■ MALI: Renovated runway 06/24 at Bamako-Sénou International Airport handed over to AdM.

At a ceremony held last week and overseen by the Malian Minister of Facilities' Planning, Mamadou Coulibaly, and attended by the Ministers of Defense, Security, Communications, the Minister of Handicrafts and Tourism as well as the Minister responsible for Malians Abroad and African Integration, and various government bureaucrats, the capital Bamako's Sénou International Airport's newly renovated, reinforced and extended runway 06/24, was handed over to  Aéroports du Mali (AdM) for immediate operational use.

►► LIBYA: Emirates cancels intended Tripoli service resumption.

[UPDATED 3 OCTOBER 2012] Emirates (EK) are to restart their service from Dubai to Tripoli, Libya that was suspended in February of last year due to the Libyan Uprising. The flights will recommence on 29 October 2012 with a 4x weekly Airbus A330-200 service that will switch to an Airbus A340-300 from 2 January 2013.

► TANZANIA: Air Tanzania set to reach new deal with AeroVista; to resume flights next week, but at what cost?

Tanzanian national carrier Air Tanzania (TC) is looking to resume flights by 10 October, should it reach an agreement with Dubai based ACMI specialists AeroVista, from whom they leased a Boeing 737-500 (MSN 27354 | 4L-AJB).

► TANZANIA: Delta Airlines opens ticket office in Dar es Salaam.

American carrier Delta Airlines (DL) has opened a ticketing office in the Tanzanian capital, Dar es Salaam, as the airline moves to strengthen and consolidate its presence in East Africa, a prime tourist destinations for many Americans.

■ SOUTH AFRICA: SAA gets its USD600million bailout from Government.

The South African Government today announced that it would guarantee USD$600 million in loans for troubled state airline South African Airways (SA) over the next two years. The news comes as dust from  last week's mass boardroom resignation settles, with 8 new board-members having been appointed, in addition to a new chairman.

► DUBAI: Emirates looks to partner African LCC airlines in bid to establish feeder networks.

Emirati carrier Emirates (EK) has allured to plans it has for future partnerships with Africa-focused low-cost carriers as the mega-carrier moves to boost its presence on the continent.

► SPAIN: Royal Air Maroc launches Tangier - Madrid flights from October.

In a press statement today, Royal Air Maroc (AT) announced it will start 3x weekly flights between the Spanish capital, Madrid, and the northern Moroccan city of Tangier effective 11 October. The flights will be operated with ATR72-600 aircraft.

►► RWANDA: RwandAir announces network changes in preparation for its first Bombardier CRJ-900NG.

Rwandan national carrier Rwandair (WB) has announced various changes to its Nigeria and its previously announced East African route timetables, as it prepares for the arrival of its first Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ) 900NG (MSN# 15286 | 9XR-WH) due, according to informed sources, on 22 October 2012.

■ ALGERIA: More government protectionism as Minister says Low Cost Carrier would be "unprofitable".

Despite protests outside offices of Algeria's national carrier Air Algérie (AH)  in both London and Paris two weeks ago, calling for the liberalisation of Algerian skies, the Algerian Government has remained adamant that the creation of any Low Cost Carrier (LCC) in the country would not be profitable; a move that the Algerian media says, smacks of government protectionism for both Air Algèrie and AigleAzur (ZI).

● IATA: Outlook improves slightly for African aviation, but government interference continues to stifle growth.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), in a revision of its Global Aviation Outlook for 2012, has said that now it expects African airlines to break even in 2012, following on from a USD100million loss in 2011.

► COTE D'IVOIRE: Egyptair to resume Abidjan flights before year end?

After a meeting on Thursday between Ahmed Tarek Abdelakher, the Chargé d'Affaires of the Arab Republic of Egypt and Ivorian Prime Minister Jeannot-Kouadio Ahoussou, it was announced that Egyptian national carrier Egyptair (MS) would l resume flights between Abidjan and Cairo in the coming next three months.

► MADAGASCAR: Air Madagascar to ask for USD9million bailout as part of 18-month plan to return to profitability.

After the ordinary and extraordinary general meetings of shareholders in the Malagasy capital Antananarivo on Thursday last week, Malagasy national carrier Air Madagascar (MD), has announced plans to pull the airline back from the brink of bankruptcy, and return it to profitability within an 18 month time frame.

► ZIMBABWE: Air Zimbabwe being "encouraged" to comply with global safety standards by IATA: Goche

Zimbabwean national carrier Air Zimbabwe (UM) has been suspended from IATA for failing to comply with the Association's stringent Operational Safety Audits (IOSA) despite having been given a 90 day grace period. According to Zimbabwean Minister for Transport, Communications and Infrastructural Development, Nicholas Goche, the letter the airline received from IATA was "not that bad" and that UM had "been encouraged" to comply with global safety standards.

► KENYA: Turkish Airlines launches Kilimanjaro, Mombasa from December.

There at last seems to be some good news for the Kenyan city of Mombasa as Turkish Airlines (TK) announced today that it would commence a 5x weekly, Boeing 737-900ER operated flight routed Istanbul (Turkey) - Kilimanjaro (Tanzania) - Mombasa (Kenya) - Istanbul effective 4 December.

► BURUNDI: United Arab Emirates & Burundi sign Air Services Agreement MOU.

The Burundian Government and the United Arab Emirates, last week signed an air services Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and initialled an Air Services Agreement 'ASA', which could lead to the start of bilateral air services between the two countries, sometime in the future.

► JAPAN: EgyptAir to use A330 instead of A340 to Osaka.

Egyptair (MS) is to use an Airbus A330-200 instead of the previously announced A340-200 on its Cairo - Osaka Kansai, Japan route, set to resume from 1 December 2012 after it was dropped last year in January owing to the then tense political situation in Egypt.

►► TUNISIA: Emirates cancels planned Tunis reduction to 5x weekly service from December.

[SEE UPDATE AT THE BOTTOM] Following on from its previous announcement, Dubai based carrier Emirates (EK) will, from 1 December 2012, reduce its weekly service from Dubai to Tunis, Tunisia, from daily to 5x weekly; Mondays and Sundays being nixed. 

► SOMALIA: Turkish Airlines boosts Djibouti and Mogadishu flights from 2013 on.

Turkish Airlines (TK) will, starting from 26 January 2013, increase its current 2x weekly Boeing 737-800 operated  Istanbul – Djibouti – Mogadishu (Somalia) service, to 3x weekly by adding a Saturday flight to the roster.

■ SOUTH AFRICA: New SAA boss announced as mass resignations preempt mass firings.

In a dramatic chain of events, the entire boardroom scene at South African Airways (SA) changed literally overnight, when eight of its 14 board members, including its chairwoman Cheryl Carolus, pre-emptively resigned their positions on Thursday evening, following a leaked media report earlier in the week that allured to looming dismissals at both SAA and its sister regional carrier, SA Express (XZ).

► NIGERIA: Arik Air uses FAAN debacle to settle old scores.

Despite having reached an accord last Saturday with the Nigerian Government that saw Nigeria's now largest carrier Arik Air (W3), resuming domestic operations following 3 days of suspended flights, in addition to Aviation Minister Stella Oduah-Ogiewonyi dropping a lawsuit against Arik Air (who alleged that she had demanded five per cent equity participation in the airline), Sir Joseph Arumemi-Ikhide's airline made their vendetta with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) personal by blacklisting from their flights, the FAAN's Managing Director, George Uriese along with 26 others. 

► SOUTH SUDAN: Turkey's AtlasJet in Juba scouting for potential deals.

Murat Ersoy, the President of Atlasjet (KK), a Turkish airline based out of Florya, Istanbul, Turkey with both domestic and international scheduled passenger services, is the leader of a 25-member strong Turkish delegation currently visiting the South Sudanese capital of Juba, scouting for potential business opportunities.

► ALGERIA: Air Algérie Boeing 737 lands short of runway at Algiers; no injuries.

An Air Algérie (AH) Boeing 737-800 (MCN: 34164 | 7T-VKA), operating domestic flight AH6231 from Tamanrasset, Algeria to Algiers Houari Boumediene Airport on 18 September 2012, at 03h25 local time, reportedly landed ahead of the runway threshold on the paved surface of the runway end safety area, to the right of the extended runway centreline, thereby taking out a number of runway end and edge lights during the subsequent roll out. 

■ SOUTH AFRICA: Heads to roll at SAA & SA Express as neither are able to present their FY 2011/12 annual reports by September 30.

Reports coming out of South Africa suggest that South African Airways (SA) is set for a top level shake-up in the near future. The looming shake up comes after a woeful presentation by SAA last week, in which it sought further government aid in the form of a USD750million bail out, failed to impress neither the South African Minister for Public Enterprises, Malusi Gigaba, nor Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan both of whom stipulated that management would have to rethink their future action plan and come up with a better one if it was to secure the funds.

► UNITED KINGDOM: Air Arabia Maroc to start London Gatwick from late October 2012.

In a move that could be construed as one-upmanship, Moroccan LCC Air Arabia Maroc (3O) has tentatively announced that it will be starting flights from both Tangiers and Casablanca to London Gatwick airport, effective 28 October 2012 using an Airbus A320. There will be 5 overall weekly flights: 3 ex Casablanca and 2 ex Tangiers.

► UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Emirates announces various equipment changes to Accra & Abidjan, Lagos, Entebbe and Nairobi effective 2013.

Dubai based carrier, Emirates (EK), has announced various changes to some its African destinations, effective from between January and February of next year.  

For other previously announced updates, see these posts.

► ZIMBABWE: Minister admits new Victoria Falls Airport terminal will not be ready for UNWTO event.

Zimbabwean Minister of Transport, Communication and Infrastructure Development, Nicholas Goche, has come clean on events surrounding the refurbishment and expansion of Victoria Falls Airport, set to be one of the main transit points (the other being at Livingstone, Zambia's Harry Mwanga Nkumbula International Airport) for next year's United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) General Assembly.

► ETHIOPIA: Bole International Airport expansion tenders awarded; new apron to be completed by January 2013.

The Ethiopian Airports Enterprise (EAE) has announced that the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa's Bole International Airport's apron expansion programme is on track for completion by January 2013. Contracted to China Road and Building Construction Company and with supervision work being done by a local Ethiopian firm - the Transport Construction Design Consultancy Share Company - the EAE expects the new apron to ease the persistent aircraft parking problem the airport faces, particularly during large international conferences.

► GHANA: SSNIT to inject USD3million into Africa World Airlines.

Ghana's fifth and newest carrier Africa World Airlines (AW), the joint venture between China's HNA Group, the China-Africa Development Fund, SSNIT (Ghana's Social Security and National Insurance Trust) and SAS Finance Group, which launched its domestic operations between Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi and Tamale on Friday 21 September, received a further shot in the arm on Saturday when the SSNIT revealed it would inject "between three and four million dollars into the new airline."

►► ETHIOPIA: Wishy-washy Ethiopian Airlines attempts to make up its mind with new 787 destination route list.

After at least 3 revisions and constant changes to its intended Boeing 787 Dreamliner launch routes, Ethiopian Airlines (ET) appears to have finally made up its mind and will take the very diplomatic route of flying their 787 to a variety destinations as a means of showcasing their latest aircraft.

Ethiopian's 787 in Seattle (moonm)

► COTE D'IVOIRE: Air Cote d'Ivoire outlines future route network; to start ops in "late October".

After taking delivery of its first Airbus A319-100 (MCN: 2213 | TU-TSA) leased from Air France last week in Abidjan, Air Cote d'Ivoire (VRE), the joint venture between the Government of Ivory Coast, Air France and the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development, has announced that intends to commence operations towards the "end of October".

► RÉUNION: Air Austral boss Malé gives carrier 3 months max to come up with A380 decision.

Réunion-based French carrier, Air Austral (UU), is reportedly still in negotiations with European aircraft manufacturer Airbus SAS over a possible deal involving two A380s, albeit, not for the 840-All-Economy-Seaters that were envisaged by previous boss and company founder, Gérard Ethève, prior to his departure from the carrier in April this year.

● SOUTH AFRICA: (Pics) Africa Aerospace & Defence 2012.

 

South Africa, and Africa's, largest exhibition of air, sea and land capability, Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) 2012, swung into action today at Air Force Base (AFB) Waterkloof near Pretoria, South Africa.

► NIGERIA: Arik Air & Nigerian Government kiss and make up; ops to resume tomorrow.

After a two hour meeting between the board of directors of Nigeria's Arik Air (W3) and Ministers from the Nigerian Federal Government in a bid to resolve Thursday's impasse and suspension of flights, Arik Air have stated, via their website, that they will be resuming flights tomorrow Sunday 23 September 2012, after presumably, reaching an agreement.

►► UNITED STATES: Dreamliner delivery delays force Ethiopian to postpone Washington 787 route launch by 11 days.

With their second Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner (MCN: 34746 | ET-AOR) now due on 26 September 2012, Ethiopian Airlines (ET) have announced a delay in their inaugural Addis Ababa - Washington DC, USA scheduled service, from 20 September 2012, to 1 October 2012.

► SENEGAL: Angry husband calls in bomb threat to delay Royal Air Maroc flight to Casablanca; gets backtraced.

The Senegalese press is reporting a bomb scare on-board a Royal Air Maroc Boeing 737-800 as it was about to depart from Dakar's Léopold Sédar Senghor (Yoff) International Airport early this morning, bound for the Moroccan city of Casablanca.

► GHANA: EgyptAir confirms deal with CTK CiTylinK; to use Accra as hub.

Confirming our previous report, Egyptair (MS) and foundering Ghanaian carrier CTK CiTylinK Airlines (CTQ) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the Headquarters of the Egyptian Ministry of Civil Aviation in Cairo, Egypt which will see "both airlines promoting air transportation expansion in West Africa."

► BOSNIA HERZEGOVINA: Libya's Buraq Air tipped for minority shareholding in B&H Airlines.

Tripoli based Buraq Air (UZ), a private Libyan airline that operates scheduled domestic and international services to Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, has been tipped as the most likely candidate to acquire a 49% in Bosnian airline BH Airlines (JA).

► NIGERIA: Arik Air suspends local ops indefinitely citing FAAN harassment.

Just when things couldn't seem to get any worse following the demise of Air Nigeria (VK) in early September, Nigeria's largest private carrier Arik Air (W3) today suspended domestic operations indefinitely citing what it called "the persistent hostility of the Ministry of Aviation and Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) management" who "were trying to destroy the airline for their own financial benefit."

► UNITED STATES: Ethiopian Airlines Cargo accepts its first Boeing 777F.

In a ceremony in Seattle, Washington today, Ethiopian Airlines Cargo celebrated another first in its history when it officially took delivery of their first (and Africa's first) of six Boeing 777F (MCN: 41846 | ET-APS) freighters. The first two 777Fs (i.e this one and the next) are on a 10 year dry lease contract from GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS).

► UNITED KINGDOM: Royal Air Maroc to resume London Gatwick flights from March 2013.

Moroccan national carrier RAM Royal Air Maroc (AT) will resume its discontinued Casablanca - London Gatwick service with a 3x weekly service from 27 March 2013. The Boeing 737-800 operated route will then increase to 10x weekly during Northern Summer 2013.

► ITALY: Ethiopian Airlines resumes Milan Malpensa via Rome-Fiumicino.

Since 10 September, Ethiopian Airlines (ET) has resumed operating its daily Addis Ababa - Milan Malpensa flight via Rome, Fiumicino; a route it last operated up until 31 May of this year.

Previously Milan was routed via Brussels with Rome being an intermediate stop on the Stockholm, Sweden flight.

► GAMBIA: Gambia Bird to start ops on 1 October with flights to Dakar; to fly to Barcelona as well.

Following the arrival of its Airbus A319-100 in Banjul, The Gambia on Monday, Gambia Bird, the new 90/10 venture between German carrier, Germania (ST) and the Gambian government, has announced it will commence ops on 1 October 2012, with its first flight being Banjul, The Gambia to Dakar, Senegal.

► ZIMBABWE: Air Zimbabwe's debts in South Africa allegedly paid off with flights to Johannesburg to resume in coming weeks.

Following on from our previous report on the topic, the Zimbabwean Government has paid off ailing national carrier Air Zimbabwe's (UM) outstanding debts in South Africa with the airline now said to be resuming flights to Johannesburg "in the next few weeks", though this has yet to be corroborated by independent sources.

► LIBYA: Libyan Airlines set to receive A320s and A330s in coming months.

In a press statement issued today in Tripoli, Libya's Undersecretary in the Ministry of Transportation for Aviation and Air Transport, Engineer Fawzi Baltamer, announced that carrier Libyan Airlines (LN), will by year end receive two Airbus A320s. Additionally, a pair of A330s are expected in the first quarter of next year (2013).

► SENEGAL: Corsair International launches 4x weekly Paris - Dakar from October.

After signing an agreement with the Senegalese Government, France's second largest carrier, Corsair International (SS), will from 26 October 2012 offer a 4x weekly, Boeing 747-400 operated Paris (Orly) - Dakar, Senegal service, with a fifth frequency (a Saturday flight south, and a Sunday flight north) to follow in January 2013.

● NIGER: Remembering UTA Flight UT772, twenty three years ago today.

Today marks the 23rd anniversary of the bombing of UTA Flight 772 on 19 September 1989, a somewhat forgotten incident that bears strong similarity with a larger, more widely publicized bombing that occurred a year earlier; that of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in December 1988.

McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 "N54629" UTA772

► EGYPT: Israel's El Al looks to ditch Cairo flights amid a deteriorating Middle East.

Citing heavy security requirements and high operational costs, Israeli carrier El Al (LY) is seeking official approval to abandon its weekly Tel Aviv, Israel - Cairo, Egypt flight, a move likely to be blocked by Israel's government, given its now strained relations with the new Egyptian Presidency of Mohammed Morsi.

► SOUTH AFRICA: BA Comair increases Durban – Cape Town Weekday flights from late October 2012.

South African franchise, British Airways (Comair) (BA/MN), has announced an increase in their Durban – Cape Town weekday flights with the addition of 3x to 4x additional daily flights, with effect from 29 October 2012. 

The flights are operated with a mixture of Boeing 737-300s and Boeing 737-400s.