Air Tanzania historic moment with first widebody delivery

A new era in East African aviation opened today when Air Tanzania took delivery of its very first wide-body aircraft, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 TEN engines.
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It landed on schedule at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam on its delivery flight from Boeing’s facility in Seattle Washington, USA. The significance of the Dreamliner’s arrival in Tanzania for both the airline and the country was underlined by the attendance at the welcoming event by the Tanzanian President, Dr John Magufuli.
The aircraft , has been named: “Kilimanjaro-Hapa Kazi Tu”, which translated into English means “Kilimanjaro –here to work’.
And Air Tanzania’s CEO, Ladislaus Matindi, is determined it will live up to its name. “We believe this is the perfect aircraft to realize our ambition to connect with the rest of the world through the initiation of intercontinental flights,” he said.
Air Tanzania is hoping to begin its international flights by the end of 2018. Understandably, Boeing’s Marty Bentrott, sales vice president for the Middle East, Turkey, Russia, Central Asia & Africa believes the airline has made the correct selection.
“The Dreamliner’s unmatched combination of superior fuel efficiency and range makes it extremely flexible and will fit well into Air Tanzania’s operations. We are confident the 787 will boost passenger traffic and tourism in and out of Tanzania,” he said.
Kevin Evans, Rolls-Royce, vice-president-customers, Africa, said, “We are proud, delighted and excited that Air Tanzania has selected the Rolls-Royce Trent engine to power its Dreamliner aircraft. Air Tanzania has a clear and bold vision for the future, and we are very pleased to be part of it. This wonderful aircraft with the Trent engine will enable Air Tanzania to develop its international route network profitably and deliver a first class service to its customers.
“This delivery adds another Rolls-Royce customer in Africa which is an important and growing market for us.”
The Trent 1000 TEN is the latest version of the Trent 1000 specifically designed and optimised for the Dreamliner. With a 10:1 bypass ratio, it has the highest bypass ratio of any Trent engine, contributing to it being the quietest engine on the Boeing 787 aircraft today. The Trent 1000 TEN (Thrust, Efficiency and New Technology) first entered into service in November 2017 and incorporates new technologies that deliver increased thrust and improved efficiency for the aircraft.
Rolls-Royce will also be providing Air Tanzania, with its TotalCare service support which removes the burden of engine maintenance from the customer and transfers the management of associated risks to Rolls-Royce. The also agreement includes a parts availability service option whereby Rolls-Royce will ensure the airline has critical parts not only on site, but access to additional parts and tools around the world to maximise service efficiency.