► UGANDA: Brussels Airlines A330 suffers compressor stalls on climb out of Entebbe; returns to airport safely.

The Aviation Herald writes that on May 12, a Brussels Airlines Airbus A330-200, (MSN 229 | OO-SFY), operating as flight SN465 from Entebbe to Brussels suffered compressor stalls after take off from Entebbe and was forced to return to the Ugandan airport shortly after.

►► ETHIOPIA: Ethiopian expecting "pleasant surprise" from Boeing in Addis next week; plans Dubai as first 787 destination from 25 April.

[UPDATE 17 MAY] Believing Boeing will have a "pleasant surprise" in store for the global aviation community next week, Ethiopian Airlines (ET) has tentatively scheduled its Boeing 787-8s to resume operations from April 25 with Dubai lined up as the Dreamliner's first potential destination.

►► CHINA: Ethiopian Airlines reduces Beijing to 6x weekly from April 'til June.

[UPDATE 17 MAY] AirlineRoute writes that Ethiopian Airlines (ET) will from 01APR13 to 17JUN13 temporarily reduces its Addis Ababa – Beijing service, with the overall operation dropping to 6 weekly flights instead of the current daily. Boeing 777-200LR aircraft operates this route.

■ SOUTH AFRICA: Dudu Myeni reckons SAA will add $100billion+ in spinoff benefit to SA's economy over next 20 years.

South African Airways (SA) claims the downstream economic benefit of its Group operations over the next twenty years will total USD107billion (ZAR1trillion), Acting Chairperson, Ms Duduzile Myeni, has said. The estimate is based on direct and indirect growth in direct and downstream employment creation with a forecast of 88'000 South African jobs across on aggregate through all sectors including tourism, foreign direct investments, goods and services. 

► SOUTH AFRICA: SAA Cargo's future hinges on domestic, regional markets as Emirates et al make their presence felt.

South African Airways Cargo, and air cargo in general in South Africa, is suffering at the hands of a buoyant East African economy, a weak South African Rand and an influx of foreign carriers to countries that were, in the past, reliant on a Johannesburg hub for their international exports.

■ LIBYA: Arabian Gulf Oil Company calls for tenders for Messla Airport upgrade.

The Arabian Gulf Oil Company (AGOCO) has issued a tender for the rehabilitation and upgrading of Messla Airport (27°58'29''N, 22°21'30''E) situated 500 km southeast of Benghazi along the Egyptian border. The Messla field was discovered in 1971 and is considered one of the biggest oil fields in the Libyan Sirte basin.

► SOUTH AFRICA: Solenta Aviation attains Flight Safety Foundation's GOLD status; announces further Mozambican investments.

South Africa's Solenta Aviation has recently been awarded GOLD status by the Flight Safety Foundation after holding GREEN status for 3 consecutive years, becoming just the third company in the world to achieve such Safety and Quality recognition. In addition, the operator has announced the acquisition of a stake in CFA Mozambique SA which has now been renamed Solenta Aviation Mozambique.

► SOUTH AFRICA: fastjet's launch delayed until July - Bodin.

As previously speculated by The African Aviation Tribune, fastjet (FN), has indeed announced a postponement in its planned South African venture with flights now set to commence from July 1, the carrier's chief  commercial officer, Richard Bodin, has said.

► FLEET UPDATE BULLETIN: Royal Air Maroc, Marsland Aviation, Syphax, Ghadames Air & Kenya Airways.

The following is a fleet update bulletin for aircraft that are in use, have been in use or will be in use for these listed airlines: Royal Air Maroc (AH), Marsland Aviation (M7), Syphax Airlines (FS), Ghadames Air Transport (0G), and Kenya Airways (KQ).

■ EGYPT: Air Arabia Egypt selects AJW Aviation for its A320 "power-by-the-hour" support.

AJW Aviation has been chosen by Air Arabia Egypt (E5), Egypt’s only low-cost carrier, to provide "power-by-the-hour" support and leased inventory for two of its A320 aircraft.

► KENYA: British Airways sees strong East African market potential as a result of newly discovered mineral wealth.

British Airways (BA) plans to leverage Kenya’s strategic position to help improve its market share in East & Central Africa and South Sudan, with the region's recent discovery of oil and minerals set to boost it's passenger and cargo traffic potential, BA's regional commercial manager George Mawadri, has said.

■ SOMALIA: Government assumes control of its airspace from CACAS as Somaliland bans all UN flights in retaliation.

Somalia's Minister for Information, Abdullahi Elmoge Hersi, says his government has once more resumed control of its national airspace after twenty years following a handing over ceremony held at Mogadishu's Aden Adde International Airport with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO) who collectively form the Civil Aviation Caretaker Authority for Somalia (CACAS).

►► ZAMBIA: Proflight Zambia to start Lubumbashi, Lilongwe ops from mid May.

[UPDATE 15 MAY] Proflight Zambia (P0) is set to embark on its first regional operations with the launch of 3x weekly Ndola - Lubumbashi (DRC) and 3x weekly Lusaka - Lilongwe (Malawi) flights, effective 16MAY13.

► SOUTH AFRICA: SAA to finally take delivery of its long deferred A320 order beginning Q3.

South African Airways (SA) will at last, begin taking delivery of twenty Airbus A320s in the next quarter (i.e.. July - September), South African Minister of Public Enterprises, Malusi Gigaba, has said. The order has been repeatedly deferred owing to SAA's ongoing financial woes.

► CONGO (KINSHASA): Turkish Airlines revealed as potential partner for new Congolese national carrier.

Turkish Airlines (TK) has been revealed as the potential partner the Congolese government has approached apropos the setting up of a renewed national carrier to replace the semi-defunct LAC Lignes Aériennes Congolaises (4V).

■ NIGERIA: Princess Stella officially unveils Nigeria's revised National Civil Aviation Policy.

The Nigerian Minister of Civil Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah, has officially unveiled her country's revised dossier on aviation dubbed "the Revised National Civil Aviation Policy 2013" (NCAP) needed, for what it terms, to bring new and sustainable regulatory structures into the industry for the safety and security of airline passengers and crew.

■ ZIMBABWE: Five candidates shortlisted for Air Zimbabwe CEO position; appointment due before month's end.

Air Zimbabwe (UM) is understood to have short-listed five possible candidates to for the post of airline chief executive officer (CEO) following a call for submissions earlier this year.

■ MOROCCO: Government now mulling possible Gulf carrier tie-up for Royal Air Maroc prior to a privatization bid.

The future of Royal Air Maroc (AH) is still cloudy though the Moroccan state backed national carrier airline could be party to a strategic alliance with an undisclosed major carrier in the Gulf ahead of a planned privatisation bid, the country’s tourism minister, Haddah Lahcen, has said.

► ANGOLA: Lufthansa switches Luanda to A330 ops from late October.

German carrier, Lufthansa (LH), will, from 27OCT13, switch its operational aircraft in use between  Frankfurt and Luanda from Airbus A340-300 aircraft to A330-300. Capacity remains unchanged despite the aircraft adjustment.

■ MALAWI: United Arab Emirates, Malawi to finalize BASA in coming months.

Malawi and the United Arab Emirates are set to sign a Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) in the coming weeks following a visit to the Southern African country by an Emirati delegation led by Mr. Khalid Ghanim Al Ghaith, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs responsible for Economic Affairs from the10th to 11th May, 2013.