Six hundred Tanzania workers at the edge as Zanzibar floats unique Air Contract

Air Tanzani credit jetphotos

Operators of the Tanzania air say more than six Hundred (600) workers may have to lose their jobs after the semi-autonomous government of Zanzibar awarded contract to a Dubai-based company giving them exclusive rights to operate ground services at a renovated airport.

The Tanzania Air Operators Association (Taoa)  in a statement disclosed that the contract awarded to a company known as Dnata, which is registered at the London Stock Exchange, was in breach of the law that prohibits any company from having exclusive rights to ground-handling services at major airports.

stating that the process of awarding the tender to Dnata was not “transparent, and that necessary due process was not followed, and it was conducted against the law”, the statement said.

The President of Zanzibar Hussein Mwinyi defended the government’s decision, saying the aim was “to provide world-class standards” at the new terminal at Abeid Amani Karume International Airport.

The new Dubai based operator officially starts operations at the terminal from   December 1 the terminal was said to have been built at a cost of $120m (£101m).

further stating that the expansion aims was to increase the number of passengers at the airport from just under a million per year to 1.5 million, according to earlier reports by the government.

The seacoast island of Zanzibar flourished through tourism, and this is the main source of income for Zanzibar government and airline industry is a major stakeholder. This recent stand-off might dominate politics in the island.