■ MOZAMBIQUE: AdM to increase airport taxes to offset $350mln airport renovation debts.

Aeroportos de Moçambique (AdM), the Mozambican parastatal tasked with running the country's major airports and airspace, is set to increase passenger fees to help pay for the ongoing modernization and upgrading of Mozambique's airports.

■ SOUTH AFRICA: SAA selects Rockwell Collins avionics suite for use in Airbus A320/A319 fleet.

South African Airways (SA) has selected  Rockwell Collins' communications, surveillance and navigation avionics for use on 20 new Airbus A320 aircraft. The selection includes Rockwell Collins' MultiScan Threat Detection System, GLU-925 Multi-Mode Receiver (MMR), and Iridium SATCOM system. Deliveries are scheduled to begin later this year. The airline also plans to retrofit MultiScan on its current fleet of 11 A319 aircraft.

►► SOUTH AFRICA: SA Airlink boosts Joburg - Upington flights from May.

[UPDATE 27 MARCH] SA Airlink, the regional and domestic arm of South African Airways (SA), will from 6 May, increase its frequencies to Upington, Northern Cape, with the introduction of a new 4x weekly early bird flight from Johannesburg leaving at 07h10 with the return leaving Upington at 09h25.

■ NIGERIA: Government finalizes plans to source funding for new national carrier as ATR pitches its turboprops for use in the Aviation Intervention Fund.

After a meeting of the Economic Management Team chaired by President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja, the Nigerian government is set to finalize plans for funding for the establishment of a national carrier.

► SOUTH AFRICA: Russia looking to sell SSJ100s, MS21s passenger jets to South African buyers.

Russia's Interfax news agency reports that undisclosed South African buyers are in talks with aircraft manufacturer, Sukhoi, over a possible deal for the purchase of Sukhoi Superjet 100 (SSJ100) passenger jets as well as Irkut MS-21s.

■ ZAMBIA: NAC2000 selects Kale Logistics' Galaxy Ground Handling Management System.

Zambian ground handling services company, NAC2000 (formerly known as National Air Charters), has opted for Kale Logistics’ "Galaxy" Airport Ground Handling Management system for the automation of its activities at Lusaka Kenneth Kaunda International Airport, Zambia. With this selection, NAC2000 is now poised to move from its manual operations to a globally connected web-based cargo management system which will help it better serve its customers & communicate with all its external stakeholders.

► GAMBIA: Gambia Bird set to start Lagos and Douala from April; announces timetable revision.

Following on from our previous post, Gambia Bird (3G) has announced numerous changes to its network in anticipation of Summer 2013, effective 31 March 2013. Additionally, the carrier will launch Lagos and Douala flights from 02APR13.

► NIGERIA: AeroContractors to tentatively resume ops come Easter weekend?

AeroContractors (AJ), grounded by virtue of an NCAA directive following a workers' strike that has now gone into its 14th day, is to tentatively resume operations this coming Easter weekend hinging on the successful completion of an audit by the NCAA.

■ SOUTH AFRICA: Dube Tradeport, Action Group India sign MoU for $200mln development at Durban King Shaka International Airport.

On the sidelines of the ongoing BRICS Summit in Durban, South Africa, Dube TradePort Corporation and Indian conglomerate, Action Group, signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the USD216million (ZAR2billion) development of a "Mega Industrial Integrated Township" located adjacent to Durban's King Shaka International Airport. The development will form part of the airport's long term "aerotropolis" expansion vision.

► ZIMBABWE: Egyptair in talks to lease aircraft to Air Zimbabwe?

Egyptian national carrier, Egyptair (MS), says it is in talks with Zimbabwean national carrier, Air Zimbabwe (UM), over a possible code-share deal as well as a lease arrangement for an unspecified number of aircraft, for use during the upcoming XXth United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) General Assembly to be co-hosted by both Livingstone, Zambia and its Zimbabwean counterpart, Victoria Falls, from 24 to 30 August.

■ SOUTH AFRICA: Denel Aviation to open sub-Saharan Africa's first Russian Helicopters MRO facility in due course.

Denel Aviation, a division of South Africa's government-backed Denel Corporation, is to unveil the first MRO facility in sub-Saharan Africa catering for Mil and Kamov military and utility helicopters, both of which are manufactured by Moscow-based Russian Helicopters.

►► UNITED KINGDOM: British Airways increases capacity to Cairo, Luanda, Johannesburg in 2013.

[UPDATE 26 MARCH] British Airways (BA) has announced various changes to its African timetable to come into effect for the Northern Summer 2013.

■■ BURKINA FASO: (Pics) Construction of Ouagadougou's new Donsin International Airport set to start before year end.

Ouagadougou Donsin International Airport, Burkina Faso

[UPDATE 26 MARCH] Construction work on Ouagadougou's new Donsin International Airport, situated roughly 40km outside of the Burkinabe capital, is set to go ahead this year as officials from L'Agence pour la Sécurité de la Navigation Aérienne en Afrique et à Madagascar (Agency for Aerial Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar - ASECNA) have put themselves at the disposal of the Burkina Faso government.

■ COTE D'IVOIRE: AERIA proceeds to clean up Abidjan's Port Bouet International Airport's aircraft boneyard.

Taking a leaf from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA)'s book and their ongoing clean-up exercise of Nigerian airports, AERIA, the Ivorian company responsible for the management and running of Abidjan's main air gateway, l'Aéroport International Félix Houphouët-Boigny, (also known as Port Bouet International Airport) has embarked on a similar clean up of the airport's grounds, with some 20 abandoned and derelict aircraft having been scrapped or in the process of being scrapped.

■ CONGO (KINSHASA): (Video) Korongo commissions new 2'400sqm hangar as Alpha Airports awarded contract to build temporary terminal at Kinshasa N'djili.

Congolese regional operator, Korongo Airlines (ZC) has inaugurated a new prefabricated hangar at its Lubumbashi Luano International Airport base. The airline says the new facility, which conforms to all IATA and ICAO specifications, will allow for the on-site servicing and maintenance of its current lone aircraft, a Boeing 737-300.

■ RWANDA: Government finalizing plans for $350mln bond issuance of which RwandAir will be major benefactor.

The Rwandan Government is finalizing plans for the issuance of a sovereign bond aimed at raising "about USD350million (RWF222billion)", part of which will be used to prop up national carrier Rwandair (WB) in whom government has a 99% shareholding.

►► GUINEA: Air France announces changes to Nouakchott, Conakry, Freetown, Monrovia ops from late March.

[UPDATE 25 MARCH] Air France (AF) will from 31MAR13 adjust its operations to the West African destinations of Nouakchott (Mauritania), Conakry (Guinea), Freetown (Sierra Leone) and Monrovia (Liberia).

► CONGO (KINSHASA): (Pic) CAA set to add a sixth Airbus A320 to its fleet.

CAA - Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation (FPY), the Kinshasa-based Congolese domestic operator, is set to take delivery of its sixth Airbus A320 (MCN 395 | 9Q-?).

■ MAURITIUS: Air Mauritius signs up for OSyS's Fuel Management System in a bid to reduce fuel overheads.

Mauritian national carrier, Air Mauritius (MK), has selected Optimized Systems and Solution's (OSyS) Fuel Management Solution (FMS) to further optimize its operational fuel usage, reducing associated costs and emissions.

► TANZANIA: Auric Air outlines added routes to Zanzibar, Mafia Island, Tanzanian mainland from June 2013.

Tanzanian private operator, Auric Air (AUK), has announced plans to launch flights to numerous new destinations on both the Tanzanian mainland, Mafia Island and Zanzibar effective 01JUN13.