► NIGERIA: Cargolux to start Port Harcourt ops from early March.

Luxembourg's Cargolux (CV) has announced that it is to add Port Harcourt in Nigeria as a new destination on its African network. The inaugural service, CV7122, will be operated on 5 March 2013 with Cargolux’s Boeing 747 freighter. (Editor's note - whether this is the 747-8 or 747-400F is unclear).

■ NAMIBIA: Tourism sector jittery as Government, Air Namibia remain mute on the latter's new business plan.

Contrary to the old adage that "No news is good news", the silence emanating from Windhoek regarding Air Namibia's (SW) new business plan, pitched to its sole shareholder, the Namibian Government, late last week, is starting to unsettle players in Namibia's tourism industry, already hit by the Eurozone crisis.

► ZAMBIA: SA Airlink puts ERJ135s onto Kruger/Mpumalanga - Livingstone route effective late March.

SA Airlink (4Z) will enhance its Kruger Mpumalanga - Livingstone, Zambia service with the introduction of  Embraer ERJ 135 jets onto the route from 22 March 2013.

►► NIGERIA: AeroContractors to add "several" Dash 8-400s; to possibly retire B737-500s?

[UPDATE 18 FEBRUARY] CH-Aviation writes that Nigeria's Aero Contractors (AJ), also known as Aero, have announced plans to add several Bombardier Dash 8-400s to their fleet with an ex-Flybe (BE) Q400 (MSN 4079 | 5N- BPU) currently being painted for Aero at Norwich Airport in the UK. 

► EQUATORIAL GUINEA: (Pic) Cronos Airlines set to receive its first Airbus A320.

Equato-Guinean carrier Cronos Airlines (C8) is set to take delivery of its first Airbus A320 (MSN 533 | YL-LCL) wet leased from Latvia ad-hoc charter specialists, smartLynx Airlines (6Y).

■ SOUTH AFRICA: NTM calls off strike, to take dispute with SAA to Labour Courts.

South Africa's National Transport Movement trade union has ended its 28 day strike but said it will seek an order from the South African Labour Court this week to compel South African Airways (SA) to grant it recognition rights. 

■ NIGERIA: Bi-Courtney wins its case against FAAN, Aviation Ministry over rights to Lagos General Aviation Terminal.

Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL), the current concessioner for Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal 2 (MMA2), has won a court case against the Nigerian Ministry of Aviation  and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) over the concession of the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) terminal.

■ MOZAMBIQUE: Refurbishment and enlargement of Pemba Airport to take 6 months says AdM.

Work on the expansion of airport infrastructure and facilities at Pemba, a port and the capital of Cabo Delgado province in north eastern Mozambique, has commenced with completion expected in six months.

► UGANDA: Government in talks with Air Uganda over possible buy in as calls for establishment of national carrier grow louder.

The Ugandan Government has been holding talks with the Aga Khan Foundation, the 100% shareholder for Meridiana Africa Airlines (Uganda) Limited, better known as Air Uganda (U7), over a possible buy in to the carrier. Government's move comes as calls for the establishment of a new reliable national carrier to replace that of the defunct Uganda Airlines (QU), grow louder as biting global oil prices and a lack of domestic competition increasingly push the cost of Ugandan exports beyond being internationally competitive.

► COTE D'IVOIRE: Egyptair to start Abidjan via Accra from June; boosts Kano, Tunis capacities.

AirlineRoute reports that Egyptair (MS) is to start daily flights from Cairo to Abidjan via Accra with effect from 1 June 2013. In addition, the Star Alliance carrier will also boost capacity to Kano, Nigeria and Tunis also effective 1 June.

■ TANZANIA: Fastjet claims parking, landing fees owed to TAA were run up by Don Smith's Fly540.

Fastjet (FN), the controversy-prone Tanzanian based LCC, has issued yet another statement refuting as "inaccurate" recent allegations in the Tanzanian press that it now owes the Tanzanian Airports Authority (TAA) TSh570'668'242.00 and USD95'360 in outstanding landing and parking charges.

► GUINEA: Zambia's Stabo Air starts 1x weekly Conakry, Dakar, Banjul cargo ops.

Zambian cargo and passenger air charter service, Stabo Air, has launched a 1x weekly (Day 6) Boeing 757 operated cargo service between Dakar, Conakry and Banjul.

►►► NIGERIA: United Airlines to start 787 service to Lagos from 2013.

[UPDATE 17 FEBRUARY] American megacarrier United Airlines (UA) is to start a 5x weekly service between Houston, Texas and the Nigerian city of Lagos using its soon-to-be delivered Boeing 787 Dreamliner, effective 7 January 2013.

■ GHANA: Fuel shortages ground domestic airlines 'til Tuesday; international operators forced to make other plans.

An ongoing jet fuel crisis caused by supply problems in Togo and exacerbated by lack of reserve at the national oil refinery in Tema, has compelled Ghana's domestic operators to suspend flights for the next three days (Sunday included), say reports out of Accra.

► NIGERIA: Accident Investigation Bureau releases updated report on Dana Air 9J-992 crash; 8 other final reports.

The Nigerian Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) has released its preliminary report on the Dana Air 9J-992 Accident which claimed over 160 lives in June last year, in addition to several other air accident enquiries dating back almost 10 years.

► ZAMBIA: Emirates looking to start direct Livingstone flights for duration of UNWTO.

In preparation for the upcoming XXth United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) General Assembly to be held in Victoria Falls in August this year, Emirates (EK) has applied to the Zambian Department of Civil Aviation for traffic rights to serve Livingstone directly.

► COTE D'IVOIRE: (Pic) Air Cote d'Ivoire to launch domestic network in coming months following arrival of E170 Jet.

Air Côte d'Ivoire (HF) has taken delivery of its Embraer 170 (MSN 307 | F-HBXH) wet-leased from Air France thereby supplementing the carrier's current fleet of two Airbus A319s.

■■ SWAZILAND: (Pics) A look at the controversial Sikhuphe International Airport due to open in 2013.

Swaziland's Sikhuphe International Airport Terminal due to open in 2013.

Swaziland's controversial multi-million dollar Sikhuphe International Airport is set to start operations early next year (2013) according to the Principal Secretary in the Swazi Ministry of Economic Planning and Development, Bertram Stewart.

► ETHIOPIA: Military claims to have pioneered country's first home-grown UAV.

Unnamed military sources in Ethiopia state that the country has pioneered its own indigenous Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) or drone. The UAVs have allegedly already performed a geophysical survey of Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam, a massive hydroelectric installation under construction on the Blue Nile.

► CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: Karinou Airlines to add a Boeing 737-300 in April.

Centrafricair o/a Karinou Airlines (KRN), a private carrier based out of the Central African Republic, is to boost its fleet with the arrival of a Boeing 737-300 due in April which will join its current lone Boeing 737-200ADV (MSN 23109 | TL-AEG) formerly with Lebanon's Med Airways.