Precision Air Services Plc is a Tanzanian airline based at Julius
Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam, with a minihub at Mwanza
Airport. In 2013, it had the largest market share
of 48.33 per cent. The airline operates scheduled passenger services to Nairobi
and airports in Tanzania. History
Precision Air was incorporated in Tanzania in January 1991 as a private
airline and started operations in 1993. At first, it operated as a private
charter air transport company but in November 1993 changed to offering
scheduled services to serve the growing tourist market.
In 2006, Precision Air became the first Tanzanian airline to pass the IATA
Operational Safety Audit. Its registration will expire 22 September
2016. In April 2011, the airline became a
public company. Corporate affairs
= Shareholders = Precision Air was privately owned until
2003, when Kenya Airways acquired a 49 percent stake, paying US $2 million,
weeks after its rival South African Airways acquired a 49 percent stake in
Air Tanzania for US $ 20 million. The remaining 51 percent was retained by
Michael Shirima, the founder of the airline.
In October 2011, Precision Air floated shares in the airline stock in an
initial public offering on the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange, after which
Shirima's and Kenya Airways's stakes declined and the new share subscribers
owned 15.86 percent. As of March 2013, the major shareholders were:
= Business trends = The trends for the Precision Air group
over recent years are shown below. Because it was a private company until
2011, published figures were not generally available before the initial
public offering prospectus of 12 September 2011. The figures for the
group are: Precision Air reported in August 2013
that for the year ending 31 March 2013, its maintenance costs increased to 23.6
billion Tanzanian shillings from 11.9 billion for the previous year. The
increase was caused primarily by the high cost of maintaining its Boeing 737
fleet. Published reports in June 2013 indicated
that Precision Air had encountered substantial financial difficulties,
stemming in part from losses incurred while operating flights to and from
Johannesburg, South Africa. Those flights ended in September 2012. The
Citizen, a Tanzanian newspaper, reported in August 2013 that the airline
"desperately" needed a US $32 million bailout package from the Tanzanian
government or other non-shareholder sources. The airline's problems
increased in 2011 when it received only US $7.4 million of the US $17.5 million
in cash that the airline hoped to receive when first listed on the Dar es
Salaam Stock Exchange. Increasing fuel prices, taxes, and levies plus currency
fluctuations and the refusal of minority owner Kenya Airways to contribute
capital had also hurt the airline. Destinations
As of September 2014, the airline serves the following destinations:
= Codeshare agreements = Precision Air has codeshare agreements
with the following airlines: Kenya Airways
LAM Mozambique Airlines RwandAir
= Interline agreements = Precision Air has an interline agreement
with Qatar Airways, allowing the latter's passengers to connect to other
East African destinations such as Arusha and Zanzibar via Julius Nyerere
International Airport in Dar es Salaam and Kilimanjaro International Airport.
This agreement includes e-ticketing. Precision Air also has interline
agreements for baggage and paper ticketing purposes with Alitalia,
British Airways, Delta Air Lines, TAAG Angola Airlines, Emirates, Ethiopian
Airlines, Etihad Airways, Gulf Air, Air Seychelles, Hahn Air, KLM, Kenya
Airways, Swiss International Air Lines, Egyptair, Air Malawi, South African
Airways, SN Brussels Airlines, Saudia, LAM Mozambique Airlines, Virgin Atlantic
Airlines, RwandAir, Oman Air, Heli Air Monaco, and Zambezi Airlines.
Fleet = Current fleet =
The Precision Air fleet includes the following aircraft:
= Retired fleet = The company has previously operated the
following equipment: Accidents and incidents
According to Aviation Safety Network, as of September 2014 Precision Air has had
four accidents or incidents. 26 July 1999: A Let L-410UVP-E9, tail
number 5H-PAB, made a belly landing at Arusha Airport on a training flight
while doing touch and go. The two crew and three passengers were not injured.
16 November 2004: A Let L-410UVP-E20, tail number 5H-PAC, crash landed while
on a training flight at Kilimanjaro Airport. The two pilots, who had not put
on their shoulder straps, sustained facial injuries.
8 July 2007: An ATR 72-212, tail number 5H-PAR, had a runway excursion on
landing at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport runway 06. It veered off to the
right, went over a ditch, and came to a stop on Taxiway F. The nose wheel
collapsed. The four crew and 62 passengers were not injured. The
aircraft was substantially damaged. The probable cause of this accident was
power asymmetry during application of reverse thrust on landing. The control
levers were jammed in one position. 10 July 2014: An ATR 72-500, tail number
5H-PWA, was halfway en route to Dar es Salaam from Mwanza during normal cruise
when the number 2 engine seized. This necessitated a diversion to Kilimanjaro
International Airport. The aircraft touched down normally; however, after
selecting ground idle, the aircraft veered to the left side and exited the
runway hitting one of the runway edge lights and proceeded to roll on the
grass field parallel to runway 09 for approximately 180 meters before
subsequently regaining the runway. No injuries were reported.
On 13 December 2013, an ATR 42-600 made a safe landing at Arusha Airport after
its four tires deflated upon landing. All 37 passengers and 4 crew were safe.
The airline subsequently explained that higher braking forces, necessitated by
the aircraft landing with a tail wind, caused the deflations.
References External links
Official website Precision Air Sells Aircraft And Cancels
Routes To Reduce Losses