Tanzania’s first-ever cargo plane, Boeing 767-300F, is scheduled for take-off on July 28, 2023.

Air Tanzania Company Limited has said the plane’s maiden destination will be Mumbai, India.

Its other destinations will be Lubumbashi in DRC; Entebbe, Uganda; Lusaka, Zambia; Harare, Zimbabwe and Nairobi, Kenya. China, Dubai and Lagos routes are also being considered.

Air Tanzania Company Managing Director Ladislaus Matindi said the acquisition of the new plane will help “significantly reduce costs for exporting cargo, mainly agricultural, fisheries and livestock products.”

President Samia Suluhu presided over the reception of the aircraft at the Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) in Dar es Salaamon on June 3.

Training of pilots and registration of the aircraft is in the final stage, said Air Tanzania MD, Matindi.

The plane can carry up to 54 tonnes of freight.