AIR Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL) has increased flights for Dar es Salam via Tabora to Mpanda route to four from three per week.

The national flag carrier decided to increase the number of flights per week to four following a raising demand from Mpanda, Katavi regional passengers.

According to the newly launched timetable, the flight to and from Dar to Mpanda route with a single stop at Tabora will be on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

The Katavi Regional Commissioner (RC), Ms Mwanamvua Mrindoko said the increase came at the right time, just weeks after President Samia Suluhu Hassan launched the Royal Tour documentary in the US, and viewed in Arusha, Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam and Dodoma.

"The Mpanda airport will serve as gateway to the Western and Southern Highlands regions and subsequently catalysing the economic growth in the region and the country at large," she said.

Katavi has numerous tourist attractions include River Mapacha [twins]--since those drink it water gave birth to twins, white giraffes spotted in Katavi National Park in Mpanda also there are natural forest and water falls.

Katavi ATCL Regional Manager, Mr Peter Kilawe said the demand is mainly pushed up by local and neighbourhood countries' traders frequently travelling.

"The traders mostly are from neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Zambia," Mr Kilawe said.

The airline operates a Bombardier Dash-8 that has 76 seats. Thus the airline currently flies over 200 passengers a week. The Dar-Mpanda flight increase came just days after the government said it will spend 468bn/- to purchase new aircraft for ATCL in the coming fiscal year.

The Minister of Works and Transport, Professor Makame Mbarawa said on Monday when tabling the ministry's budget in parliament that the money will be spent on completing payments for five aircraft for ATCL that include a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, two Boeing 737-9 aircraft, one cargo Boeing 767-300F and one Dash 8 Q400."