► ETHIOPIA: Ethiopian outlines initial Winter 2013/14 timetable; to start Singapore from mid December.

Ethiopian Airlines (ET) has outlined its initial changes to its timetable in time for the Northern Winter 2013/14 season. According to AirlineRoute, among the most notable changes is the incorporation of the previously postponed Singapore flight.

► TOGO: Ethiopian Airlines to launch its Lomé cargo hub this week as more planned pax routes to Asia unveiled.

Ethiopian Airlines (ET) are set to launch Lomé, Togo as their second cargo hub outside Addis Ababa with effect from August 15. In addition to a connection to the carrier's Ethiopian primary hub, Lomé will also serve Europe via Liege, Belgium with a twice weekly MD-11F Freighter. Lomé is already the hub or its West African passenger subsidiary, ASKY Airlines (KP).

► COTE D'IVOIRE: Air Cote d'Ivoire rolls out Kinshasa, Ndjamena, Niamey, Pointe Noire from late August.

Air Côte d’Ivoire (HF) will from late August 2013 gradually roll out 4 new regional destinations - Kinshasa, N’Djamena, Niamey and Pointe Noire - boosting its presence in both West and Central Africa.

► TOGO: Magma Aviation launches new West African cargo ops beginning July 14.

Magma Aviation, a private United Kingdom-based cargo operator, will from July 14, launch flights from Brussels to Lome, Brazzaville and onto Kinshasa with a weekly B747-400F. Out of Lome, scheduled connections are to be offered into Bamako, Cotonou, Douala, Libreville, Monrovia and Niamey onboard ATR aircraft.

► LIBERIA: AV Cargo Airlines adds Monrovia; boosts Bamako flights.

Effective immediately, AV Cargo Airlines (Z3) has announced an increase in the frequency of flights to Bamako, Mali while at the same time, added Monrovia, Liberia as a new destination on its West African network. Flights will be operated out of the carrier's Liege hub using an MD11F.

► TOGO: AfricaWest Cargo Airlines acquires a 737-300F, two ATR72Fs for planned regional expansion.

AfricaWest Cargo Airlines (FK) has announced the addition of a Boeing 737-300F with two ATR72Fs set to join its fleet in June and October respectively. The cargo operator intends to use the aircraft as part of its plans to expand throughout Africa during 2013 and 2014.

► GUINEA BISSAU: ASKY Airlines to start Bissau from July 15; plans South Africa, Angola and possibly Europe in future.

Ethiopian Airlines' West African subsidiary, ASKY Airlines (KP), is set to commence flights to Bissau, the capital of Guinea Bissau, from July 15 following the signing  of an agreement between the Bissau-Guinean civil aviation authority (Agência da Aviação Civil da Guiné-Bissau - AACGB) and ASKY officials.

► TOGO: Ethiopian Cargo to set up West African hub based out of Lomé.

Ethiopian Airlines (ET) cargo division, Ethiopian Cargo, is nearing the final stages of setting up a cargo hub in the Togolese capital of Lomé, the carrier has said. Lomé currently acts as a hub for Ethiopian's West African subsidiary, ASKY Airlines (KP), and will shortly play a pivotal role in the airline's plans to launch flights to South America.

► MALI: Douniah Airlines now eyeing an ATR72 with new launch date set for late May.

Malian startup, Douniah Airlines (DTS), is now set to add an ATR72 to its fleet in preparation of its planned launch, delayed from earlier this year likely due to the crisis in Mali.

► SENEGAL: ASKY Airlines boosts Dakar ops to 6x weekly with new flight via Ouagadougou.

Ethiopian Airlines' (ET) Lomé, Togo-based subsidiary, ASKY Airlines (KP), has boosted its operations to Dakar, Senegal from 3x to 6x weekly during the course of the last month or so via the introduction of  new flight which goes via Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

► UNITED KINGDOM: AV Cargo Airlines plans African cargo ops from May onwards.

AV Cargo Airlines, the phoenix that has risen the ashes of Zimbabwe's bankrupt Avient Cargo Airlines (Z3) has introduced the first of three planned additional MD11 freighters (MSN 48746 | N278WA) into its fleet with flights to Africa planned in due course.

► MALI: Air Mali tests the waters by operating its CRJ200 and MD87 on behalf of sister carrier, Air Burkina.

As the political situation in Mali begins to settle down, so Celestair Group's Malian subsidiary, Air Mali (I5), has taken its first steps towards resuming operations by dusting off its stored Bombardier CRJ200 (MSN 7392 | TZ-RCA) kept until recently in France. 

► GAMBIA: Gambia Bird set to start Lagos and Douala from April; announces timetable revision.

Following on from our previous post, Gambia Bird (3G) has announced numerous changes to its network in anticipation of Summer 2013, effective 31 March 2013. Additionally, the carrier will launch Lagos and Douala flights from 02APR13.

► CONGO (BRAZZAVILLE): Launch of Air CEMAC delayed once more; this time until late 2013.

As prognosticated by The African Aviation Tribune in November 2012, Air CEMAC, the planned regional carrier to link Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Congo (Brazzaville), Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Chad and São Tomé & Príncipe, has indeed been forced to delay its intended January 2013 launch date, this time, to November/December 2013.

►► ETHIOPIA: ASKY Airlines now codesharing with Ethiopian on the latter's West Africa, Brazil flights.

[UPDATE 26 FEBRUARY] Ethiopian Airlines (ET) and its West African subsidiary ASKY Airlines (KP) have expanded their code-sharing agreement to now cover the majority of Ethiopian's routes between Ethiopia and West Africa with Nigeria, Senegal, Mali, Benin, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Togo and Burkina Faso now operating with an ASKY IATA code (KP).

► BURKINA FASO: Tunisair to start Ouagadougou from 30 March; Ndjamena, Niamey, Douala to follow later.

Tunisian national airline, Tunisair (TU), has announced it will start 3x weekly Tunis - Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso flights with a stop in Bamako, Mali effective 30 March 2013. Flights will operate with an Airbus A320. The new route is part of Tunisair's new model of targeting under served emerging markets in Sub Saharan Africa, with twenty new routes planned for in the coming 5 years.

► COTE D'IVOIRE: Air Côte d’Ivoire announces Pointe Noire, Ouagadougou, Yaounde; various timetable changes.

AirlineRoute states that Air Côte d’Ivoire from 01FEB13 is adjusting its operations, which includes the launch of 3 new destinations in west Africa - Pointe Noire (Congo Brazzaville), Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) and Yaounde (Cameroon).

► CHAD: Congolese government provides Chad with Il76 to aide with deployment of 2'000 troops to Mali.

The Congolese government has made ​​available its Ilyushin Il76 (MSN 1033415504 | TN-AFS) transport to the Chadian government following the latter's decision to deploy 2000 troops to join the growing international operation (Mission Internationale de soutien au Mali - MISMA) against Islamist insurgents in northern Mali.

► MALI: Air France, Aigle Azur maintain ops to Bamako, but offer passengers free ticket changes.

With the ongoing military incursion in Mali, Air France (AF) and Aigle Azur (ZI) have offered their respective clients the option of deferring travel to and from Bamako until a later date. France's military has been fighting against Islamist militants in northern Mali since Friday, helping Malian government forces recapture the central town of Konna. On Sunday, French Mirage jets bombed the town of Gao in eastern Mali, extending their raids deep into rebel territory.

► CHAD: Tunisair looking to start Ndjamena via Douala amongst other routes?

Tunisair (TU), the Tunisian national carrier, are said to be in the process of finalizing a possible Tunis - Ndjamena (Chad) via Douala (Cameroon) route according to Chadian newspaper reports.