Precision Air made history on 13th November 2008 when it flew an all female operated aircraft to Shinyanga and Tabora from Dar es Salaam.

The all female crew was led by Captain Lydia Bakri Mulokozi, First Officer Specioza Rweyemamu and Flight Operations Officer Jemimah Kiwoli Lauwo in the cockpit and flight attendants Della Mosses and Elizabeth Kizingo in the cabin.

There was a lot of excitement as well as disbelief when Captain Bakri made the routine pilot’s announcement after take off. Bakri was greeted with a thunderous applause when she exited the cockpit after landing in Shinyanga.

The passengers commended Precision Air for giving equal opportunity to female pilots. Captain Bakri also got a lot of praise from colleagues at PW.

“Capt Bakri has proven the skeptics wrong and accomplished what most said was impossible. There is no doubt that her recent achievements will be spoken of for some time to come and that the admiration for her accomplishments is felt by all of us within the Company as well as the general public,” said FOO Kiwoli Lauwo who performed engine monitoring duties on the same flight.

Between February and March Precision Air staff from around the country attended training designed to improve their work relations and enhance their own work atmosphere. The training which was conducted by Peak Performance focused on staff groups teamed together from the various departments and offices, was held at the Lamada Hotel & Apartments in Dar es Salaam.

The three-day repeat sessions equipped attendees with the knowledge necessary for ensuring they knew themselves better and were able to understand each other and build on their strengths. Staff took part in group assignments and physical activities all geared towards teamwork and overcoming everyday barriers that often impede workplace progress.

The first-ever training session held for Precision Air staff was in 2003 and in the same way as the recent one it focused on team-building, motivation and culture-building. In 2006 the training was specifically tailored for managers in a bid to equip them for the responsibilities attached to their roles.

Precision Air is currently envisioning a programme that will in a similar way re-ignite the passion for leadership and excellence among managers and supervisors all in a bid to ensure the airline benefits from their good stewardship.

Precision Air, Tanzania’s leading carriers has yet again increased it’s operations between Dar es Salaam and Mwanza with effect from13th December 2008.

According to Precision Air’s Head of Network Planning and Strategy Mr. Patrick Ndekana, the extra flight to Mwanza has been necessitated by increased customer demand especially during the festive season.

This is the second increase of frequencies to Mwanza in less than a month. On 17th November, the airline launched an early morning flight to the same destination. The increase brings the number of direct flights from Dar es Salaam to Mwanza to three times daily.

The first flight to Mwanza now departs from Julius Nyerere International Airport at the earlier time of 06:00 hrs and arrives in Mwanza at 08:10 hrs, the second one departs at 11:15 hrs and arrives at 13:25 hrs and the last one leaves at 16:30 and arrives at 18:45hrs.

The Dar-Mwanza-Dar route is operated by the brand new ATR 72-500 that was launched in Dar es Salaam on 11th November 2008. The new aircraft is part of Precision Air fleet modernization program that will see the airline fly the youngest fleet in Africa by the year 2010.

The aircraft is faster, has a better interior and is fitted with ovens to enable customers be served with warm meals while onboard.

The company chose to purchase ATRs because they have proved effective in the extreme weather conditions of Africa. They are also environmentally friendly as they have a low fuel burn and gas emissions.

This Brand new ATR 72-500 is the second of seven brand new aircraft that PW has ordered from ATR of France in a 129 USD dollar million deal signed in 2006. The deal incorporated a scholarship to train young Tanzanian students in the field of aeronautical maintenance engineering in Toulouse France as part of PW’s corporate social responsibility program.

Dar es Salaam April 28th 2008: Precision Air (PW), the leading airline in the country, today received its Boeing 737-300 saying it expects to receive a second one before the end of this year.
The 737 - a short-to-medium-range airplane - is based on a key Boeing philosophy of delivering added value services to airlines with reliability, simplicity and reduced operating and maintenance costs, which PW is constantly striving to achieve.
The PW Acting Managing Director, Allen Sharra,told journalists in a press conference held at the airport today, that the Boeing will enhance capacity and increase frequency of operations. He also said it is the first airline in the country to operate such equipment.
“We continue to experience a strong growth especially in short-haul domestic travel and 737 proved to be a suitable aircraft for this market,” he said.
The airline initially planned to utilise the B 737-300 to fly to Luanda, Angola via Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as of April 2008, however, due to delay in securing permits to operate in respective markets, will start flying to those destinations in June.
“The original plan was to operate to Luanda and Lubumbashi, but we face some delays of the approval to fly with Angola authorities although the Tanzania government had signed the BASA [Bilateral Air Service Agreement] with Angolan government,” Mr Sharra said.
He said, however, due to growing passenger demand the aircraft will serve domestic and regional routes especially Dar-Mwanza and Dar-Nairobi daily.
“We will still be looking for the second Boeing before the end of this year which will serve our customers even better,” Mr Sharra said.
He further commented on the new aircraft and introduction of business class service, since the aircraft has 116 seats, of which 16 are business class.
The 737-300 is the first of the three member second generation CFM56 powered 737 family, which also comprises the stretched 737-400 and shortened 737-500, which forms the backbone of many airlines' short haul fleets.
This is the second time for PW to receive aircraft in the span of less than two months. The airline early last month received its first new ATR 72-500 the latest version of ATR family.

Note to the Editor

• PW embarked on three-year fleet modernisation project that will see the airline flying the youngest fleet in Africa by 2010, plus additional of Boeing 737-300 in its turboprops family.
• The brand new ATR 72-500 has 68-seat capacity
• Boeing 737-300 dry-leased from GE Commercial Aviation Services Limited (“GECAS”) has 116-seat capacity. ( 16 being business class)
• PW with B737-300 will have the fleet of nine aircraft, comprising of eight turboprops ATR type and One jet aircraft B737-300

Precision Air, Tanzania’s leading carriers has launched an early morning flight that will operate between Dar es Salaam and Mwanza with effect from17th November 2008.

According to Precision Air’s Marketing and Corporate Communications Manager Ms Annette Nkini, the first flight to Mwanza will now depart from Julius Nyerere International Airport at the earlier time of 07:30am.

“The first flight will leave Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) at 07:30 am in the morning and arrive in Mwanza at 09:40 am in the morning. It will then depart from Mwanza at 10:10am and arrive in Dar es Salaam at 12:10 pm,’’ she said.

Ms. Nkini added that, the Dar-Mwanza-Dar route will now be operated by the brand new ATR 72-500 that was launched in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday 11th November 2008.

She said that the early departure was introduced to fulfill customer demand. “Some of our customers have been expressing desire to be in Mwanza before 10:00am. With the acquisition of the new aircraft, that desire can now be fulfilled.”

Meanwhile, from 1st, December, PW will fly two times a day to Mwanza from Dar es Salaam. On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, a second departure time of 3:30 pm will be introduced.

Ms. Nkini said the second departure will be in addition to the daily early morning flight. The later flight will leave JNIA at 3:30pm and arrive in Mwanza at 5:45 pm and then depart from Mwanza at 6:15 pm and arrive in Dar es Salaam at 8:30 pm at night.

The ATR 72-500 launched last week at a ceremony held at Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) is part of Precision Air fleet modernization program.

The aircraft is faster, has a better interior and is fitted with ovens to enable customers be served with warm meals while onboard.

The company chose to purchase ATRs because they have proved effective in the extreme weather conditions of Africa. They are also environmentally friendly as they have a low fuel burn and gas emissions.

This Brand new ATR 72-500 is the second of seven brand new aircraft that PW has ordered from ATR of France in a 129 USD dollar million deal signed in 2006. The deal incorporated a scholarship to train young Tanzanian students in the field of aeronautical maintenance engineering in Toulouse France as part of PW’s corporate social responsibility program.

Precision Air has a long tradition of working with travel agents around the country and particularly in the destinations it serves. Recognizing their contribution to the growth of our airline, agents and their representatives from Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, Arusha, Moshi and Zanzibar were invited to the Kilimanjaro Hotel Kempinski in Dar es Salaam where Precision Air held an awards evening for those that made high sales in 2008.

The aptly named Zanzibar Room on the ground floor of the 5-star hotel was donned in our corporate colours that reflected the mood and excitement on the faces of the invited guests and Precision staff in attendance.

With local live band Bora Bora Sounds playing soft classic hits, it was vivid from everyone walking in that the evening was bound to be a magnificent event let alone a memorable one. We were pleased to be in the company of our partner Kenya Airways who were represented by their Country Manager for Tanzania Emmanuel Chepkonga and KLM were also represented by their Country Manager for Tanzania Raymond Reedijk.

Management and staff from various departments within Precision Air as well as guests filled the room as the Mistress of Ceremonies, Service Delivery and Training Manager Pauline Nguyai started off the proceedings which included speeches from the MD & CEO Alfonse Kioko and other senior executives.

After a sumptuous African theme buffet which was greatly enjoyed by everyone, the main part of the evening finally arrived. The guests and staff alike all sat up, eyes fixed on the podium, filled with child-like eagerness to know who the winners would be and possibly who would walk away with the biggest prize in the basket.

As a working tradition, Precision Air values the co-operation rendered by the travel agents around the country particularly in the markets we serve. As a matter of fact all the agents that work with us in one way or another do receive some gesture of gratitude, but on 6th February the agents that made the most sales were honoured. The zones from which the winners came were made up of the respective markets in which the agents operate and as such there was Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar, Mwanza and North Zone which put together Arusha and Moshi.

On the night, each of these zones produced a Gold winner as well as Silver and Bronze winners. One award was singled out specifically for the biggest winner of all, the agent that made the most sales in 2008. This Platinum award deservedly went to Mwanza’s Fourways Travel Services and perfectly on hand to receive it was Managing Director Sharad Shah. Shah established Fourways Travel Services in 1966 and to date its business includes air travel facilitation, tour operating, air charter services, car hire, package tours and camping and fishing safaris. The company also won the Best Agent in Tanzania (Gold) in 2005 and 2006 and along with the Platinum award, Fourways Travel Services also won Gold as the Best Agent in the Lake Zone, which fell under Mwanza.