Following their installation at the airport in July, the São Toméan airport management company (Empresa Nacional de Aeroportos e Segurança Aérea - ENASA) has reported that the runway lighting system in place along São Tomé International Airport's runway 11/29 has been vandalized twice in the last two weeks, leading to allegations of sabotage.
The founder and Chairman of domestic Ghanaian operator, Antrak Air (4O), Alhaji Asuma Banda, has threaten legal action against the government should plans to establish a new national carrier proceed. Earlier this year, Minster of Transport, Dzifa Attivor, had set forth a proposal involving the creation of a new national carrier, albeit under a a Public/Private Partnership.
With the recent conclusion of President Jacob Zuma's state visit to the West African country, South Africa has pledged to help Senegal develop Dakar as a West African hub, with particular emphasis on exploiting the city's new airport, Blaise Diagne International, set to be completed in late 2014.
An Associated Aviation (SCD) Embraer EMB-120, (MCN 120174 | 5N-BJY) operating as a charter flight from Lagos Murtala Muhammed International Airport to Akure (Nigeria), crashed shortly after takeoff from runway 18L yesterday at 09h32L. The turboprop was carrying 13 passengers and 7 crew onboard of whom 13 have been confirmed dead with one unaccounted for. Survivors were taken to hospital in downtown Lagos.
As previously speculated, the change in power in Cairo has led the country to suspend tourism links with Iran for what Minister of Tourism, Hisham Zazou, stated were "reasons of national security". Mr Zazou's statement comes just 5 months after the then Islamist-backed government of Mohammed Morsi reached out to Tehran in a bid to restore relations, severed after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced global passenger traffic results for August showing a strengthening of the healthy demand trend of the last few months. Total revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs) rose 6.8% compared to August 2012. Capacity increases over the year-ago period lagged demand at 5.6%. This pushed the load factor to match the record high of 83.4% set in
July 2011. In terms of its Passenger traffic results, African airlines’
traffic climbed 5.4% compared to August 2012. Meanwhile August international air freight demand was up 3.6% on the previous year. That is considerably better than year-to-date performance of a 0.7% expansion. However, African carriers' cargo experienced another decline in freight volumes, down 9.7%.
Following the visit by an inspection by a International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) assessment team to Botswana in April, to conduct an ICAO Coordinated Validation Mission (ICVM), the country has now been as having achieved 59.6% of Effective Implementation as compared to 27.8% in 2006. The purpose of the ICVM was to check the progress made by Botswana following the safety audit carried out in May 2006 which showed at the time that Botswana was at 27.8% of Effective Implementation.
EgyptAir Maintenance & Engineering has been awarded a contract to provide line maintenance services for Qatar Airways (QR) at Cairo International Airport. The first flight arrived on Tuesday October 1 where senior staff were present to welcome the crew and flight attendants.
Air Zimbabwe (UM) has appointed its head of Quality, Safety & Security, Mr.
Edmund Makona, as its acting
Chief Executive Officer following the recent suspension of incumbent Mr Innocent Mavhunga and acting Managing Director, Ms Grace Pfumbidzayi. The two were suspended to allow for further investigations after a recent forensic audit of the airline's operations uncovered alleged financial discrepancies in its insurance premium payments for the period 2009 - present.
Nigerian domestic carrier, First Nation Airways (FRN), has resumed operations with its maiden flight between Lagos and Abuja on September 30. Flights are onboard the airline's fleet of two A319s, leased from the International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC).
The Angolan government, by 2016, will have invested EUR1.6billion into the construction and rehabilitation of thirty domestic airports, including sixteen new ones, Manuel Ferreira de Ceita, the CEO of Angola's airport and air traffic authority (Empresa Nacional de Aeroportos e Navegação Aérea - ENANA), has said.
Algeria and Austria are set to commence negotiations over a proposed revision of their Bilateral Air Services Agreement signed in 1991, Austria's Ambassador to Algeria, Ms Aloisia
Worgetter, announced on Sunday September 29. According to her, the direct air link will facilitate both increased travel and business between
the two countries through the estbalishment of direct flights. At present, there are none.
Canadian aircraft & train manufacturer, Bombardier Aerospace, has held a symbolic ground-breaking ceremony on the site of its future manufacturing facility situated in the now-open Midparc Casablanca Free Zone, in Nouaceur, Morocco. The occasion was attended by King Mohammed VI of Morocco, various Bombardier suits as well as Moroccan and Canadian dignitaries.
As part of efforts to clamp down on illegal charter airline operations in the country, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has released a list of licensed scheduled commercial and charter airlines on its registry with only 26 operators having so far been cleared for operations.
Nairobi-based cargo operator, Astral Aviation (8V), and ANA Aviation Services have announced a new strategic partnership in Africa following the delivery of a B747-400F (MSN 29261 | N408MC), on wet-lease from ACMI specialists, Atlas Air (5Y), on September 27.
Mr. Kassim Geressu, the Chief Financial Officer of Ethiopian Airlines (ET), has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the carrier's nascent Malawian venture, Malawi Airlines. Mr Geresu's appointment was confirmed by Tewolde Gebremariam in a press conference held in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, yesterday afternoon.
Angolan flag carrier TAAG Linhas Aéreas de Angola (DT) has at long last added a second weekly frequency to its Luanda - Beijing, China route. The added Friday flight became effective September 21 and will be followed by an additional third frequency next year.
The AviAssist Foundation, an independent, non-profit organization that provides safety support to African countries and companies and aims to inspire and promote professionalism in African aviation safety, has announced the successful conclusion of a week-long annual Airport Rescue & Fire Fighting ARFF training course in the Rwandan capital, Kigali.
Toumaï Air Tchad (9D) has resumed limited operations using its ex-Georgian Star International (GST) B737-300 (MSN 24717 | TT-EAZ) for Hajj charter flights from N'Djamena to Madinah, Saudi Arabia.
South Africa's Airlink (4Z) has delayed the launch of flights to Skukuza from the previously announced March, to June 2, 2014. According to the carrier, it will commence direct daily flights between Johannesburg and Skukuza as well as Cape Town and Skukuza from Monday 2 June 2014 using an Embraer 135.
fastjet (FN) has announced a USD24.9million EBIT loss for the first half of its 2013 Financial Year ended 30 June 2013. In its statement, the company said that its Tanzanian LCC is now profitable "on an underlying route level basis", though it did post operational losses of USD9.1million and USD4.2million in 1Q and 2Q of this year respectively.
Egyptair (MS) generated EGP20.7billion (USD3billion) in revenue for its latest 2012/2013 Financial Year, a rise of 63% on that recorded for 2011/2012, Egyptian Minister of Civil Aviation, Abdel Aziz Fadel, has announced. Speaking in Cairo outlining the current state of Egypt's civil aviation industry, Mr Fadel did however concede that, despite the rise in revenue, the airline was still struggling to turn a profit as it is saddled with EGP11.5billion (USD1.7billion) in debt.
South African startup, Skywise (SWZ), will likely miss a deferred October launch date after the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) revealed that, to date, the airline had completed 3 of the 5 steps necessary to obtain its Air Operators Certificate.
Air Namibia (SW), the Windhoek based national airline of Namibia, has taken delivery of its first A330-200 (MCN 1451 | V5-ANO) from Airbus at a ceremony in Toulouse, France. The aircraft is the first of two A330s being leased by Air Namibia from US lessor, Intrepid Aviation, on 12-year contracts.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority's (NCAA) decree that no Nigerian carrier, whether scheduled or charter, will be able to wet-lease foreign aircraft for the purposes of commercial operations for periods longer than six months is set to come into effect from October 1.
Denis Coghlan, the chief executive officer of the ambitious Botswana-based startup, Kalahari Airways, has outlined his longterm vision for the company in which he sees the establishment of Gaborone as a regional hub for flights to Hong Kong and the United States in addition to London.
Singapore has announced the signing of Open Skies Treaties with Sierra Leone and Tanzania respectively on the sidelines of the ongoing 38th session of the General Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) being held in the Canadian city of Montreal from 24 September to 30 September.
A Express (XZ) is set to commence three new domestic South African flights with effect from November 1: Cape Town - George, Johannesburg (ORTIA) - Kruger/Mpumalanga and Johannesburg (ORTIA) - Pietermaritzburg. With the exception of the Pietermaritzburg flights which operate onboard a Q400, both other routes are operated with a Bombardier CRJ200.
Kenyan cargo carrier, Astral Aviation (8V), has signed a deal with US-based ACMI specialists Atlas Air Worldwide for the lease of one B747-400(F), Astral's first widebody freighter, for use in expanding its Africa-Europe cargo operations.
The Libyan Civil Aviation Authority (مصلحة الطيران المدني - LYCAA) has awarded L'Ente Nazionale di Assistenza al Volo (ENAV), the Italian state-owned company specializing in air navigation services together with its subsidiary Techno Sky, two contracts for the supply of consultancy, technical and training services to assist in the modernisation of the LYCAA's systems and its organisational and regulatory processes.
A Express (XZ) has reported a small net profit of ZAR650'000 (USD64'930) on the back of a 14% rise in revenue for its 2012/13 Financial Year, airline CEO Inati Ntshanga announced at the airline's AGM on Wednesday, September 25, in Johannesburg. Turnover also rose by ZAR270million, from ZARR2.021billion in 2012 to ZAR2.295billion in 2013.
fastjet (FN) has announced that its first international flight between Dar es Salaam and Johannesburg, previously scheduled to take place on Friday 27 September 2013, has been temporarily postponed owing to what it claims are "unexpected administrative delays caused by a very late request for additional documentation by the South African Department of Transport".
Referencing our previous report, AirlineRoute has outlined Air Cote d'Ivoire's (HF) revised regional traffic expansion plans, set to come into effect from mid-November. Various changes to its existing timetable are also to be effected.
Royal Air Maroc (AT) will, in Summer 2014, be adding four new European services to its network beginning March 30, 2014. Among the planned services are flights to Montpellier, Venice. Flights will use a combination of B737NGs and Embraer E190s.
Cincinnati-based specialized aviation services firm, Argus International, Inc. has appointed Cape Town-based Litson & Associates as its latest global strategic partner. Litson & Associates will support Argus' elite charter ratings and due diligence program by performing audits to Platinum, IS-BAO, and IOSA standards, and will also deliver other safety related services throughout Africa.
The US Navy will reportedly foot the bill for an upgrade to the Nigerien Air Forces' fleet of two Diamond Aircraft DA42 surveillance aircraft, (MSN ? | 5U-MRX) & (MSN ? | 5U-MRZ), used for border surveillance missions to inhibit smuggling and to protect critical infrastructures.
Adel Ali, the CEO of Sharjah-based LCC, Air Arabia (G9), has pointed to the underserved, underexploited West African market as his airline's next point of focus. Mr Ali made the announcement during a recent 2013 Dubai Airfinance Conference briefing.
As aviation becomes increasingly accessible in all parts of the world, future Journeys will increasingly be made by air particularly to and from emerging markets. According to European aircraft manufacturer, Airbus' latest Global Market Forecast (GMF) in the next 20 years (2013-2032), air traffic will grow at 4.7 per cent annually requiring over 29,220 new passenger and freighter aircraft valued at nearly USD4.4 trillion. Some 28'350 of these are passenger aircraft valued at USD4.1 trillion. Of these, some 10'400 will replace existing aircraft with more efficient ones. With today’s fleet of 17'740 aircraft, it means that by 2032, the worldwide fleet will double to nearly 36'560 aircraft.
Manuel Ceitas, the CEO of Angola's airport and air traffic authority (Empresa Nacional de Aeroportos e Navegação Aérea - ENANA), says that Comandante Kuenha International Airport, situated in the near-central Angolan town of Menongue in Cuando Cubango Province, could become operational before the end of this year given that its rehabilitation and expansion works are almost complete after nearly 6 years of work.
Lubumbashi-based carrier, International Trans Air Business (ITAB), deployed its B737-200(M) (MSN 21959 | ZS-PVU) into service on September 10 with its maiden flight being to the Congolese capital, Kinshasa.
Canada's FLYHT Aerospace Solutions has announced the signing of a contract with an undisclosed Nigerian airline for the installation of its Automated Flight Information Reporting System (AFIRS) 220.
Mauritania Airlines International (L6), the national carrier of Mauritania, has outsourced its maintenance support and spare-part requirements for its fleet of two B737-500s and a single B737-700 to Belgian MRO specialists, Sabena technics, until 2018.
Emirates (EK) cargo division, Emirates SkyCargo, is set to launch a once weekly dedicated freighter flight from Dubai to the northern Nigerian city of Kano with effect from October 4, 2013. The flight will operate on board a B777F.
In spite of a pending legal application by both Comair Ltd and Skywise to block its launch, nascent South African Low Cost Carrier FlySafair (FA) has outlined its initial timetable for multiple daily Johannesburg - Cape Town flights, now tentatively scheduled to launch on October 17. Flights will be operated by a fleet of B737-400s. Reservations are now open.
Namibia's Minister for Trade & Industry, Calle Schlettwein, says his government is considering cooperating with the Chinese aviation sector, with Tianjin in northern China, a potential new destination for the state-backed national carrier, Air Namibia (SW).