Precision Air

Precision Air Services Plc (operating as Precision Air; DSE:PAL) is a Tanzanian airline based at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam.[4] The airline operates scheduled passenger services to Nairobi, Entebbe, and airports in Tanzania.[5]

Precision Air
IATA ICAO Callsign
PW PRF PRECISION AIR[1]
Founded1993
Arusha, Tanzania
AOC #032
HubsJulius Nyerere International Airport, Dar es Salaam
Focus citiesMwanza Airport
Frequent-flyer programPAA Royal
AllianceKenya Airways
SubsidiariesPrecision Handling Limited
Fleet size9
Destinations14 (May 2019)
Traded asDSE: PAL
HeadquartersDar es Salaam, Tanzania[2]
Key people
Revenue TSH:97.1 billion (FY 2018)
Profit TSH:(21.1 billion) (FY 2018)
Employees356 (March 2018)
WebsitePrecision air website

History

Precision Air was incorporated in Tanzania in January 1991 as a private airline and started operations in 1993.[2] At first, it operated as a private charter air transport company but in November 1993 changed to offer scheduled services to serve the growing tourist market.[2][6]

In 2006, Precision Air became the first Tanzanian airline to pass the IATA Operational Safety Audit.[7]

In April 2011, the airline became a public company.[2]

Corporate affairs

Ownership

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.[8][9]

In October 2011, Precision Air floated shares in its 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.[10] As of 31 March 2016, the major shareholders were:[11]:7

Name No. of Shares Interest
Michael Shirima68,857,65042.91%
Kenya Airways66,157,350041.23%
Precision Air Employee Share Option Scheme1,765,3001.10%
Other shareholders23,689,50014.76%
Total160,469,800100.00%

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[2] of 12 September 2011. The figures for the group (Precision Air Services Plc and its subsidiaries Precision Handling Limited and Precise Systems Limited) (as at year ending 31 March) are:

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Turnover (TZS m) 54,341 57,988 84,344 92,493 113,606 163,061 181,358 141,262 105,400 90,751 79,756 97,108
Profits (PBT) (TZS m) 5,534 5,671 2,818 1,924 2,159 1,841 −30,812 −11,400 -83,900 −91,676 −26,941 −21,099
Number of employees 576 657 704 717 608 536 509 436 356
Number of passengers ('000) 465 538 667 825 896 688 452 375 409 474
Passenger load factor (%) 64 58 62 65 59 52 52 55
Number of aircraft (at year end) 10 10 11 12 10 10 10 10 10
Notes/sources [2] [2] [2] [2] [12] [12][13] [14] [15] [16] [11]:2 [17] [17]

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.[18] Those flights ended in September 2012.[19] 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.[20] 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.[20][21] 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.[20]

The Precision Air's ATR 42-300 at Kilimanjaro International Airport in 2006.
The Precision Air's Boeing 737-300 at Mwanza Airport in 2010.
The Precision Air's ATR 72-212A at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, in 2012.

Destinations
Main article: List of Precision Air destinations

As of May 2019, the airline served the following 14 locations:

Hub
Terminated route
City Country IATA ICAO Airport Refs
ArushaTanzaniaARKHTARArusha Airport[22]
BukobaTanzaniaBKZHTBUBukoba Airport[22]
Dar es SalaamTanzaniaDARHTDAJulius Nyerere International Airport[22]
DodomaTanzaniaDDOHTDODodoma Airport[23]
EntebbeUgandaEBBHUENEntebbe International Airport[22]
JohannesburgSouth AfricaJNBFAORO. R. Tambo International Airport[24]
KahamaTanzaniaKBHnoneKahama Airstrip[25]
KigomaTanzaniaTKQHTKAKigoma Airport[22]
KilimanjaroTanzaniaJROHTKJKilimanjaro International Airport[22]
LubumbashiDemocratic Republic of the CongoFBMFZQALubumbashi International Airport[26]
LusakaZambiaLUNFLLSKenneth Kaunda International Airport[26]
MbeyaTanzaniaMBIHTGWSongwe Airport[27]
MombasaKenyaMBAHKMOMoi International Airport
MoroniComorosHAHFMCHPrince Said Ibrahim International Airport[22]
MtwaraTanzaniaMYWHTMTMtwara Airport[22]
MusomaTanzaniaMUZHTMUMusoma Airport[22]
MwanzaTanzaniaMWZHTMWMwanza Airport[22]
NairobiKenyaNBOHKJKJomo Kenyatta International Airport[22]
SeroneraTanzaniaSEUHTSNSeronera Airstrip[28]
TaboraTanzaniaTBOHTTBTabora Airport[22]
ZanzibarTanzaniaZNZHTZAAbeid Amani Karume International Airport[22]

Codeshare agreements

Precision Air has codeshare agreements with the following four airlines:

  1. Etihad Airways (Abu Dhabi-Dar es Salaam)[29]
  2. Kenya Airways (various routes)[30]
  3. LAM Mozambique Airlines (Maputo–Nampula–Pemba–Dar es Salaam)[31]
  4. RwandAir (Kigali–Kilimanjaro)[32]

Interline agreements

In 2011, Precision Air entered into an interline agreement with Qatar Airways, allowing the latter's passengers to connect to other east African destinations such as Arusha and Zanzibar via Dar es Salaam and Kilimanjaro International Airport.[33] This agreement includes e-ticketing.[34]

As of 23 December 2014, Precision Air also had 21 interline agreements for baggage and paper ticketing purposes with the following airlines:

  1. Air Seychelles (also e-ticketing)
  2. Alitalia
  3. British Airways (also e-ticketing)
  4. Egyptair
  5. Emirates
  6. Ethiopian Airlines (also e-ticketing)
  7. Etihad Airways
  8. Gulf Air
  9. Hahn Air (also e-ticketing)
  10. Heli Air Monaco
  11. Kenya Airways (also e-ticketing)
  12. KLM (also e-ticketing)
  13. LAM Mozambique Airlines (also e-ticketing)
  14. Oman Air
  15. RwandAir
  16. Saudia
  17. SN Brussels Airlines
  18. South African Airways (also e-ticketing)
  19. Swiss International Air Lines
  20. TAAG Angola Airlines (also e-ticketing)
  21. Virgin Atlantic (also e-ticketing)[34]

Fleet
Fleet
An ATR-42-600.
An ATR-72-500.

Current fleet

As of September 2020, the Precision Air fleet included the following aircraft:[26][35]

Precision Air fleet
Aircraft In Service Orders Passengers Notes
C Y Total
ATR 42-500 3 — 0 48 48
ATR 42-600 1 — 0 48 48
ATR 72-500 5 — 0 70 70
Total 9 0

Historical fleet

The airline has previously operated the following aircraft:

  1. ATR 42-320[11]:66
  2. Boeing 737-300[26]
  3. Bombardier Dash 8

Accidents and incidents

According to the Aviation Safety Network Precision Air has had five accidents or incidents.[36]

  • 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.[37]
  • 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.[38]
  • 8 July 2007: An ATR 72-212, tail number 5H-PAR, had a runway excursion on landing at Nairobi's 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.[39]
  • On 13 December 2013, an ATR 42-600 (5H–PWI) 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.[40]
  • 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 (as per the captain's explanation), 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.[41]
  • December 9, 2018 a PW 722 with 68 passengers from Nairobi to Mwanza via Kilimanjaro was forced to land on emergency due to the swarm of birds that attacked the plane and stacked on the wheels that brought difficulties on landing.[42]

References
  1. "JO 7340.2J - Contractions - Basic with Change 1, Change 2 & Change 3" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  2. "Prospectus" (PDF). 12 September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 January 2013. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  3. "Tanzania's Precision Air gets new chief executive officer". 5 November 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  4. "Precision Air enhances its operations from Mwanza". 1 February 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  5. Travel Planner: Destinations, Precision Air, accessed 8 November 2014
  6. "Precision Air History". Precision Air. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
  7. "Precision Air - Apg". Archived from the original on 19 July 2013. Retrieved 11 June 2013.
  8. "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 10 April 2007. p. 65.
  9. "Kenya Airways to buy 49% stake in Precision Air". AirlineCrew.net. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  10. "Precision Air gets Sh510 million IFC boost". Business Daily. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  11. "Precision Air Services PLC Annual Report and Financial Statements 2015/2016" (PDF). 18 August 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2017.
  12. "Directors Report and Financial Statements 31 March 2013" (PDF). 31 August 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 January 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  13. "Super Brand Precision Air (PW) pleased with 2012/2013 performance", The Financial Junction, 17 April 2013
  14. "Directors' Report and Financial Statements 31 March 2013" (PDF). Precision Air. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 January 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
  15. "Directors' Report and Financial Statements 31 March 2014" (PDF). Precision Air. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  16. "Despite bad financial performance Precision Air shares remain flat". Daily News. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  17. "Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 March 2018" (PDF). Precision Air. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  18. Thome, Wolfgang H. Thome (11 June 2013). "Precision Air's financial troubles go into public domain". eTurboNews. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  19. "Airlineroute :: Routesonline". airlineroute.net. UBM (UK) Ltd. 2017. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  20. "Precision Air's Sh51bn bailout appeal to State". Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  21. "Precision Air looks to other lenders after poor IPO show". The East African. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
  22. "Destinations". Precision Air. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  23. The Citizen Reporter (1 April 2019). "Precision Air starts Dodoma flights as government advances progress to relocate capital". The Citizen (Tanzania). Dar es Salaam. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  24. "Precision Air to Cancel Johannesburg Service from mid-Sep 2012". airlineroute.net. 27 August 2012. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  25. Jimmy Lwangili (6 September 2017). "Tanzania: Precision Air Launches Flights to Kahama". Daily News. Dar es Salaam. Retrieved 7 December 2017 – via AllAfrica.com.
  26. Tanzania's Precision Air goes all prop after last 737 is withdrawn
  27. Veneranda Sumila (29 May 2014). "Precision Air suspends Dar-Mbeya operations". Dar es Salaam: The Citizen. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  28. "Precision Air To Launch Scheduled Flights to the Serengeti". Aviation Tribune. 16 June 2017. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  29. Jim Liu (27 December 2016). "Etihad / Precision Air plans codeshare service from Jan 2017". Routes Online. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  30. "Partners & Alliances". Kenya Airways. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  31. "Precision Air enters into code share with Mozambique Airlines". Precision Air. 6 March 2012. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  32. "Partners and Alliances". RwandAir. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  33. "Qatar Airways and Precision Air announce partnership" (Pressrelease). Qatar Airways. 1 November 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  34. Travel Information, Expert Flyer, accessed 23 December 2014, subscription service
  35. "Precision Air - Our fleet". Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  36. "Accident record for Precision Air". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
  37. Accident description for 5H-PAB at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 8 April 2012.
  38. Accident description for 5H-PAC at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 8 April 2012.
  39. Accident description for 5H-PAR at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 8 April 2012.
  40. ""Update: Precision ATR 42-600 Blew All Main Tires on Landing at Arusha on Dec 13 Resumed to Service", The Aviation Herald, 17 December 2013". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  41. Accident description for 5H-PWA at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 27 September 2014.
  42. http://dar24.com/precision-wafafanua-ndege-yao-kuvamiwa-na-kunguru-angani/
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