• The African Aviation Tribune •

Thursday, April 25, 2013

■ DJIBOUTI: Ethiopian Airlines signs MoU with Djibouti Ambouli International Airport to aide trade facilitation.

Ethiopian Airlines has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Djibouti-Ambouli International Airport regarding the transport of goods using both sea-air and air-sea means throughout the Horn of Africa.

Air Seychelles (HM), the national airline of the Republic of Seychelles, today

announced that it has entered into a codeshare agreement with South African Airways (SAA), the national airline of the Republic of South Africa. The first phase of the agreement will see South African Airways place its “SA” code on Air Seychelles’ non-stop flights between Johannesburg and Seychelles. South African Airways will also place its code on flights between the two largest islands of Seychelles, Mahé and Praslin, subject to approvals.

South African Airways (SA) is to delay its début USD160million (ZAR1.5 billion) bond sale, originally slated for March, until its chief financier and backer, the South African government, approves the airline’s recently submitted turnaround plan. The turnaround plan will also play a pivotal part in deciding the airline's long term fleet acquisition plans; a bone of serious contention in the recent past.

Siginon Aviation says its planned USD10million new cargo facility at Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International Airport is on track for a tentative September 2013 launch. The facility will become JKIA's sixth and will add to its current processing capacity of 200'000 tonnes of cargo annually.

Libyan Airlines (LN) is set to take delivery of its first of two Airbus A330-200 (MCN 1412 | 5A-LAR) due in the coming weeks. The order is part of a larger deal for four of the aircraft of which the other two are due in Libya in May 2014.

South African aircraft lease and charter specialist, Solenta Aviation, has taken delivery of its fourth Embraer ERJ145LR with the aircraft now available for ACMI or full charter leasing in Africa and the Middle East. With its other three ERJ145s contracted to dedicated Oil clients, Solenta sees the addition of the fourth "as a strategic advantage over our competitors, enabling them to launch the aircraft on charters or long term lease without delay."

ExecuJet Africa, part of the ExecuJet Aviation Group, is expanding the support capabilities at its Cape Town International Airport facility to cover the Bombardier Dash 8-Q300 aircraft, due to growing demand in the region.

On the back of news that fastjet (FN) has entered into a partnership with South African investment firm Blockbuster and Federal Air (7V) with flights to Johannesburg and Cape Town set to start in late May, 1Time's liquidator says he has applied to have the proposed total liquidation date of the airline brought forward.

Kenya Airways (KQ) has released its Operations Report for the Fourth Quarter of 2012/2013; January 1 to 31st March 2013.

Various airport services in Zimbabwe could soon be opened up to other players following reports from Harare that the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe is to be unbundled into two separate entities in line with the country's National Transport Policy.

Libyan carrier, Afriqiyah (8U), is set to relaunch flights to West Africa in the coming weeks as the carrier seeks to re-establish its former Sub-Saharan network, suspended following the fall of Muammur Gaddhafi's regime.

AirlineRoute reports that as per the 23APR13 GDS timetable and inventory display, Rwandan national carrier, Rwandair (WB), will further revise its planned operation for Summer 2013 season, effective 01JUN13.

■ CONGO (KINSHASA): Lubumbashi Airport to close 3 days a week from May to October as RVA finally upgrades crumbling infrastructure.

Lubumbashi International Airport (also known as Luano International Airport) is to be closed for three days a week between May and October 2013 due to maintenance and upgrading works being done to the airport terminal and runway 07/25.

As previously speculated in this post, Tanzanian LCC, fastjet (FN), has indeed struck a deal with South African investment firm, Blockbuster, in which flights between Johannesburg and Cape Town will be operated under Federal Air's (7V) AOC. If all regulatory approval is obtained, flights should début from May 31

► KENYA: fastjet, Don Smith agree to kiss and makeup.

Tanzanian LCC, fastjet (FN), has announced that it has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Don Smith, CEO of FiveForty Aviation Limited which trades in Kenya as Fly540, thereby paving the way forward for the two to end a long standing legal battle over payment and licensing agreements in Africa.

Los Angeles-based Air Lease Corporation has announced the signing of a 12-year lease agreement with Ethiopian Airlines (ET) for two new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The aircraft are scheduled for delivery in May and June 2015.

Fresh from their latest fleet upgrade, Rwandan national carrier, RwandAir (WB), has announced the signing of a firm purchase agreement with Canada's Bombardier Aerospace for one Q400 NextGen turboprop airliner. The Q400 will be used to replace the airline's current older Dash8-200 used to ply domestic and close regional routes.

► EQUATORIAL GUINEA: (Pics) Punto Azul's first ERJ145 touches down in Malabo - domestic ops to follow.

The first Embraer ERJ145 (MSN 145244 | PR-PSQ) to be operated by National Airways Corporation on behalf of Equato-guinean carrier Punto Azul (ZR), has touched down in Malabo.

Congolese Minister of Transport and Communication, Justin Kalumba, has said previously announced plans for the setting up of a new national carrier to replace LAC - Lignes Aériennes Congolaises (4V), now in liquidation, are at an advanced stage, though there are concerns as to the fate of LAC's property, equipment and staff, who had been promised a renewed future once a new airline was established.

The Tanzanian Airport Authority has signed a contract worth USD170million with Dutch construction firm, BAM International, for the construction of a new international terminal (Terminal 3) at Dar es Salaam's Julius Nyerere International (JNIA).

■ SOUTH AFRICA: Government planning to merge SAA, Mango, SA Express into one holding company?

South African Airways (SA) and its subsidiaries, Low Cost Carrier Mango (JE), SA Express (XZ) (and possibly SA Airlink (4Z) though no mention is made of it) could be merged into a single holding company according to a leaked SAA communique.

Reports out of Senegal state that Atoumane Fall, the director of the Senegalese Civil Aviation and Meteorology authority, Agence Nationale de l'Aviation Civile et de la Météorologie (ANACIM) has been fired as a result, it is claimed, of the recent disappearance, and presumed crash, of a Beechcraft 1900D in the Gulf of Guinea, just off the coast of São Tomé & Principe.

■ NAMIBIA: Air Namibia allegedly tries to back out of A330 deal with Intrepid; Government served with $130million bill.

The Namibian press reports that the Government has been served with a Notice of default following national carrier Air Namibia's (SW) attempt at cancelling a USD130million deal signed last year for two Airbus A330-200s with US-based Intrepid Aviation, a privately held commercial aircraft lessor.

Mercator, the aviation IT solution provider, has signed up Algeria's Tassili Airlines (SF) and Ghana's Antrak Air (4O) to Avantik suite, a Passenger Services System (PSS) aimed at low cost and regional carriers.

Gambia's parliament has moved to ratify two Bilateral Air Services Agreements (BASA); one with Kenya, paving the way for possible Kenya Airways flights (KQ) and the second, with Saudi Arabia.

Ending weeks of media speculation, South African Airways (SA) has confirmed Monwabisi Kalawe as the new CEO of the airline, replacing interim CEO and Mango boss, Nico Bezuidenhout.

Tunisair (TU) held its inaugural flight to Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, on the morning of Monday 15 April. Flights will operate three times weekly with an occasional stop in Bamako. The route was meant to have been launched on 30 March.

Tunisian private operator Nouvelair Tunisie (BJ), during Summer 2013, is to introduce a scheduled service to Paris CDG, from Djerba, Monastir and Tunis. The carrier operates 3 weekly flights each.

► DENMARK: Royal Air Maroc modifies its Berlin, Copenhagen schedules for May/June.

AirlineRoute writes that Royal Air Maroc (AT), will, from 03MAY13 to 07JUN13, combine its operation to Copenhagen and Berlin. The airline will operate a 1x weekly Casablanca – Copenhagen – Berlin – Casablanca service, and 2 weekly flights in the opposite direction. Both destinations retain 3 weekly flights, on board Boeing 737s

Troubled Nigerian carrier, Dana Air (9J), has announced plans to resume flights from both Lagos and Abuja to the southern city of Port Harcourt on Monday, April 22, 2013. In addition the airline has reaffirmed plans to acquire B737 aircraft as part of its fleet renewal plans.

Tunisian private airline, Syphax Airlines (FS), has posted the first pictures of its first of two Airbus A330-200s (registry unconfirmed) due to join the airline's fleet in the next few weeks.

As part of previously reported plans to enhance its presence in Africa through the opening of an additional 10 stations, Turkish Airlines Cargo (TK), says it will begin once weekly dedicated cargo flights to the Rwandan capital, Kigali, effective 13 May.

Brazilian aircraft manufacturer, Embraer, is looking to double the number of its aircraft flying in Africa over the next 20 years, though this will largely depend on the full implementation of the Yamoussoukro Decision of 1999, whose objectives include the full-liberalization of the intra-African air transport market, free exercise of first, second, third, fourth and fifth freedom rights for passenger and freight air services by eligible airlines and ensuring fair competition on a non-discriminatory basis while complying with international safety standards. Despite having been given a deadline of 2002 for implementation, the Decision still remains fanciful at best.

Eritrean Airlines (B8) has returned its only has returned their only Airbus A319-100 (MSN 3139 | LZ-AOA) to Bulgarian operator BH Air - Balkan Holidays Air (8H) from whom they leased the aircraft.

Rwandair's first B737-700 (MSN: 30717 | 9XR-WJ) has finally arrived in Kigali where it is expected to commence operations between Kigali via Brazzaville and Libreville to Douala as well as to Johannesburg and Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International.

A Buraq Air (UZ) 737 inbound from Benghazi with 150 passengers aboard, yesterday sustained "no major damage" from ground-based gunfire as it was on finals into Tripoli International Airport Reuters has reported. As a result, the Libyan private carrier has suspended all flights to Tripoli effective immediately.

► EQUATORIAL GUINEA: CEIBA to take delivery of three 737-800s within the next 12 months; hunting for more 777s.

Equatorial Guinean national carrier, CEIBA Intercontinental, (C2) has confirmed that it will take delivery of three Boeing 737-800 (as reported by us here) within the next 12 months, with plans to add further Boeing 777s to its current one as the fledgling airline begins to spread its proverbial wings.

Canada's West Wind Aviation (WEW) is set to take delivery of the world's last known operational BAe HS.780 Andover (SET 13 | TL-AEW) with the aircraft already reregistered in the Central African Republic.

South Africa's National Airways Corporation has announced it has become the first aircraft operator in the world to receive Gold BARS status from the FlightSafety Foundation following the successful completion of three annual audits.

The Malawian Government has announced plans to construct a new international airport in Blantyre, the country's economic hub, to replace the current Chileka International Airport. The project, amongst others, will form part of the country's ongoing economic recovery plan (ERP).

Libyan Airlines (LN)'s ban on operating its own aircraft into the European Union could be lifted with a matter of weeks should the European Commission accept a

final report submitted by the carrier. It could be a different case for sister airline Afriqiyah (8U) whose own efforts to be struck off the infamous No-Fly list suffered a set back on Friday after one of its flights to Paris was turned back due to incorrect paperwork.

● ETHIOPIA: IATA boss slams EU Black List as lacking transparency; calls on greater African governmental support for aviation.

During a seminar given in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa today to mark Aviation Day Africa, Tony Tyler, the Director General and CEO of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) slammed the EU No-Fly list as "lacking transparency" claiming they did nothing to improve safety as a whole. Tyler instead called on African governments to build stronger partnerships with industry to prioritize and promote aviation policies that will improve safety, develop a more competitive industry cost structure and advance liberalization.

Tanzanian LCC, fastjet (FN) has announced it is temporarily suspending two of its routes between Kilimanjaro and Mwanza, and between Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar, effective immediately, due to what it calls "low demand during the rainy season."

After suspending its South African operations in June 2012, India's Jet Airways (9W) is to return to the South African market, albeit under a codeshare agreement

with South African Airways (SAA), the national carrier of South Africa and the only airline with non-stop flights between Mumbai and Johannesburg. The code share opens for Sale effective April 16th 2013, for travel effective April 18th 2013.

Kenyan cargo carrier Blue Bird Aviation (BBZ) is due to take delivery of two former Augsburg Airways (IQ) Bombardier Q400s to add to its growing fleet of 11 aircraft.

Roughly one year on from a USD2million (XFA1billion) upgrade of its various navigation and landing aides, Senegal's Tambacounda Airport still remains underserved and in urgent need of development the agence des Aéroports Du Sénégal (ADS) Tambacounda airport's general manager, Kabe Cissé, has said.

Effective April 1, Air Namibia (SW) has changed its General Sales Agent (GSA) in the USA, UK and France and has appointed APG as its new GSA in all three countries.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Monday, April 22, 2013

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Friday, April 19, 2013

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Tuesday, April 16, 2013