Etihad Airways to begin daily service to Dar Es Salaam

Dar es Salaam will be Etihad Airways' 110th destination globally, and its 11th destination in Africa and the Indian Ocean. The daily schedule will offer two-way connectivity over Etihad Airways' hub in Abu Dhabi, with convenient onward connections to 45 popular destinations across the Middle East, Europe, the Indian subcontinent, North and Southeast Asia, and Australasia.

In particular, it is anticipated that the demand for the new route will be boosted by strong flows of business and leisure travellers, as well as cargo volumes, between the East Africa region and the Indian subcontinent and China.

James Hogan, president and CEO of Etihad Airways, said: "Dar es Salaam is an important new route on Etihad Airways' global network. It builds upon our existing presence in Africa and supports the close trading relationship between the United Arab Emirates and Tanzania."

Primary trade partner

The UAE is the primary trade partner of Tanzania in the GCC region. Between 2007 and 2012, trade between the UAE and Tanzania increased by more than 350% to $761 million.

"Africa has one of the world's fastest growing regional economies and the launch of this new route also enhances access and the two-way flow of trade and tourism between the continent and key destinations across our global network, supports inbound tourism, encourages investment, and provides much-needed local employment," he added.

Tanzania has the sixth-largest population in Africa (51 million), with over four million people living in the largest city, Dar es Salaam. The large proportion of the community consist of market traders and proprietors of small businesses whose families originated from the Middle East and Indian subcontinent - areas of the world with which the settlements of the Tanzanian coast have had long-standing trading relations.

The country is also developing quickly and currently has around $19 billion in transport and utilities infrastructure projects being planned. China is playing a key role in financing these major projects, and is fast becoming the East African country's leading trade partner, with trade between the two countries growing to $3.7 billion in 2013.

Sought-after destination

In 2013, Tanzania was also named one of the world's most sought-after destinations for leisure travellers and is blessed with numerous national and international tourist attractions including Mt Kilimanjaro, the wildlife-rich national parks of the Serengeti, and the spice island of Zanzibar.

Tanzania has the second largest economy in East Africa, and Dar es Salaam provides a strategic gateway for the transportation of goods and commerce to the surrounding six landlocked countries: Zambia, Malawi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi.