Conquering the African sky : Precision Air wants to be Tanzania’s aviation pride

By YG

Founded in 1993, Precision Air is today the second national carrier. “We operate with a fleet of eight aircraft, all French-made,” specifies Lilian Massawe, Head of Commercial and Ground handling. “We are part of a group of airlines, of which Precision Air is an essential component.” With coverage of 15 destinations across Tanzania, the airline’s mission is to connect regions within the country, as well as to provide international routes to Kenya and the Comoros. “In the Comoros, we are even designated to provide domestic flights within the country. Our minimum frequencies are three flights per week depending on the destination, and in some cases, we have departures every two hours,” emphasizes Lilian Massawe.

Tourism remains the driving force behind Tanzania’s air activity. Zanzibar and Kilimanjaro are its symbols. “Our core business is tourist destinations. More than 60% of our operations involve Zanzibar. People also come to discover wildlife. After the United States, France is our second largest tourism market,” affirms Lilian Massawe. The visa issue is not an obstacle: “We have bilateral agreements with some countries. If they grant us a visa, we do the same. For tourists, visas are issued on arrival. It’s not a challenge for us, we give them easily.”

A strategy based on alliances and complementarity

Precision Air also plays the alliance card to expand its reach. “We truly believe in alliances. We have partnerships with 28 major airlines such as KLM, Qatar Airways, and Turkish Airlines. They can sell a ticket to France by integrating us in the itinerary, it’s included,” explains Lilian Massawe. “We operate in a niche market,” she continues. “Our planes are not that small: they seat between 48 and 72 passengers. These are planes adapted to our regional needs.” Patrick Mwanri, Group Managing Director and CEO, adds: “We need small aircraft to serve our internal routes. We clearly distinguish between tourist flights and business flights. For example, when Parliament is in session, we increase flight frequency. It’s a matter of demand.” On the security front, the leader reassures: “Accidents can happen, but they remain rare. We comply with IATA standards. Each airline has insurance to cope. The real challenge is the lack of infrastructure. We push our government to invest. We also work with Afra and SADC as part of the Single African Air Transport Market project. Now decisions must be implemented.”

An aviation industry taking off

Proof of Tanzania’s dynamism, the local aviation industry has just reached a historic milestone. Three brand-new Skyleaders, produced in Morogoro (where a factory was established in 2021), are now ready to fly, awaiting civil aviation authorization. This model, the result of cooperation between Tanzanian and Czech manufacturers, is intended for business travel or use as a taxi plane for tourists. A two-seat agricultural version is also planned. The price? “No more expensive than a luxury car,” promise its designers. This is a first for the continent, as it is the first African civil aircraft. Until now, only South Africa had designed a military reconnaissance aircraft about ten years ago.

Towards an integrated African sky?

Patrick Mwanri summarizes one of the major challenges of African air transport: “IATA doesn’t talk much about Africa because our market remains small. India, for example, is one country; Africa is a continent with many states. We can’t think of a single African sky without taking this complexity into account. Maybe we should first focus on a few strategic countries.” Precision Air, between local roots and international openness, intends to continue charting its course. With Tanzania as a regional hub in sight, it contributes, in its own way, to redrawing the African continent’s aviation map.