Fastjet has been forced to postpone its first international service at the last minute due to an “unexpected administrative delay”.
The African no-frills carrier had been scheduled to start its Dar es Salaam-Johannesburg route on Friday (September 27) but it had to be postponed on the eve of the first flight. Fastjet now hopes to commence flights on the route from mid-October.
“This postponement is due to unexpected administrative delays caused by the South African Department of Transport which this week made a very late request for additional documentation,” said Fastjet in a statement.
“Although Fastjet delivered these documents without delay, the South African Department of Transport has said it will take several days to process these documents, thus delaying the start of Fastjet flights on this international route.”
The no-frills airline is currently flying on domestic routes within Tanzania but hopes to eventually become a pan-African carrier. The airline counts Easyjet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou as one of its minority shareholders.
Fastjet chief executive Ed Winter said: “This postponement is very disappointing. Unfortunately however, administrative delays of this nature are not unusual in the markets in which we operate.
“Fastjet would like to apologise to our customers for the inconvenience. All passengers affected by this delay will receive a full refund and assistance with re-booking a complimentary seat to fly within the next month.”
fastjet.com