fastjet’s inaugural flight between Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and Entebbe in Uganda took off earlier, marking the launch of the low-cost airline’s fourth international route in Africa.

Flights between Dar es Salaam and Entebbe take off on Tuesdays and Thursdays until September 25th, with frequency doubling to Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays from September 29th.

The flight distance over Africa’s Lake Victoria – the largest inland body of water in Africa - is just over 1,000km and takes one hour and 45 minutes on one of fastjet’s A319 jet aircraft.

Previously, those wishing to travel between the two cities would have an approximate 23 hour journey by road to cover the 1,700km distance, with travellers having to journey around Lake Victoria, or they had to fly via Nairobi in Kenya, doubling the flight time and potentially involving lengthy layovers.

Nationals of East African Community Partner States (Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, United Republic of Tanzania and Uganda) do not require visas to travel to the other EAC member states.

“fastjet has responded to requests from Ugandans and Tanzanians asking for a direct route between the two cities with affordable, reliable flights,” says Ed Winter, chief executive, fastjet.

“Until now, travellers had to depend on lengthy road transportation or have been excluded from air travel by the significant costs of flying between the two cities, with cheapest flights up until now costing more than US$240 one-way on average.”

“We are thrilled that fastjet is expanding its international route network to include Entebbe, and that in doing so it is bringing its low-cost, reliable and safe service to the people of Uganda,” Winter said.

“We believe that affordable fares will enable more people to travel between Uganda and Tanzania, strengthening the countries’ relationships and boosting their business and tourism sectors, contributing significantly to the economic growth of both countries.”

“fastjet’s entry into Uganda demonstrates our on-going commitment to the improvement of Africa’s aviation industry.

“We look forward to continuing discussions with the Government of Uganda regarding fastjet’s further expansion in Uganda.”

With its low-cost fares, fastjet is making air travel more accessible to even more people with the launch of this route, and expects many of its passengers travelling between Entebbe and Dar es Salaam to be first time flyers.