► 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.

► EGYPT: Egyptair officially announces Roshdy Zakaria as its new Boss.

Egyptian carrier Egyptair (MS) today officially announced the appointment of Roshdy Zakaria, the airline's former deputy Vice President of Flight Operations, as their new Chairman and CEO.

Zakaria has spent much of his 30 year career with Egyptair where he has held various positions, including that of chief pilot examiner and instructor on the Airbus A300B4 and the Boeing 767/777.

► KENYA: See Pics of 748 Air Service's Bombardier Dash 8!

Nairobi-based air charter specialists 748 Air Services (SVT) is set to receive its first Bombardier Dash 8-400 (MCN: 4013 | 5Y-SMJ) from Amsterdam, Holland where it has just received its paint-job in 748's livery.

► SOUTH AFRICA: Air France extends Cape Town route into May 2013.

Air France (AF) is to extend its seasonal Paris CDG (France) – Cape Town (South Africa) operation for the Northern Winter 2012/13 season.

The thrice weekly Boeing 777-200 operated route will remain in effect from 28 October 2012 until 12 May 2013, instead of the previously announced date of 30 March 2013.

► TANZANIA: FastJet sets Dar es Salaam, then Nairobi as first launch hubs.

FastJet, the nascent Pan-African LCC carrier being planned by Stelios Haji-Ioannou of easyJet fame, today announced that its first operating base would be in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, followed by Nairobi, Kenya, pending the certification of the Airbus A319 there.

► NIGERIA: Ethiopian to start Enugu; wants Kano, Port Harcourt and added Abuja frequencies too.

Ethiopian Airlines (ET) is looking to start flights to the southern Nigerian city of Enugu, in addition to a planned expansion to Port Harcourt, Kano (northern Nigeria) and an increase in its Abuja flight frequencies, currently flown 5x weekly with the airline's Boeing 777-200LR.

► KENYA: Brussels Airlines cancels planned Mombasa route launch; increases Kigali frequency.

Originally planned to go ahead from 1 October via Nairobi, Belgian carrier, Brussels Airlines (SN), has announced it will not be launching once weekly flights to the Kenyan port town of Mombasa "due to administrative reasons".

► ANGOLA: Aeroflot pulls out of Luanda from mid October.

Russia's Aeroflot (SU) is to pull out of the Angolan capital, Luanda effective 16 October 2012. The route - Moscow Sheremetyevo – Hurghada, Egypt – Luanda, Angola - is presently served twice weekly by an Airbus A320.

► FRANCE: Egyptair increases capacity to Paris from December 2012.

Egyptian airline, Egyptair (MS), will from 1 December 2012, replace its current daily Airbus A330-300 operated service to Paris Charles de Gaulle, France with a larger Boeing 777-300ER. 

This comes after the carrier previously announced that from 28 October 2012 it would increase frequencies on the route from daily to 11x weekly.

■ SOUTH AFRICA: Airports Company South Africa bounces back with a USD22million profit for FY 2011/2012.

After a heavy loss of USD26.8million during the 2010/2011 Financial Year, The Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) announced yesterday that it had made a profit of USD22million for the 2011/2012 Financial Year, though it is unlikely that any South African airlines will be joining in the celebrations, as the main factor behind ACSA's return to profitability - a 70% hike in its tariffs - is one of the reasons why 1Time is in Business Rescue and Comair Limited posted no dividend for the same Financial Year.

► BOTSWANA: Air Botswana planning Nairobi, Lilongwe, Blantyre, Cape Town, Lanseria flights from October onwards?

Reliable Zimbabwean aviation blog, Harare Airport Blogger, is reporting that Botswana's national carrier, Air Botswana (BP), is planning to launch various new regional routes with effect from 28 October 2012, though these reports have not yet officially been confirmed by Air Botswana itself.

► GAMBIA: Corendon Airlines to offer Amsterdam - Banjul from October.

Antalya-based tour operator Corendon Airlines (XC), a joint Turkish and Dutch registered airline, today announced that effective 1 October the carrier would launch a weekly Amsterdam, Holland - Banjul, The Gambia service which would increase to a 3x weekly service from 1 November onwards.

► ALGERIA: Emirates starts daily flights to Algiers from March 2013.

Its 22nd destination in Africa, Dubai based Emirates (EK) today announced it will serve the Algerian capital, Algiers, with a daily Airbus A330-200 effective 1 March 2013. With the Airbus A330's belly-hold capacity of 12 tonnes, Emirates SkyCargo expects to export commodities such as frozen fish, lobsters, oil and gas equipment and palm oil to points across its network whilst imports including a variety of manufactured goods are expected to form the bulk of goods shipped into Algeria.

■ NIGERIA: Arik renews its Lufthansa Technik deal as Stella tries to lure Boeing and Bombardier into MRO sector.

Nigerian carrier, Arik Air (W3) and German maintenance service provider, Lufthansa Technik last week renewed a contract signed in 2006, that will see the German outfit along with Lufthansa Cityline - a sister company providing regional European flights under the Lufthansa brand -  providing technical support to Arik Air in the areas of line maintenance, base maintenance, materials and pool parts among others for the next five years.