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Abstract
This study was aimed at investigating the concept of air transport equipment modernization for Tanzania Peoples Defense Forces challenges and the road map. The study was guided by three research questions and specific objectives namely; to investigate the challenges in modernization of air transport equipment in TPDF. The second objective is to identify the road map for air transport equipment modernization in TPDF and to identify measures to overcome the challenges in the modernization of equipment in TPDF. The specific research questions include what are the challenges in modernization of air transport equipment in TPDF? What is the road map for air transport equipment modernization in the TPDF sector? and what are the possible measures to overcome the challenges facing the TPDF sector air transport equipment modernization?. The study was conducted in the TPDF headquarters that are located in Dar es Salaam. A sample population of 100 military personnel (respondents) was used in this research. Additionally, the research adopted simple random sampling as probability sampling was adopted. Data for the research was collected via questionnaire method whereby respondents were required to provide answers to specific questions. In data analysis, the Statistical Packages for Social Sciences was adopted in realizing percentages and frequencies of the findings.
The study revealed that there are a number of challenges that are associated with air transport equipment modernization in the TPDF sector. These challenges, according to the research, include lack of skilled personnel, financial difficulties, poor infrastructure, taxes and lower maintenance cost as compared to modernization cost. The other side of the research looked at the road map for the modernization of air transport equipment in the TPDF sector. The research revealed that there has been consistency in strategies aimed at boosting modernity of equipment in Tanzania. For instance, the study indicated that there have been ongoing plans related to upgradation, substitution and modification of these equipment to realize modernity.The challenges in modernization of air transport equipment can be solved by training airline employees, having a stable electricity supply and hiring qualified personnel.
It was concluded that despite the significance of the TPDF in ensuring security of the country, there have been a number of challenges and strategies to realize modernization of equipment. It was therefore recommended that proper training, enough funding and deploying skilled personnel will help alleviate the challenges.
Introduction and Background Information
Introduction
This chapter presents the broad backdrop of the subject under consideration. It explains the research problem, and aims of the investigation. Moreover, it presents the research questions, study significance to different consumers and scope of the investigation.
Historical Background of the airline industry in Tanzania
The airline sector has a very brief history compared to other industries. The Wright brothers powered air flights in 1903 laid the groundwork for personal aviation, even if a certain year cannot be pinpointed as a beginning point for the airline industry as a whole. German general Count Zeppelin founded an airline six years after this historic flight, making him the first businessman to start an airline. A passenger airline, the Deutsche Luftschiffahrts-Aktiengesellschaft (DELAG), was created in Frankfurt on November 16, 1909 to serve the citys growing population.
Bieger and Agosti established a four-stage model that encompasses and separates the growth of the airline company. The first stage, known as the technical stage, lasts until the outbreak of World War II, and is referred to as such. Traveling by air was a good option for explorers in the early days. Airlines that turned a profit were hard to come by in this supply-side sector. When it comes to international legislation, agreements and standards for transportation, stage 2 is known as the political stage. The invention of jet jets in the 1950s was a significant success in technology that allowed the airline industry to begin its enormous rise.
Financial difficulties beset the airline industry since their establishment in the World. Issues related to the modernization of equipment based on the advancing technology proved to be a challenge for most countries especially in East Africa. A situation that no one would have accepted for an established airline in 2002 was the grounding of Swiss Air, a company known for its high level of customer care. For airlines of whatever age or size, Swiss Airs grounding underscored the importance of adapting their business model in light of the changing requirements of passengers.
Around the globe, there have been efforts by different countries to modernize their air traffic controls to ensure effective operations especially among the military group. These efforts to upgrade their air-traffic control systems entailed aspects such as the installation of a semi-automated air-traffic control system in late 1950s and adoption of the air traffic control modernization project in the early 1980s. For instance, in countries such as the United States, NAS equipment and facilities were replaced and upgraded as part of the 1981 modernization effort to match the predicted increase in traffic volume, improve margins of safety in the air, and boost the efficiency of the air traffic-control network. The Advanced Automation System (AAS), which would replace computer hardware and software and controller workstations at tower, terminal, and en-route facilities, was the programs main focus.
Most nations airspace systems had substantial congestion and delays in the early 2000s, with one in every four aircraft being delayed. Air traffic was set to triple by 2025, which generated questions about how well the air-traffic control system could handle this increase in demand. In most nations, the JPDO was established in their constitutions to plan for and organize a transition to NextGen by a predetermined date. They wanted NextGen to enhance NAS and aviation safety, security, efficiency, quality, and affordability, as well as take advantage of new technologies and integrate data streams from multiple sources. They also wanted to accommodate and encourage significant growth in domestic and international transportation.
Tanzania Context
The current military army in Tanzania was established in 1964 and named the Tanzania Peoples Defense Force. It had three primary divisions: ground army, navy, and air force. When the conflict against Idi Amins Uganda reached its peak in 1980, the Tanzanian armys overall size jumped from 7,900 in 1968 to 51,850. Afterwards, it stayed at a high level until the mid-90s. In more recent years, the TPDF has been reduced from its 1994 strength of 49,600 members to its 2008 level of 27,000 members.
According to the Air Forces mission statement, it is their responsibility to provide air protection for critical national, political, and economic areas; air defense for major military centers and gatherings; support for domestic military forces; support for civil authorities, particularly during times of national disaster; escorting military leaders and gathering security information; and promoting military relations with other countries. The TAFC now operates out of three primary air bases around the country. Mwanza and Ngerenga, Dar es Salaam are some of the cities in Tanzania with the main air buses being used.
In 1965, the Tanzania Peoples Defense Forces (TPDF) Air Defense Command formed the Air Wing as its air force. In order to help the TPDF ground troops and maintain air linkages between the government and remote regions of the nation, it was established as an autonomous arm. During the air battle of the Uganda-Tanzania War (197879), the Tanzania Air Defense Command destroyed the theoretically superior Uganda Army Air Force. However, only a few of the Tanzanian Air Forces aircraft are still flying currently. Its Shenyang F-5 and Chengdu F-7 aircraft, on the other hand, are said to fly only on rare occasions due to airworthiness issues and insufficient upgrading of their equipment. Transportation is often employed for patrol flights in Tanzania because of its lengthy coastline.
Aviation industry is one of the fastest-growing businesses in the TPDF sector according to. Many steps have been taken by the government to create a favorable business climate in recent years. The Tanzanian governments goal was to open up the countrys TPDF sector to enhance service delivery to the public and boost the countrys security. The TPDF equipment was modernized, and more were opened as a result of government initiatives. Improvements in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policies introduced by the government have also contributed significantly to the growth being experienced in the TPDF group. Increased disposable income, a shift in Indian attitudes toward air travel, the entry of low-cost carriers and a greater inflow of tourists from around the world are just some of the other factors that have contributed to the growth of air travel in Tanzania. There are more opportunities for the aviation industry because of all of these factors.
However, Tanzanias aviation industry is also facing serious threats to the viability of air carriers. Despite the influx of new players, the business has also seen a considerable number of exits due to substantial losses. In addition, there are a large number of people who are fighting to make it. Good instances of this problem include Air India and Kingfisher Airlines in India. Kingfisher Airlines decision to leave the business is mostly due to the companys huge losses. The TPDF industry, on the other hand, has had a long-standing problem with equipment modernization. As a result, the researcher decided to do this investigation because of the current scenario indicated above.
Statement of the Problem
Air transport in Tanzania covers about 945,234sq.km which is a large area under coverage and therefore there has been a need to modernize its equipment to enable effective results. Whereas road transport in the TPDF sector has proved to be of significance, the basis of air transport serves as a runaway that can help to boost security within the nation. However, in the recent past, challenges related to purchasing equipment and upgrading them to the latest versions has been a greater challenge.
Despite the fact that there has been a rapid growth in the TPDF sector in the recent past, there is still a challenge related to the reliability of the equipment being used in the sector. Poor technological advancement in the modernization of the equipment has resulted in poor service delivery for the air defense forces. Currently, the government has only focused on upgrading airline equipment within the tourism sector of the North, Zanzibar and some parts of the south thus neglecting the TPDF airline sector. However, this has been cited to the less demand of the modernization of equipment in the sector as the country enjoys stability in their security sector.
Therefore, this research assessed the challenges and strategies as well as the recommendations to realize effective solutions more in the modernization of air transport in Tanzania particularly, TPDF sector.
Research Objectives
The research objective generally aimed at evaluating the challenges and road map for modernization of equipment for air transport in Tanzania Peoples Defense Forces and Tanzania in general.
Specific Objectives
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To find out the challenges which face modernization of equipment for air transport in Tanzania Peoples Defense Forces.
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To identify the road map for the modernization of air transport in Tanzania Peoples Defense Forces.
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To determine the possible measures to overcome the challenges facing air transport operations in Tanzania Peoples Defense Forces.
Research Questions
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What are the challenges which face modernization of equipment for air transport in Tanzania Peoples Defense Forces?
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What is the road map for the modernization of air transport in Tanzania Peoples Defense Forces?
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What are the possible measures to overcome the challenges facing air transport operations in Tanzania Peoples Defense Forces?
Significance of the Study
Findings derived from this study are significant as they are expected to contribute immensely to different personnel within the TPDF sector particularly on realizing specific challenges and opportunities in Tanzania.
The findings will provide information on how to handle the challenge of modernization of air transport in the TPDF sector. Also, the study will provide useful information to specific personnel such as policy makers and the government on what has to be done in order to realize effective results on the issue of modernization of air transport in the TPDF sector and Tanzania government in general.
Limitations of the Study
Time constraints limited the scope of our investigation. Instead of six months, it was completed in four months, rather than the six months that had been planned for. Researchers should employ a bigger sample size in their research, which is an important prerequisite for reliable research that aims at generalizing findings and generating conclusions about the population of study. A number of TPDF officers from Dar es Salaam were interviewed, but the researcher was unable to interview all of the groups employees in other stations.
Delimitation
Because this study depends on secondary data sources, it has a number of limitations. Accordingly, data collection is based mostly on open-source information such as academic publications and reports. It is possible to circumvent the limits imposed by outdated or untrustworthy data by consulting a variety of current and dependable sources of information.
Physical visits and phone calls were necessary to keep tabs on the surveys and ensure that they were filled out to the fullest extent possible, in response to the restrictions outlined above. Participants were drawn in by the surveys since they were brief and to the point, and this made it easy for them to complete them. Because of a lack of resources and time, the researcher was compelled to focus her investigation on only Dar-es-Salaam. Although the findings were specific to one TPDF site, they were extrapolated to all sites in Tanzania. Participants were extensively educated on the studys purpose and implications for their participation by the researchers abilities, experience, and theoretical orientation in research methodologies.
Literature Review
Introduction
To better understand the problems related to modernization of air transportation equipment in the TPDF sector, this section examines both theoretical and empirical research. It begins with a brief history of Tanzanias air transportation business, followed by an in-depth examination of the countrys current difficulties and future goals. A review of relevant literature on the TPDF sectors modernization difficulties, prospects, and solutions will follow thereafter.
Theoretical Literature Review
As the aviation industry grows, so does the demand on accessible airspace, necessitating a greater emphasis on making the most of what is already there. Point-to-point and direct flights are predicted to grow in popularity due to the expansion of scheduled and general aviation aircraft. In addition, the rising cost of fuel is a serious issue for the whole aviation industry. Flight delays, cancellations, choke spots, inefficient operations, and passenger discomfort might rise as the air transportation system becomes more complicated, especially when unpredictable weather and other circumstances limit airport capacity, as is the case now. The cost of operations will continue to rise unless there are modernization in equipment efficiency and labor productivity. In the short term, air transportation equipment modernization must take advantage of present and emerging capabilities while also laying the groundwork for meeting the stakeholder communitys future demands. The use of PBN principles can help ease some of these problems by increasing the efficiency of airspace and processes.
Air Transport in Tanzania
According to the IATA Annual Report of 2011, it is estimated that the Tanzanian aviation sector generated USD 18 billion in 2010. A decade of ups and downs has left the sector more resilient and effective than ever. Passenger yields climbed by 6.1% despite the fact that the capacity was raised by 5.2 percent. Growth in Tanzanias economy has led to increasing international and domestic air traffic as a consequence of improving market conditions in key aviation markets.
According to the International Air Transport Associations annual report, Tanzanias overall passenger traffic climbed by 9.9 percent from 2,754,355 in 2009 to 3,027,512 passengers in 2010. From 2009 to 2010, the number of aircraft movements grew by 8.1% from 167,610 to 181,240. As nations recover from the global financial crisis, their success has been linked to a better global economy.
The IATAs 2011 Annual Report similarly shows that international aviation traffic increased by 22.6% in 2010 after declining by 8.6% in 2009. In 2010, there were 28,941 aircraft movements, up from 23,611 in 2009. From 15,611 scheduled movements in 2009 to 21,316 scheduled movements in 2010, there was a 36.1% increase in scheduled movements. In 2010, the number of foreign passengers transported grew by 9.7 percent from 1,262,216 to 1,384,855. International airports had a rise of 5.8% in aircraft movements in 2010, while domestic airports saw an increase of 7.0% in 2009. In 2010, the number of transactions handled increased from 143,999 to 152,299, a 17% increase. According to IATAs 2011 Annual Report, domestic passenger traffic grew by 10.1% from 1,492,139 to 1,642,657 passengers between 2009 and 2010.
ITCs 2012 annual report states that Precision Air Services is the only national carrier of the United Republic of Tanzania, having satisfied all of the International Civil Aviation Organizations standards for a National Carrier (ICAO). Prior to Precision Air Services Limited entering service in March 2011, there were no other Tanzanian carriers operating regular international and local flights while also maintaining the countrys most extensive domestic network. Additionally, Precision Air Services Limited was the sole recognized airline industry standard for operational safety as of March 2011 under IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA). There was just one Tanzanian airline in the IATA clearing house in March 2011: Precision Air. IATA membership allows Precision Air to collaborate and work with the worlds largest international carriers, allowing them to lift Precision Air customers on their flights and vice versa.
Aircraft Equipment Modernization in the World
According to the International Civil Aviation Organization, it is estimated that in 1998, the direct contribution of civil aviation (including airlines, commercial air transport operations, and their affiliates) amounted to US$ 370 billion. Even in wealthy countries like the United States, where air travel is a major component of both military and personal life, civil aviation contributes significantly to the GDP. A rising tide lifts all boats as air travel becomes more accessible to those living in underdeveloped countries. Aviation is a key component of the worlds infrastructure, according to Park 1.657 billion people-or almost a quarter of the worlds population-and 34.5 million tons of freight were transported by the worlds 896 scheduled airlines in 2003. Almost 40% of the worlds manufactured exports and over half of the more than 714 million international tourists were carried by the industry. Since it is predicted that freight transportation would account for as much as 80% by value in the globe by 2014, it is likely to grow in prominence.
According to Park, investments in the renovation and extension of high-quality aviation equipment must be made over a lengthy period of time to support the expected modernization plan. For example, it is anticipated that from 2015 to 2030, the world would need to invest USD 1.8 trillion on airport modernization and equipment upgrade With about 73.74% in modernization scheme to satisfy future demand, reduce travel time, and increase service predictability and dependability, investment in aviation infrastructure is set to realize its full exploit. Modernization in air transport equipment promotes public trust that flying is safe, secure and ecologically responsible.
According to Park, most of the aviation sectors infrastructure expenditures (runways, airport terminals, and air traffic control) have been paid for by the business itself rather than being subsidized by taxation or public investment by their respective government. In addition to user fees and other income sources, infrastructure expenditures have been paid for by the air transport business itself. As a result, airlines and their customers are expected to contribute USD 136 billion in tax collections in 2018, which is around 45 percent of the industrys gross domestic product (firm-level equivalent to GDP).
According to Estache (2014), the airline sector has had declining income returns (the sectors equivalent of pricing) but also growing overall revenues for much of the previous 30 years, signifying a higher volume in terms of customer journeys and freight handled. As a result of substantial deregulation and the introduction of a large number of new companies, the industry was able to increase its overall revenues by 28% in the decade leading up to 2003. Passenger kilometers climbed by 4.3% and freight ton-kilometers by 6.5% between 1991 and 2002, respectively, for the scheduled airlines traffic.
Challenges For Modernization Of Equipment For Air Transport In Tanzania
Published reports from June 2013 revealed that the TPDF sector had significant financial issues, in part due to losses that were experienced when performing security flights. The study further indicated that TPDF has for a long time been faced with a crisis in the modernization of their equipment due to lack of enough funding from the government. In August 2013, a Tanzanian publication stated that the TPDF sector desperately needed a $32 million rescue package from the Tanzanian government or other non-shareholder sources from Tanzania for them to fully upgrade their military aircraft equipment.
According to an unpublished World Bank report, the absence of airports in potential destinations, including those stated above, is a major obstacle to the expansion of domestic air transportation. With the inability to expand the air transport sector, it follows that there has been no need to modernize the equipment being used thus pausing a challenge. Tourists flock to western Tanzanias Tabora and Kigoma districts for its historical landmarks and the regions chimpanzees, but there is no air transportation available. This has resulted in the existing challenges in the modernization of the air transport equipment.
The unpublished report prepared for the World Bank further showed that military personnel in the organization receive less finance from the government, which results in poor performance in their modernization scheme, which in turn results in challenges. Due to little revenue, the airline does not perform frequent repair or modernization, as the studys findings demonstrate. The culture and mentality of the military personnel towards their equipment has resulted in poor performance as most of them cannot make good use of the old air transport equipment thus resulting in poor service delivery.
Following the conclusions of Park (2014), the air transport industry in Africa suffers from a lack of funds for servicing and modernization of equipment issues. As a result, many Africans countries have financial issues because they lack the cultural mindset to see security as a necessity for growth, but instead see it as an obvious thing. The theoretical literature analysis also supports the published report by Estache, which states that the Tanzania People Defense Force faced significant financial issues as a result of losses suffered while operating flights to and from their military based on areas of execution of their activities.
According to Aviation Safety Network, as of September 2014, the air transport sector had experienced incidents or accidents that were linked to poor modernization plans in the air transport equipment as follows:
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On the 26th of July, 1999, a Let L-410UVP-E9 with the tail number 5H-PAB performed a belly landing at Arusha Airport while practicing touch and go. Two members of the flight crew and three passengers were not hurt however. This accident was linked to a faulty aircraft engine due to lack of modernization.
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On 16th November 2004, during a training flight at Kilimanjaro Airport, a Let L-410UVP-E20, with the tail number 5H-PAC, crashed and burst into flames. Facial injuries occurred to the two pilots who had not put on their shoulder belts. This incident was associated with lack of modernization on the propellers and the aircraft engine.
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On 8 July 2007, at Jomo Kenyatta International Airports runway 06, an ATR 72-212, tail number 5H-PAR, experienced a runway excursion. To the right of Taxiway F it deviated and ended up in the ditch. This accident was linked to the Nose-wheel failure due to lack of modernization and upgrading of the part. However, no one on board, including the four members of the crew and the 62 passengers, was hurt. The damage to the plane was significant. Reverse thrust applied on landing may have resulted in this incident. The levers of power were stuck in a single place.
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On 10 July 2014, an ATR 72-500, with the tail number 5H-PWA, was flying from Mwanza to Dar es Salaam when the number 2 engine spat out. As a result, a flight to Kilimanjaro International Airport was required. However, after selecting ground idle, the aircraft swerved to the left and exited runway 09, hitting one of runway edge lights, before rolling over the grass field parallel to runway 09 for 180 meters before reclaiming the runway, as explained by the captain. However, there were no reports of any injuries. The accident was later cited to be a fault in the number 2 engine of the aircraft which was yet to be modernized.
According to Michael, TPDFs air transport sector faces an uncertain future after an audit indicated that the airlines liabilities currently surpassed its assets by TZS 83.14 billion (USD 53 million). The first large-scale military airline in Tanzania was recently obliged to ask the government for a USD 32 million bailout after reporting losses of USD 18 million for its most recent financial year. The airline blamed its losses on a disastrous initial public offering (IPO) in 2012 in their equipment modernization, which failed to elicit significant interest from the countrys major investment and pension institutions, as well as the introduction of Fastjet (FN, Dar-es-Salaam) into the local and regional markets. Chairman and 42.91 percent shareholder Michael Shirima made a note in October stating Dar es Salaam had requested that the firm shares be revalued prior to making a judgment on the capital request. He also said that most air transport companies in Tanzania are in contact with several private carriers who were interested in purchasing a stake in their airline.
Empirical Studies
This section is dealing with identifying the research gaps deduced from challenges and road map for air transport equipment modernization for Tanzania People Defense Force.
Tretheway conducted a research and found that there are several problems that must be overcome in order to modernize air transport equipment in the United States. Expatriates and tourists to other countries avoid flying because of the high number of mishaps, incidents, delays, and cancellations in the industry resulting from faulty equipment that have not been upgraded. In modern industrialized countries, citizens are warned against traveling on particular airlines or within specific countries. Some corporations and organizations even prohibit their staff from flying on certain airlines. This is because such airlines have been facing many challenges that have hindered their ability to modernize their air transport equipment thus causing greater chances of accidents and delays.
However, because this study is based on data from a first-world nation that is also a global economic superpower, it cannot be compared to the Tanzanian case. This is due to the fact that first-world nations are more developed and have established norms, whereas our underdeveloped countries do not.
According to Robin, a Nigerian researcher, there is a paucity of airline services in Africa. Researchers wanted to know if a lack of airplane service was preventing Africa from reaching the industrialized state and having a well modernized air transport sector. An office sample of 409 Nigerian National Aviation Offices employees was used for the study. A lack of dependable air transportation can significantly limit access to a developing country, according to new research. Confidence in the national government and local businesses might be further eroded by this. The survey found that investors and visitors will go elsewhere. Because of this, both nations economies are doomed for the time being. In the future, the gap between industrialized and developing countries will widen.
According to Charles of India, the passenger traffic transported by scheduled domestic flights during January-July 2021 increased by 1.74 percent over the same year in 2011, but the sector nevertheless suffered huge losses. The research further indicated that such negativity was much associated with the use of faulty equipment in the air transport sector and a consequent lack of skilled personnel in the field of upgradation and modernization. The following are only a few of the various reasons for these losses: When it comes to running an airline, ATF is a huge expense. Fuel expenditures account for roughly 45 percent of overall operating costs for Indian operators, compared to 34 percent for the majority of operators elsewhere in the globe. This is mostly due to state governments around the country charging exorbitant amounts of tax on ATF. ATF is taxed at rates ranging from 25% to 30% depending on where you live. It was also prohibited until very recently to bring directly imported ATF into the United States. With such high expenses to be incurred, India had resolved to the use of traditional air transport equipment rather than carrying out an upgradation scheme.
Additionally, service tax was shown to be a challenge by Charles in his research. He contended that Indian aviation tickets are subject to a 12.36 percent service tax. Third-party services like ticketing, aircraft maintenance, and ground handling, all of which are subject to service tax, are widely used by aviation sector participants, putting Indian operators at a disadvantage in the face of fierce competition. This service tax on plane tickets and on the services acquired by Indian airline operators adds even more to the costs of running an airline in the country limiting possible plans on modernization and upgradation of equipment. However, because this study is based on data from a first-world nation (India) that is also a global economic superpower, it cannot be compared to the Tanzanian case. This is due to the fact that first-world nations are more de
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