► SOUTH AFRICA: Airlink resumes Skukuza ops from June 2014; rebuffs SA Express' recent route launch announcement.

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.

► BOTSWANA: Kalahari Airways eyes flights to New York, Los Angeles and Hong Kong via its Gaborone hub.

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.

► SOUTH AFRICA: SA Express rolls out Cape Town - George, Joburg - Pietermaritzburg, Kruger/Mpumalanga from November.

SA 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.

■ SOUTH AFRICA: Litson & Associates appointed Argus Int'l strategic partner for African market.

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.

► SOUTH AFRICA: FlySafair outlines its tentative schedule; operational launch due in mid-October.

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.

► BOTSWANA: Kalahari Airways turns to crowdfunding for 747s to operate London Gatwick flights.

Kalahari Airways is a Botswana-based startup that intends to offer flights from Cape Town, South Africa to London Gatwick via Gaborone Botswana using three B747-400s.

► UNITED KINGDOM: British Airways announces further modifications to Entebbe, Cape Town, Tripoli.

British Airways (BA) has announced further modifications to its African timetable with a doubling of Cape Town frequencies due from October 27 and an added fourth weekly flight to Entebbe, Uganda due from March 31, 2014. Flights to Tripoli meanwhile have already been increased to four times weekly.

■ SOUTH AFRICA: ACSA posts $97million profit for latest Financial Year despite drop in pax, traffic numbers.

The Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) has announced a ZAR991million (USD96.97million) profit, buoyed by a 16% rise in its revenue for its 2012/13 Financial Year to ZAR6.66billion (USD652.28million). This comes as seven out of the country's nine major airports recorded a slump in passenger traffic on the previous year's figures with aircraft landings also declining by 6% to 271'250, down from 272'320 in 2012.

► BRAZIL: TAM Lineas Aéreas, South African Airways sign codeshare deal.

As previously speculated about, South African Airways (SA) and Brazil's TAM Linhas Aéreas (JJ) have implemented a code share agreement in which SAA will place its designator code “SA” on flights operated by TAM from Sao Paulo to Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, Curitiba, Brasília, Salvador, Florianopolis, Iguaçu Falls, Recife, Belo Horizonte. Likewise, TAM will place its designator code “JJ” on flights operated by SAA between Sao Paulo and Johannesburg, and to other cities within South Africa, namely, Cape Town, Durban, East London and Port Elizabeth. 

► SOUTH AFRICA: And suddenly a new LCC, FlySafair, appears aiming for a Q4 launch.

South Africa’s Air Service Licensing Council has given local ACMI & MRO specialists, Safair (FA), the go ahead for its LCC startup, FlySafair, to launch domestic operations in the last quarter of this year. Tickets for its planned Cape Town - Johannesburg (OR Tambo International) route are expected to go on sale in September.

► NAMIBIA: Air Namibia issues further amendments to timetable for early - late September.

Namibian national carrier, Air Namibia (SW), has issued yet another advisory regarding an impending reorganization of its flights over the period September 9 to 23. In a statement, the airline said the move is necessary as one of its Airbus A319s and another Embraer ERJ135 are due to undergo mandatory maintenance over the period.

► UNITED STATES: South Africa's Global Airways to resume Johannesburg - Miami via Cape Town; appoints Fuelstream its US rep.

With the impending relaunch of its Johannesburg - Miami via Cape Town flights, South Africa's Global Airways (QG) has appointed Fuelstream Inc. as their US Representative. Fuelstream will evaluate and recommend ground handling companies, caterers, crew transportation and services, coordinate with cargo handlers, and serve as Global's GSA for cargo in Miami. It will also work with the Aviation Department on gate assignments and ticket counters, and with all government authorities (TSA, Customs & Immigration and the local police) to ensure compliance. 

► SOUTH AFRICA: Eleven BA-Comair B737s suffer mass grounding over expired parts.

The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) on Friday, August 2, reportedly grounded eleven of British Airways-Comair's aircraft after they were found to be flying with components whose life-cycle expired in August 2012.

► UNITED STATES: JetBlue, South African Airways ink codeshare deal.

US-based domestic and regional carrier, JetBlue Airways (B6), and South African Airways (SA) have announced a bilateral codeshare agreement aimed at connecting the carriers’ networks via New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Washington’s Dulles International Airport (IAD). While the agreement is still pending U.S. Department of Transport regulatory approval and subject to receipt of foreign government operating authority, it will allow customers to purchase a single ticket combining SAA and JetBlue-operated flights and is an expansion of an interline agreement first inked in 2010.

► SOUTH AFRICA: Condor begins seasonal Frankfurt - Cape Town ops from mid October.

German charter carrier, Condor Flugdienst (DE), will commence its seasonal operations between Germany and South Africa, starting October 16 and ending April 22. The twice weekly flights will operate using a wingletted B767-300ER.

► DUBAI: Emirates to deploy A340 to Lusaka/Harare, 777-300ER to Cape Town from September.

Emirates (EK) will from 1 September switch the operational aircraft currently deployed on its Dubai to Cape Town and Dubai to Harare via Lusaka flights. According to AirlineRoute, Harare/Lusaka will switch from the current 777-300ER to the Airbus A340-300 while Cape Town will see flights EK772/773 switch from the A340-300 to a 777-300ER. 

► DUBAI: Emirates outlines African routes to be affected by closure of DXB runway 12L/30R in 2014.

With Dubai International Airport's Northern runway 12L/30R nearing the end of its designed lifespan and therefore requiring rehabilitation and upgrading, Emirates (EK) has outlined its planned service reduction set to come into effect from May 1, 2014 and ending July 20, 2014. The following list contains the affected African flights:

► ST HELENA: Atlantic Star Airlines eyes Cape Town, even Johannesburg, flights from 2016.

Atlantic Star Airlines is a start-up founded by three ex-British Airways (BA) pilots with plans to begin flights from the British Overseas Territory of St. Helena, situated in the South Atlantic Ocean, to the United Kingdom (possibly via Southern Europe) using a B757-200.

► SOUTH AFRICA: Ethiopian wants more 787s as SAA eyes 25+ A350s or 787s for delivery from 2017 on.

During the ongoing International Air Transport Association's (IATA) 69th Annual General Meeting (AGM) and World Air Transport Summit in Cape Town, South Africa,  two of Africa's heavyweights, Ethiopian Airlines (ET) and South African Airways (SA), have hinted at their proposed future fleet acquisition plans with Ethiopian looking for more 787s and SAA considering either the 787 or its rival Airbus' A350 offering.

► MOZAMBIQUE: LAM plans Cape Town and Durban, Blantyre and Lilongwe in 2014; to cover all SADC capitals by 2017 with Brazil ops also on the radar.

Marlene Manave, the CEO of LAM - Linhas Aéreas de Moçambique (TM) has announced ambitious route expansion plans that will see the Mozambican carrier serving all Southern African Development Community (SADC) capitals by 2017 with Brazilian flights to follow.