On March 26, Saudia Airlines, the country’s flag carrier, started offering nonstop service between Jeddah and Dar es Salaam’s Julius Nyerere International Airport.
A water salute was given to the inaugural flight, which arrived in Dar es Salaam at 6 a.m. on a 180-seater Airbus A320. The 61-passenger flight from Dar es Salaam to Jeddah was operated by Swissport Tanzania.
The airline, which is the first to offer direct flights between the two cities, is anticipated to enhance the number of foreign visitors to Tanzania, according to Makame Mbarawa, Minister of Works and Transport.
According to data from the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority, Prof. Mbarawa claimed that the number of international tourists increased by 55% in 2022 compared to 2021. He claimed that during the time period under consideration, there were 2.618 million more travelers than there were 1.694 million. Both tourists and business people frequently travel between the two countries.
He claimed that the entry of a new operator was a sign of confidence in the nation’s business climate.
Tanzania has become the 14th African nation to have direct flights with Saudia Airlines, Prof. Mbarawa told the gathering assembled to see the first flight.
The duration of the flight to Saudi Arabia has decreased from 10 hours to roughly 4.40 hours as a result of the introduction of direct flights, as opposed to the previous 10 hours required for flights via Addis Ababa and Doha.
The airline will run four flights per week between JNIA and King Abdulaziz International Airport on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays, according to Tanzania Airports Authority (TAA) Director General Mussa Mbura.
A delegation of Saudi investors traveled to Tanzania in August of last year in search of environmental, water, and agricultural investment opportunities. Ally Mwadini, Tanzania’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia, served as the group’s leader.
At the time, there were 13 Saudi Arabian projects officially registered in Tanzania. The projects raised a total of $55.24 million, according to Revocatus Rasheli, director of investment promotion at the Tanzania Investment Centre. The two nations are still working to strengthen their connection.
