Zanair

What Zanair does

ZanAir is a privately-held Tanzanian domestic airline headquartered in Zanzibar, founded in 1992 by Carl G. Salisbury, who arrived on the island in 1991 with a Piper Seneca 2. The airline operates scheduled passenger flights between Zanzibar, Dar Es Salaam, Pemba, Selous, and Arusha, complemented by full charter services to remote bush airstrips throughout Tanzania and exclusive scenic sightseeing flights over Zanzibar. It primarily serves international safari tourists, beach holiday travelers, private charter clients, and medical evacuation customers, with distribution occurring through direct online booking at booking.zanair.com, an Aerocrs-based travel agent portal, and bundled itineraries sold via sister company ZanTours, Tanzania's leading Zanzibar-based Destination Management Company.

The airline's fleet consists of five Cessna aircraft across three configurations: a 12-seater Cessna 404, a 14-seater Cessna Caravan C208, and a 6-seater Cessna C207, suited to the short-haul domestic routes and unpaved bush airstrips that comprise its network. A distinguishing technical capability is the deployment of twin-engine aircraft capable of night medical evacuation flights to remote locations, a service most competitors cannot reliably provide. ZanAir also holds exclusive government permission to operate scenic flights over Zanzibar, supported by onboard security officer accompaniment, establishing a regulatory-distinct product vertical. Operational offices are maintained at Zanzibar Airport, Pemba Airport, Dar Es Salaam (both inside the domestic terminal and outside it), and Arusha, in addition to the Zanzibar head office on Airport Road.

ZanAir generates revenue from four primary streams: per-segment ticket sales on scheduled flights, quote-based pricing for charter services, fixed-rate scenic flight bookings, and ancillary fees including excess baggage (USD 2-3 per kg depending on route) and Zanzibar airport ground transfers (USD 30-60 per vehicle). Pricing is largely quote-based or pay-as-you-go, with no published subscription or contract structures. The company is regulated under Tanzania Civil Aviation Carriage by Air Regulations 2008 and Montreal Convention 1999 provisions, and operates with no publicly disclosed funding rounds, institutional investors, or parent company structure, reflecting founder-controlled ownership under Managing Director Carl G. Salisbury.

Name

Zanair

Legal name

ZanAir

Website

https://zanair.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

ZanAir is a Zanzibar-based Tanzanian domestic airline founded in 1992 operating scheduled flights, charters, and scenic flights with a 5-aircraft Cessna fleet. It serves international safari tourists, charter clients, and medical evacuation customers across Tanzania's major destinations and remote bush airstrips.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Domestic Air Transportation

NAICS

Nonscheduled Air Transportation (4812), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation (487), Air Transportation (481)

SIC

Air Transportation, Scheduled (4512)

akta.pro primary industry

Scenic/Tour & Aerial Sightseeing Flights (TLAFABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Island & Remote Region Regional Airlines (THABACAL)

Keywords

• Domestic airline services
• Charter flight operations
• Scenic sightseeing flights
• Safari air transfers
• Medical evacuation flights

Headquarters

HQ city

Zanzibar

HQ country

Tanzania

HQ region

Africa

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Scheduled Passenger Flights: Regular scheduled flights between Zanzibar, Dar Es Salaam, Pemba, Selous and Arusha. Revenue generated per passenger per flight segment.
2. Charter Flights: Private charter flights for safari operators and individuals to remote airstrips throughout Tanzania. Quote-based pricing depending on destination and aircraft type.
3. Scenic Flights: Exclusive sightseeing flights over Zanzibar with two route options (North Tour ~1 hour, Island Tour ~1 hour 40 minutes). Includes headsets, snacks and soft drinks.
4. Ground Transfers: Complimentary terminal transfers in Dar Es Salaam for connecting passengers. Paid transfer services on Zanzibar through sister company ZanTours.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ZanAir operates scheduled domestic passenger flights between Zanzibar, Dar Es Salaam, Pemba, Selous, and Arusha, and provides full charter flight services to any airport or bush airstrip within Tanzania, including night medical evacuation operations. It is the only airline in Zanzibar with government permission to operate scenic sightseeing flights over the island, offering North Tour and Island Tour routes.

Product overview

ZanAir is a Tanzanian domestic airline headquartered in Zanzibar, operating since 1992. The company offers three core aviation services: scheduled flights between Zanzibar, Dar Es Salaam, Pemba, Arusha, and Selous; full charter flights to any Tanzanian airport or bush airstrip, including medical evacuation; and exclusive scenic flights over Zanzibar. A complimentary terminal transfer service in Dar Es Salaam and ground transfers on Zanzibar via sister company ZanTours are provided as add-on services. The fleet consists of five Cessna aircraft in three configurations (6, 12, and 14-seaters), with seating capacities ranging from 5 to 13 seats depending on configuration. The airline serves safari destinations including Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro, Serengeti, Tarangire, and Selous Game Reserve.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Scheduled Flights Regular domestic passenger flights connecting Zanzibar with Dar Es Salaam, Pemba, Arusha, and Selous, with onward connections to game parks and safari destinations across Tanzania. Targeted at safari tourists, beach travelers, and business passengers moving within the country.
• Charter Flights Full charter flight services to any airport or bush airstrip within Tanzania, including private charters for safari operators and individuals, and night medical evacuation operations using small twin-engine aircraft. Quote-based pricing depending on destination and aircraft type.
• Scenic Flights over Zanzibar Exclusive sightseeing flights over Zanzibar with two route options: North Tour (Stone Town and northern part of the island, approximately 1 hour) and Island Tour (entire island coastline, approximately 1 hour 40 minutes). Operated with a security officer accompaniment, and includes headsets, snacks, and soft drinks.
• Terminal Transfer (Dar Es Salaam) Complimentary shuttle service between Terminal 1 (Domestic) and Terminal 2/3 (International) at Dar Es Salaam airport for all booked passengers on ZanAir flights.
• Transfers on Zanzibar Paid ground transfer services on Zanzibar island offered through sister company ZanTours, including airport to hotel transfers at specified rates (e.g., Airport to Beach Hotel: 60 USD per vehicle for 1-4 passengers; Airport to Town Hotel: 30 USD per vehicle for 1-4 passengers).

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ZanTourscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1992ZanTours is ZanAir's sister company and Tanzania's leading Destination Management Company (DMC) on Zanzibar. Established by Carl G. Salisbury 5 years after founding ZanAir, ZanTours provides comprehensive ground tour services and recommends ZanAir for flight arrangements. Bookings for Stone Town Tours and other ground services are coordinated through ZanTours.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Mombasa Air Safari: Mombasa Air Safari is a Kenyan charter airline offering scheduled and charter flights along the Kenyan coast and to safari airstrips. They are a regional peer with a comparable small-aircraft charter and tourism model serving East African beach-and-safari itineraries.
• Safari Link Aviation: Safari Link is a Kenyan regional airline operating scheduled and charter flights to safari destinations from Nairobi and Mombasa. They are a regional peer with a comparable small-fleet charter and safari tourism model in East Africa.
• Airkenya Express: Airkenya Express is a Kenyan regional airline operating scheduled and charter flights to safari destinations. They are a regional peer with a comparable business model of small-aircraft tourism and safari charter services in East Africa.

Direct peers

• Tropical Air: Tropical Air is a Tanzanian airline operating charter and scheduled flights from Zanzibar to safari destinations. They are a direct competitor in the same Zanzibar-based domestic and charter market as ZanAir.
• Auric Air: Auric Air is a Tanzanian domestic airline operating scheduled and charter flights serving safari circuits and coastal destinations including Zanzibar. They directly compete with ZanAir on charter and scheduled safari routes using similar small Cessna-type aircraft.
• Coastal Aviation: Coastal Aviation is a Tanzanian domestic airline operating scheduled and charter flights to safari destinations and Zanzibar. They are the closest direct competitor to ZanAir, sharing the same routes, customer base (safari tourists), and charter-only fleet model.
• Flightlink Chartered Airlines: Flightlink is a Tanzanian domestic charter and scheduled airline serving Arusha, Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam, and safari airstrips. They compete directly with ZanAir on Tanzania regional and charter routes.

Broad incumbents

• Fly540 (Kenya & Tanzania operations): Fly540 is a low-cost regional airline operating in East Africa with scheduled domestic routes in Kenya and Tanzania. They are a broader incumbent in the regional low-cost segment and a competitor on certain Tanzania domestic routes.
• Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL): Air Tanzania is the state-owned national carrier operating scheduled domestic and international flights including routes to Zanzibar, Dar es Salaam, and Arusha. They are a much larger incumbent and a key competitor on ZanAir's main scheduled routes.
• Precision Air: Precision Air is a Tanzanian regional airline operating scheduled ATR turboprop services across Tanzania, including Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam. They are a larger incumbent competing with ZanAir on the main Zanzibar-Dar scheduled trunk route.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ZanAirlimited
• Instagraminstagram.com/zanair1992
• Xx.com/flyzanair
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zanair-limited

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zanair