Coastal Aviation is an airline that operates out of Julius Nyerere International Airport, Terminal 1, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It services many areas in Tanzania, but also operates regionally to neighboring countries, including Kenya and Rwanda.
Founded by ingenious entrepreneur Nicola Colangelo, Coastal started in 1987 as an inbound operator offering “Personalized Safaris & Air Charters” to the tourism market which was very thin at the time. The original Coastal fleet comprised of one Aircraft, a Cessna 206T and three beautiful large Dhows, a typical East African small sailing boat. As the country experienced economic development, sailing to Zanzibar became a business for faster powered boats. Coastal Aviation decided to focus on the aviation side of the business but maintained the Dhow at sunset on the logo to remind us of our romantic beginnings.
Today, Coastal Aviation’s versatile fleet comprises of 16 Cessna Grand Caravan C208B and 6 Pilatus PC-12/45. In 2019 we carried over 150,000 passengers operating into roughly 100 airstrips, some of them located in the most isolated pockets of East Africa. Alongside its operations, the company has grown with offices and bases in Tanzanian major hubs like Dar es salaam, Zanzibar, Arusha, Mwanza, employing over 300 staff members.
