AIR Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL) is set to resume direct flights to China after the Asian country relaxed Covid-19 control measures.
This was revealed by ATCL Acting Chief Executive Officer, Mr Albinus Manumbu during the visit of China's Director General of the Department of African Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Wu Peng.
"I would like to extend my appreciation to the Chinese Embassy for their contributions in procedures of Covid-19 protocol for China bound passengers from Tanzania and transit passengers via Dar es Salaam before boarding," Mr Manumbu said in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday.
He noted that after relaxation of procedures by China and Tanzania having installed competent Covid-19 test machines at the national laboratory with quick and accurate results, the national flag carrier is eying to resume direct flights to Guangzhou city after other logistics are cleared.
Mr Manumbu said that the revival of direct flights to China will open up economic opportunities in areas of tourism, agriculture and investment expansion. He noted that there were no worries about passengers availability, as ATCL was receiving many calls from potential customers wishing to travel to China.
"Bilateral trade between Tanzania and China has continued to expand; in the year 2021 it recorded 47 per cent growth to 6.74 billion US dollars. Air Tanzania resuming its passenger flights to china gives us confidence that our people to people exchange will be gradually recovered after the Covid-19 pandemic," said Mr Wu.
He hailed Tanzania's plan to open a consulate in Shanghai after opening one in Guangzhou, saying that economic cooperation will be good after ATCL's flight resumption with passenger flights to china which is a bigger market for aviation and tourism.
ATCL started its maiden flight to Guangzhou in May last year but it was reverted due to strict measures by China to control the spread of the Covid-19 spread, where the Asian country banned all foreign aircraft from its land.
The revived ATCL, which dominates more than 70 per cent of local airspaces, flies to India and other African countries of Uganda, Burundi, Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
