AIR Tanzania Co. Ltd (ATCL) is sending two senior pilots to train Ibom Airlines pilots in Nigeria to manage its new Airbus A220 plane.

Ladislaus Matindi, the firm’s chief executive officer said in a statement yesterday that an agreement has been signed to this effect, where the two professionals “will be responsible for training the pilots and pilot teachers of Ibom Air for a period of six months.”

The ATCL pilots will be assigned teaching and supervising practical training “until they are satisfied that the student pilots and their teachers have reached the standards required to fly the planes," he stated.

Ibom Air Co. will pay ATCL the costs of the training in accordance with the contract for the entire period of the agreement, the statement noted, affirming that the agreement relates to ATCL’s experience in operating Airbus A220-300 aircraft.

The Nigerian firm was also satisfied with the level of competence of Air Tanzania pilots, it asserted, specifying that the training is aimed at building capacity for Ibom Air pilots handling Airbus A220 aircraft, as Ibom Air “is just starting to use such aircraft.”

It also affirmed that ATCL has more than 100 pilots and operates Boeing B787-8, B737 MAX 9, B767-300F, Airbus A220-300 and De Havilland Q400 and Q300 aircraft.

ATCL is also preparing to start direct flights to London, using its Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, plus increasing flights to Mumbai and Guangzhou, while starting new flights to Dubai, Muscat, Lagos, Kinshasa and Goma, in eastern DRC.

Speaking elsewhere about the new Air Tanzania App service launched in December, the CEO said it is a service available on all types of phones, whether "android" or "ios" systems, asserting that it “brings the traveller to the real world of air travel and gives them a unique experience of privacy and freedom of choice.”

"Air Tanzania App is not only for facilitating travel but also enables Air Tanzania customers to benefit from various product offers and additional services," he stated.

"Through the Air Tanzania App, the customer is now able to choose the duration of the trip, the class of the trip, the seat, buy an extra bag wherever you are, whenever you need to travel to any place inside and outside the country where Air Tanzania makes its trips," he said.

Customers who use the Air Tanzania App are able to pay for and get their travel tickets instantly, served at 15 domestic and 11 international stations, he explained.

"We intend to add stations in Pemba, Tanga, Mafia, Nachingwea, and Musoma and bring back Iringa and Mtwara flights to the network of domestic flights to enable many stakeholders to benefit from Air Tanzania's presence," he added.