Freedom and Unity

Air Tanzania—the Dar es Salam-based flag-carrier of the Southeast African nation of Tanzania—has taken delivery of its first 737-MAX-family aircraft.

In keeping with the air-carrier’s aspiration to meet the growing demand for air-travel throughout Africa and India, Air Tanzania is the first African airline to take delivery of a specimen of the 737 MAX-9 narrow-body aircraft.

Air Tanzania managing director Ladislaus Matindi, Eng. (Bachelor of Engineering) stated: "The acquisition of our first Boeing 737-9 marks a significant milestone for Air Tanzania, a momentous occasion that echoes the spirit of the Wings of Kilimanjaro.”

The Wings of Kilimanjaro is a moniker dreamed up by Air Tanzania’s marketing department—much as American Airlines formerly dubbed itself The On Time Machine.

Mr. Matindi added: “This advanced airplane is fulfilling our promise to deliver an extraordinary experience to our customer. As we ascend to new heights, Air Tanzania enhances the fleet's capabilities and exemplifies its commitment while extending our appreciation to Boeing as invaluable partners in enabling our vision."

Air Tanzania—by dint of a fleet comprising two Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners, four Airbus A220-300s, the newly-delivered 737 MAX-9, five De Havilland Dash 8 Q400s, and one Boeing 767-300F freighter—operates scheduled air-service across Africa and to destinations in Asia. The airline has ordered one additional 787-8 jet.

Anbessie Yitbarek, Boeing vice-president of commercial sales and marketing for Africa, remarked: "Today marks an important milestone for Air Tanzania with the delivery of its 737 MAX, which is perfectly suited to connect the airline to prominent markets in Africa, providing it with enhanced capability and flexibility across its network. The 737-9, with its versatility and fuel efficiency, will support Air Tanzania's goal of opening new opportunities and expanding its network."

In addition to standardized training—all members of the Boeing 737 family, to include the Original, Classic, Next Generation, and MAX series, share the same pilot type rating—the 737 MAX family affords air-carriers fuel-efficiency, ecological accountability, reliability, flexibility, and operational economy beyond that of legacy narrow-body airliners. The 737 MAX 9’s 3,509-nautical-mile range exceeds that of its predecessor, the 737 Next Generation (NG) series, by nearly 520-nautical-miles—the distance by which Chicago and Atlanta are separated. The MAX 9’s superior range is attributable, in part, to an eldritch combination of fuel-efficient CFM LEAP 1-B engines and advanced aerodynamics that cuts fuel-burn (relative the NG series) by twenty-percent. The 737 MAX-9 is capable of carrying up to 220 passengers.

Under normal use, each 737 MAX-family aircraft emits up to eight-million fewer pounds of CO2 emissions than the airplanes it replaces. Moreover, the 737 MAX is approximately fifty-percent quieter than its forebears.

Boeing, by way of the plane-maker’s 2023 Commercial Market Outlook for Africa, posits the continent will require 1,025 new airplanes over the next two-decades. Overall, African air-traffic growth is forecast at 7.4-percent, the third-highest among global regions and above the global average growth of 6.1-percent.

Founded in 1916, Boeing designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles to a worldwide base of commercial, military, and governmental customers. Firmly ensconced among the 21st Century’s foremost aerospace concerns, Boeing is the world’s third-largest defense contractor and the U.S.’s largest exporter by dollar-value. The company is organized into four primary divisions: Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA); Boeing Defense, Space, and Security (BDS); Boeing Global Services; and Boeing Capital. In 2021, Boeing recorded $62.3 billion in sales.

FMI: www.boeing.com