Africa's low-cost carrier, Fastjet Tanzania is to operate flights between Kenya and Tanzania from January 11, 2016. The airline will operate a daily flight between Dar es Salaam and Nairobi and between Kilimanjaro and Nairobi.

Ed Winter, chief executive officer of Fastjet said: fastjet Tanzania has been working towards the launch of these routes for some time and we are extremely pleased that clearance has now been granted to commence operations".

"To date, passenger traffic between the major cities of Dar es Salaam and Nairobi, which have a combined population of over 8 million people, has been limited by high air fares which we believe, have excluded large parts of the local population from air travel.

The only alternative to flying is to undertake a long and difficult journey by road, which can take up to 12 hours. As has been the case with other routes that we have launched, we expect to stimulate the market as passengers embrace Fastjet’s great value, safe, reliable flights and move from road to the air."

“Nairobi and Dar es Salaam are not only key travel destinations, and two of the busiest airports in the region, but also hubs with extensive regional and international networks.

Expanding the network into Kenya marks an important milestone in Fastjet’s strategic development and is a significant achievement for the company, its staff and shareholders.”