kuwait seal pact on introducing direct flights

Xinhua, March 31, 2016 Adjust font size:

Tanzania and Kuwait signed a bilateral air services agreement (BASA) which will, among other things, boost the country's tourism sector and trade and investment prospects.

The agreement was signed Tuesday by the Minister for Transport, Communications and Works, Prof Makame Mbarawa on behalf of Tanzania and Kuwaiti Director General of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation Eng Yousef S. Al Fouzan.

BASA is an agreement which two nations sign to allow direct international commercial air transport services between their territories.

Speaking soon after signing the pact, Prof Mbarawa said that direct flights to and from Kuwait will bring in the east African nation more tourists from the Gulf state.

"There are also prospects of more and more people from Kuwait learning about the investment opportunities in the country once direct flights between the two countries start to operate," the minister said.

He said that the agreement will also enhance cooperation in civil aviation matters between the two countries whereas experts from the country could go and learn from their Kuwaiti counterparts and vice-versa.

The minister noted that at the moment the national carrier Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL) cannot make flights to the Gulf because it owns only one plane, but plans to revive the airline are in good progress.

"At the moment ATCL has only one aircraft, we have invited three aircraft manufacturers who have made their presentation and we will start by buying two new planes for the local market before trying to penetrate the regional market and then the international market. Hopefully in five years' time ATCL will be flying to Kuwait," he said.

He said that it doesn't hold up for anyone to try and penetrate the international market before seizing the local market and this is what the revival plans for ATCL entail, getting a dominant share of the local market first.

Eng Al Faouzan said that Kuwait and Tanzania have a long history of trade and hopefully the air service agreement will go a long way in enhance the existing ties between the two countries. Endit