Arusha — Air Tanzania Company Limited now operates daily flights between Arusha airport and Dar es Salaam.

Inaugurating the new service at a ceremony attended by Arusha's Regional Commissioner Isidore Shirima as guest of honour, the Executive Director of Air Tanzania Company Limited, William Haji said the introduced flights using a new 50-passenger carrier Bombadier De Havilland Dash-8 would start from Dar es Salaam at 2 pm and land at Arusha Airport at 3.20 pm daily.

Precision Air has been operating Arusha-Dar flights for many years and was dominant in the route.

In the speech read on his behalf by the company's Sales and Distribution Manager Thomson Byarushengo, the Deputy Director said the new schedule would ease Arusha-Dar es Salaam travel for business people who wanted to get to either of the cities and return the same day. The flights are also of high value to tourists and other passengers who wish to fly into Arusha directly instead of shuttling from KIA.

Haji said their plan for the new flights was based on the fact that Arusha has become an important business and international centre hence the need for an efficient, fast link with Dar es Salaam.

Haji assured the ATCL customers of stable time table for their new Arusha airport services as well as their normal flights to Kilimanjaro Airport.

Northern Zone ATCL Manager Josephat Kagirwa said the company would soon start daily morning/evening flights between Dar es Salaam International Airport (DIA) and Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA).

Kagirwa said ATC was the only company with daily flights to Kigoma and Tabora (except on Thursdays).

Arusha's Regional Commissioner said the ATCL would ease travel snags for the big volume of visitors to Arusha who would want to fly to Dar es Salaam for a short visit.

The Regional Commissioner called on travelers to take advantage of the new ATCL flights timetable and give the government owned company the much needed revenue.