• The African Aviation Tribune •

Thursday, January 17, 2013

■ KENYA: New Civil Aviation Law provides KCAA with framework necessary to attain FAA Cat 1 status; US flights to follow?

The signing into law of The Civil Aviation 2013 Bill by Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki on Monday 14 January has presented the Kenyan Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) with the legal framework necessary to ensure safer, more secure airports and airspace. Conformity to internationally recognised standards could then lead to the possibility of long sought-after Kenya - US flights.

Despite recently trumpeting its contentment at "the performance of their Dreamliners", labelling them "highly capable and safe aircraft", Ethiopian Airlines (ET), too, appears to have joined the growing list of Dreamliner operators to have grounded the type following recent problems with the aircraft's Lithium Ion battery.

As per the 17 January 2013 GDS inventory display, the latest changes to Cathay Pacific’s Winter 2013/14 long-haul operation reflect its on-going retirement of the Boeing 747-400 from the Hong Kong based carrier's fleet. From January 2014, the oneWorld member will further reduce planned Boeing 747-400 long-haul services.

Tanzania-based LCC fastjet (FN) could announce new regional routes in the coming weeks spurred on by strong first month performance figures on its domestic Tanzanian routes, launched in late November 2012.

Airbus Military has received an order for six additional Casa C295 transport aircraft from the Egyptian Air Force, bringing the Egyptian Air Force’s C295 fleet to a total of 12 aircraft. This third batch of aircraft plus the associated spares and support equipment, training and field support are to be delivered from the end of 2013 onwards.

► MOROCCO: Ryanair officially announces Fez, Marrakech as new bases; Essaouira, Rabat as new airports.

Confirming our previous speculative post, Ryanair (FR) has officially announced it would open two new bases in Morocco in 2013, at Fez (No 56) and Marrakech (No 57) with a total of three based-aircraft, as Ryanair invests over USD210 million in Morocco.

Air Méditerranée (ML), the Jullian, France based carrier is to launch its third destination in Morocco - Casablanca, with 2x weekly flights starting 14 February 2013.

After the successful launch of inter-island services last week using a Let 410 (MSN 072640 | D6-NHD), the Comorian Government is now considering resurrecting defunct national carrier Air Comores.

Denel Aviation is to proceed with the laying off of 523 employees (538 according to Denel) from its MRO division, Aero Manpower Group, and Denel Personnel Solutions, come 31 March after the South African Air Force (SAAF) confirmed during the first retrenchment consultation that it would not be renewing its contract.

TAAG Linhas Aéreas de Angola (DT), Angola's national carrier, registered a growth in passenger traffic of 11% for the year ending 2012, with 1.1million passengers flown, the airline said in a statement.

■ KENYA: Israel keen to resume Tel Aviv - Nairobi flights following improvements in Kenyan airport security.

Following improvements in security measures in place at the country's airports, Israel is considering the resumption of direct flights to Kenya before the end of the year says the country's Ambassador to Kenya, Gil Haskel.

TACV Transportes Aéreos de Cabo Verde (VR), the scheduled and charter, passenger and cargo airline based in Praia, Cape Verde is in negotiations to launch flights between Sal Island and Beja, a city in the Beja Municipality in the Alentejo Region, southern Portugal.

Details of the contracts signed today between Tunisian carrier Syphax Airlines (FS) and Airbus and Safran S.A. respectively, have been released.

Nigerian aviation blog, Aviation in Nigeria, reports that Aero Contractors (AJ) also known as Aero, is to launch 6x weekly flights between Abuja and Sokoto, north western Nigeria, effective 28 January 2013.

The Low Cost Carrier aviation scene in Morocco is set to heat up with news that Ryanair (FR) is to open two new bases in Morocco, Marrakech and Fez, its first outside Europe. In addition, Jetairfly Morocco (TB) is to launch various new flights to its growing Moroccan network which now counts 10 cities.

Binter Canarias (NT), the Gran Canaria-based Spanish regional operator, has announced the launch of twice weekly flights from Las Palmas to Banjul, Gambia, in effect since 11 January. This flight is operated by an Air Nostrum Bombardier CRJ200 aircraft.

According to AirlineRoute, Thomson Airways (BY), the world's largest charter airline, offering scheduled and charter flights from the UK and Ireland to destinations across Europe, Africa, Asia and North America, is to start 1x weekly Boeing 787-8 flights between London Gatwick and Mombasa, Kenya for the duration 4 November 2013 – 21 April 2014.

Following on from our previous post last year, Turkish Airlines (TK) will at last launch flights to Libreville Gabon via Douala, Cameroon from 31 January 2013. The 3x weekly service will be operated with a Boeing 737-900ER.

A British Airways Boeing 767-300 (MSN 25442 | G-BNWO) enroute from Lusaka, Zambia to London Heathrow, United Kingdom on Monday 14 January 2013 as flight BA254 was forced to divert to Entebbe, Uganda following the failure of its starboard engine.

► MAURITIUS: Emirates to operate one off A380 flight on 12 March.

Emirates (EK) today announced it will operate a one-off Airbus A380 service to Port Louis, Mauritius on 12 March to mark the occasion of the 45th Anniversary of Mauritius' independence from Britain.

Malawi's Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Economic Planning and Economic, Ted Sitimawina, has disclosed that British Airways (BA), Qatar Airways (QR) and Emirates (EK) have all expressed interest in starting flights to the landlocked Central African country, a move that would help to drive down the exorbitant cost of air travel to the country.

The launch of Skywise, the South African carrier founded by the original founders of defunct South African LCC 1Time (T6) is on track for a 1 March launch as fastjet's (FN) plans to push forward with a relaunch of 1Time face a protracted, relicensing process that could derail plans for a 27 February relaunch.

Royal Jordanian (RJ) will, starting February 2013, increase its operations to Libya, where its overall operation from Amman to Misurata will increase from 1x to 2x weekly from 6 February 2013, while Amman – Tripoli increases from daily to 10x weekly from 9 February 2013. Meanwhile, Libyan Airlines (LN) is to start additional ops to Morocco and Dubai in the coming weeks.

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.

Air Zimbabwe (UM) is to start flights from Harare to Lagos, Nigeria and Accra, Ghana with the first flights due in March 2013 reports out of Zimbabwe state.

A Delta Airlines (DL) Boeing 777-200LR (MSN 29742 | N705DN) en-route from Johannesburg ORTIA, South Africa to Atlanta, USA on Wednesday 9 January 2013, was forced to divert to Georgetown, Ascension Island in the Atlantic Ocean following the failure of its starboard engine.

Tunisian carrier Syphax Airlines (FS) is to seal a deal with Airbus for 10 Airbus A320s in addition to another deal with Safran S.A. the French multinational aircraft & rocket engine, aerospace component and security company.

■ CONGO (KINSHASA): CAA considering an eventual buy out of flyCongo?

According to CH-Aviation, CAA - Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation (FPY), the Kinshasa-based Congolese carrier, is said to be planning the eventual acquisition of partner, flyCongo (EO), the successor to the now defunct Hewa Bora Airways, with whom it has been in a partnership since October 2012.

Gabonese private carrier Afric Aviation (L8) is to take delivery of its first ATR72-200 to complement its current ATR42-300 reports Swiss aviation newswire, CH-Aviation.

Daallo Airlines (D3), the Dubai-based national carrier of Djibouti, are to add another route to their network with the launch of Burao - Berbera - Dubai. Burao and Berbera are cities in Somaliland, an unrecognised self-declared sovereign state that is internationally recognised as an autonomous region of Somalia.

The upgrading and expansion of the Togolese capital, Lomé's, l’Aéroport International Gnassingbé Eyadèma (AIGE), also known as Lomé-Tokoin Airport, is progressing with work nearing 80% completion. The project, funded by the Chinese Export-Import Bank (ExIm Bank) to the tune of USD150million and using the China Airport Construction Group Corporation (CACC) and WIETEC, aims to transform Lomé into a "sub-regional transport hub."

► RWANDA: RwandAir leases a Dash 8-100 from Kenya's ALS Aircraft Leasing Services.

Rwandan aviation blog, RwandanFlyer, reports that Rwandair (WB) has leased a Bombardier DHC 8-100 (MSN 10 | 5Y-CAU) from Kenya's ALS Aircraft Leasing Services.

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) says the Kaduna Airport remodelling project, located in the Northen Nigerian state of Kaduna, will be completed in three months. The airport was among the first 11 major domestic Nigerian airports scheduled for remodelling under the Nigerian Government's transformation programme.

[UPDATE 12 JANUARY] Federal Airlines (7V) has announced that, effective February 1, it will cease its Johannesburg ORTIA - Vilanculos, Mozambique route, with the last operational flight on January 31. The flight currently operates daily with an ATR42.

Bureaucratic infighting and legal nit picking are amongst the causes of the Burundian government's ongoing battles to reorganize and in some cases, privatize, its ailing civil aviation industry.

In another promising development following the proposed acquisition of bankrupt South African LCC 1Time (T6) by LCC fastjet (FN), its sister MRO company, Jetworx, has been acquired by the American Industrial Acquisition Corporation (AIAC), thereby giving hope to its remaining 200 employees. The deal however, is still subject to approval by Jetworx creditors.

The Mauritanian Civil Aviation Authority - l’Agence Nationale de l’aviation civile (ANAC) - has grounded a Mauritanian Airlines International (L6) Boeing 737-500 (MSN 28469 | 5T-CLA) at its home base, Nouakchott International Airport, following revelations the aircraft had exceeded its maximum permissible flying cycles.

Celestair's Air Uganda (U7) has passed its IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) and has had its certificate renewed until 30 September 2013 according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) website. The certificate was awarded to Meridiana Africa Airlines Uganda Ltd t/a Air Uganda.

Following on from our previous post, the Comorian government has launched flights using its newly acquired Let 410-UVP20 (D6-NWD), to be used to ply inter island services. The aircraft is understood to be part of greater fleet expansion plans that the Comorian government has, following the crash of an Inter Îles Air (ZXA) Embraer 120ER in November.

► ETHIOPIA: Ethiopian Airlines' 787 timetable for Beijing, Frankfurt, Toronto, Washington DC announced.

AirlineRoute reports that as per the 11 January 2013 GDS timetable and inventory display, Ethiopian Airlines (ET) will continue to tweak its planned Boeing 787 long haul service between now and late-March 2013.

►►► CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Air France suspends Bangui after riots outside French embassy.

[UPDATE 11 JANUARY] As the situation in the Central African Republic continues to deteriorate, so French carrier, Air France (AF), had to cancel its weekly flight to Bangui on 26 December, with the next flight on 2 January 2013, under review.

Liberia's Civil Aviation Authority, along with the Liberian Ministry of Transport, have ordered a safety audit of American airline, Delta Airlines (DL) following a series of flight cancellations and intermittent technical problems. The LCAA has also recommended that Liberian President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and government officials not use the American carrier for travel.

► GABON: Air France boosts Libreville frequencies from March 2013.

Following on from bilateral talks between the French and Gabonese governments concluded last year, Air France (AF) will, starting 11 March 2013, progressively increase flights to Libreville, Gabon with the addition of a 6th weekly service between Paris CDG and Libreville, followed by the addition of 7th weekly service from 31 March 2013.

Tanzanian national carrier Air Tanzania (TC) is set to receive a much needed shot in the arm with reports that a consortium led by the Oman-based Al Hayat Development and Investment Company is to invest USD100million (TSH160million) into the struggling airline, with the final Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to be signed "by the end of next week" (January 18).

Nigerian carrier Arik Air (W3) and the new national carrier of the Ivory Coast, Air Cote d’Ivoire(HF), have entered into preliminary discussions over a possible partnership, following the visit this week of Air Cote d’Ivoire boss, General Coulibaly Abdoulaye (retired) and the airline’s Managing Director, Rene Decurey.

AirlineRoute is reporting that effective 31 March 2013, KLM is cancelling its Amsterdam – Khartoum – Addis Ababa route, where it currently operates 3x weekly service using an Airbus A330-200. Reservation for this route is closed and flights being removed from the system. Existing schedule as follows.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Monday, January 14, 2013

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Friday, January 11, 2013