Zanzibar’s President Hussein Mwinyi has announced plans to introduce more direct flights in order to boost the Tanzanian archipelago’s tourism receipts and is expanding Zanzibar's Abeid Amani Karume International Airport to cater to about 1.6 million people annually. Meanwhile, Kenya-based budget carrier Jambojet says it will start direct flights to Zanzibar and Mombasa.

Keen on exploring more tourism avenues and push for economic growth, Zanzibar President Hussein Mwinyi has plans to introduce direct flights to Zanzibar, the Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa.

According to a press statement, Zanzibar’s Abeid Amani Karume International Airport is now being revamped and after expansion and modernisation, it can meet the demand of a growing number of visitors, up to about 1.6 million people annually.

The statement adds that the redesigned airport will feature all modern facilities, with several duty-free and commercial outlets at its terminals enhancing its appeal for airline operators eyeing direct flights to Zanzibar.

The statement adds that its newly-built international Terminal 3, which exclusively serves international flights has been redesigned and expanded.

“I want the immigration department to change and improve its systems. There should be no delays and queues which have been causing inconvenience to travellers. I also direct all other service providers to change their operations in order to meet the international standards after major reforms at the airport,” says President Mwinyi.

Currently, Zanzibar, has up to 34 direct flights from various destinations around the world. These direct flight deals do not come single-handedly but in packages including pacts for terminal management and other investments at the airport, says the statement.

It adds that seconding Zanzibar president Mwinyi, the Minister for Infrastructure Development, Communication, and Transport Khalid Salum Mohamed cited a recent deal in which Zanzibar contracted Dubai-based air services provider Dnata to run several operations at the newly-built Terminal 3.

The statement adds that Zanzibar has sought the services of the foreign company to manage its Terminal 3 after what the authorities describe as years of incompetence and lack of skills.

“As Dnata and its associates continue to improve services at the AAKIA, the government is also in the process of constructing Pemba airport as soon as possible so that the Island is open to the world,” adds Mwinyi.

“Improved services means more travellers including tourists, and increased revenue collection. Due to the influx of tourists, holidaymakers, and other visitors, we are almost beating the 1.6 million travellers’ target. We have quickly noticed that we need another larger space to handle more planes and travellers. Feasibility study for the fourth terminal is underway,” the president announced,” he says.

According to the statement, Dnata, a leading global air and travel services provider, entered into a concession agreement with the Zanzibar government, along with Emirates Leisure Retail and SEGAP, for a joint venture between airport infrastructure and operations specialists Egis, and private equity fund manager AIIM.

Under the partnership, Dnata oversees the operations of Zanzibar Abeid Amani Karume International Airport’s (ZNZ) newly-built international Terminal 3. Boasting the capacity to handle over 4,000 flights annually at the airport, the firm is now investing in a state-of-the-art cargo centre to improve operations at the airport, says the statement.

The Government of Zanzibar through its Indian Ocean Island Minister of Infrastructure, Communication, and Transport, Khalid Salum Mohamed, has also announced Kenya-based budget carrier Jambojet will start direct flights to Zanzibar and Mombasa.

“Considering Zanzibar’s 2050 Vision of enhancing the blue economy and increasing the number of visitors to our island, the expansion of infrastructure is essential to help achieve our goal and is a current national priority,” says Khalid Mohamed.

The maiden flights will start on July 1 with the Jambojet carrier flying four times a week between the two destinations’ tourist hubs. It is expected that the budget airline will increase the number of tourists and business travellers entering Zanzibar significantly, adds the statement.