Emirates reacts fast to British Airways withdrawal in Tanzania

(eTN) – While many in Tanzania are still struggling to come to terms with the announced withdrawal of British Airways (BA) from the skies over Dar es Salaam – the airline last week confirmed their withdrawal from the end of March – Gulf giant Emirates was swiftest to react and make a bold statement aimed to capture the suddenly additional available market share.

The currently used aircraft, an Airbus A340-500, will be replaced by February 1 with a significantly larger and substantially more comfortable B777-300ER. This will constitute a 40 percent rise in seat capacity for the daily flights between Dubai and Dar es Salaam, or 1,400 extra seats per week, leaving many of Emirates’ competitors trailing in their wake again as they ponder what to do with this sudden opportunity to fill their planes to capacity.

Market reaction among travelers is still showing disbelief and confusion over BA’s decision for which no response to inquiries has been received by the time of filing this report. The news of Emirates bringing in a larger and more modern plane, however, were widely welcomed by travel agents and regular travelers.

Exporters and importers also praised the change to a larger aircraft, as this type can uplift substantially more cargo, aiding in particular the export of fresh produce and seafood to the rich markets in the Gulf and beyond.