► 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.

► NIGERIA: Allied Air Cargo to replace B727Fs with B737-400Fs.

Allied Air Cargo (4W) of Nigeria has selected Aeronautical Engineers, Inc. (AEI), to provide two firm B737-400SF 11 Pallet Configuration conversions, with an option for one additional conversion. The first aircraft is a high gross weight B737-400 (MSN 26081) built in 1993 and will undergo freighter modification in June 2013 at AEI’s Authorized Conversion Centre in Jacksonville, Florida.

■ MOZAMBIQUE: Brazil set to ratify new bill to enable resumption of flights to Mozambique.

Brazil and Mozambique could soon resume direct flights should Brazilian president, Dilma Youseff, consent to a bill already passed by the Brazilian Committee on Foreign Relations and the National Defense of Congress regarding the establishment of commercial flights between the South American country and Mozambique. 

■ SWAZILAND: SWACAA signs deal in which the ATNS will provide ATC services at Matsapha Airport among others.

The Air  Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) Company of South Africa and the Swaziland Civil Aviation Authority (SWACAA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which will result in better harmonised continental  airspace, thereby  improving the smoothness and  cost-efficiency of the entire air traffic service chain between the two countries.  

► CANADA: Shell Oil awards CHC Canada chopper contract for sub-Saharan African oil rig ops.

Shell International Exploration and Production B.V. has selected CHC Helicopter, a Canadian offshore helicopter services provider, for a five-year, multi-million dollar contract to support Shell's deep-water exploration activities off the coast of Sub-Saharan Africa.

► BRAZIL: Arik Air hoping to start Lagos - São Paulo flights "before August."

Nigeria's largest carrier, Arik Air (W3), has formally launched negotiations with the Brazilian National Civil Aviation Agency (Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil - ANAC) regarding traffic rights and landing slots for São Paulo, it has emerged.

■ EGYPT: New BASA signed with Morocco as a revised one with Turkey still pending says EHCAAN boss.

The North African countries of Morocco and Egypt on May 5 finalized a renewed Bilateral Air Servcies Agreement which will see frequencies between the countries doubled from the previous seven, to fourteen weekly for each country's respective designated carrier(s). According to the head of the Egyptian Holding Company for Airports and Air Navigation (EHCAAN), Engineer Magdy Abd El-Hady Hafez, the revised BASA also allows for Egyptair (MS) to serve other cities outside of Casablanca, including the Moroccan capital, Rabat.