► 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.