Zanzibar, is always regarded as the small islands that happen to be part of the Tanzanian Union, sharing many things including a national carrier. But the Isles now mull establishing its own independent airline.
The Isles, comprising Unguja and Pemba, is seriously working to start flying a new national carrier to ensure direct international flights in the archipelago and boost its beach and heritage tourism.
As far as government representatives in the Island are concerned, most of the tourists arriving in Zanzibar fly there aboard chartered flights from either Kilimanjaro or Arusha, after landing on the mainland first.
Essentially, the Island is cutting itself off from the mainland, as far as joint air transport business is concerned.
While the latest announcement regarding the proposed airline came in April 2026, through the Zanzibar Minister for Labor and Investment Shariff Ali Shariff, this wasn’t the first time for the Isles to float the idea.
Earlier, in 2025, the Isles’ Deputy Minister for Works, Communication and Transport, Nadir Abdulatif Yussuf revealed that his government was in advanced talks with EgyptAir to explore the feasibility of launching the carrier.
Is the arrangement between the ‘Tanzanian’ archipelago with Cairo still on? Will Egyptair lease some of the company planes to seed the new ‘Zanzibar Airline?’
Or is this going to be a joint airline with Cairo?
Ethiopian Airline did a similar thing with Air Congo, so Egyptair could have borrowed a leaf from Addis Ababa in its envisaged project with Zanzibar.
But it is still not known if the new company will be called Air Zanzibar, Zanzibar Airways or Zanzibar Airline, but the recent announcement regarding its establishment is causing mayhem on social media platforms in Tanzania and across the country’s diaspora community.
Zanzibar claims that the move is aimed at boosting tourism in the Isles by creating own feeder carrier.
However, for observers, the proposed Isles’ separate airline seems to be directly out to compete with the Tanzanian flag carrier, Air Tanzania which has been serving as the National Airline since 1978.
Still being fed with a baby spoon by the government, The Air Tanzania company (ATCL) isn’t exactly performing well, despite being regularly gifted with new aircraft, paid from the state coffers.
Air Tanzania in its few international voyages’ manifest has included Zanzibar in a number of enroute landing destinations for the carrier’s overseas trips.
In fact, Air Tanzania has been connecting Zanzibar with Dubai as well as the Isles with Johannesburg on direct flights arrangements.
Now, following the recent announcement about Zanzibar going solo on airline business, is the marriage between the Isles and Air Tanzania over?
Fingers crossed.