DOGGED by a series of snags in its attempt to create Africa’s first continent-wide, low-cost airline, FastJet remains confident it can tap a market of 1-billion people after early success in Tanzania.Protectionism, red tape and poor infrastructure have hampered FastJet since it launched operations six months ago on the world’s poorest continent, where people fly once in 15 years on average, compared with twice a year for Americans."Africa is a bit like Europe in the 1970s — all the routes are controlled by governments … often with a lot of protectionism built in," said Ed Winter, CE of FastJet, which is backed by JSE-listed Lonrho and the UK’s easyJet.When flying in Tanzania from the capital, Dar es Salaam, to Kilimanjaro or Mueza, Mr Winter says 38% of passengers are first-time flyers, testament to Africa’s potential for growth."These are routes where people have, in the past, been travelling by bus or just not travelling at all … now they just jump on our aeroplane and move, exact...
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