• The African Aviation Tribune •

Friday, July 26, 2013

■ GAMBIA: Construction of new $3mln Gambia International Airlines cargo facility at Banjul begins.

Construction of a new USD3million cargo terminal at Banjul International Airport has officially commenced following a ceremony presided over by Gambian vice president and Minister of Women's Affairs, Dr. Aja Isatou Njie-Saidy, on Tuesday. Once complete, the facility will be turned over to the Gambian national carrier, Gambia International Airlines (GC).

Nascent South African Low Cost Carrier, SkyWise (SWZ), says it has already paid deposits on two Boeing 737-300s though operations, still scheduled for August as previously reported, will only begin once the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) issues it an Air Operator's Certificate.

An Air France A330-200 (MCN 519 | F-GZCL) operating as flight AF547 from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso to Paris CDG via Niamey, Niger, has been grounded in the Nigerien capital since Thursday after a dead body, believed to have fallen from the aircraft as it approached Diori Hamani International Airport's runway 09R/27L, was discovered in one of the city's arrondissements.

Tanzanian LCC, fastjet (FN), has announced that easyGroup, the investment vehicle of Mr Stelios Haji-Ioannou has increased its stake in the airline from 3% to 5.81% in lieu of all royalty and consultancy payments due to the group up until year end.

Confirming former interim CEO Nico Bezuidenhout's statement regarding an order for 25-30 widebody aircraft, likely to be either 787s or A350s, South African Airways (SA) Chief Financial Officer, Mr Wolf Meyer, has confirmed that the airline has indeed issued a tender to both Boeing and Airbus for "twenty-three" aircraft, set to be delivered from 2017 onwards.

Air Zimbabwe (UM) has pushed back the resumption of its much anticipated Victoria Falls - Johannesburg route to today, Friday, July 26. Originally announced as operating 3x weekly from July 12, flights will now only operate on Fridays and Sundays with an Embraer ERJ145 (MSN 145607 | ZS-BBH) leased from South Africa's Solenta Aviation.

► PORTUGAL: HiFly refutes all claims pertaining to its A310 and the Tunisian authorities.

Portuguese ACMI firm, HiFly (5K), has refuted all claims pertaining to a tentative leasing deal with Tunisian national carrier, Tunisair (TU), for an A310-300 (MCN 565 | CS-TEX), in which a report carried by Tunisian television station, Watania2, and referenced here by The African Aviation Tribune, claimed the aircraft had been denied an airworthiness certificate on the grounds of non-compliance.

German charter carrier, Condor Flugdienst (DE), will commence its seasonal operations between Germany and South Africa, starting October 16 and ending April 22. The twice weekly flights will operate using a wingletted B767-300ER.

Royal Air Maroc (AT) says it will tender for between 12 and 15 new 100-seater aircraft should trials with two Embraer E190s, currently on lease from Holland's Denim Air ACMI, prove to be successful. Among the contenders mentioned are Bombardier's C-Series, Embraer E190 and surprisingly, Sukhoi's Super Jet 100.

Effective August 4, SA Express (XZ) plans to increase its frequency on its Durban - Harare route to four weekly flights. The additional flight will operate on Sundays on-board CRJ200 aircraft.

For the last two days, Nigeria has been hit by a scarcity of Jet A1 aviation fuel, triggering numerous flight delays in some of the nation's airports, with Abuja and Lagos the worst hit. Some international operators have been forced to add sectors to Accra, Ghana to circumvent the shortage whose cause is not yet known.

Senegal Airlines (DN) has, since earlier in the year, replaced an ATR72-200, (MCN 460 | ZS-XCB), wet-leased from Solenta Aviation, with a CRJ-100, (MCN 7338 | ZS-CRJ), wet-leased from fellow South African operator, Lanseria-based CemAir.

South African state owned aerospace and defence technology conglomerate, Denel SOC Ltd, has posted a net profit of USD7.33million (ZAR71million) for its most recent 2012/13 financial year, buoyed by a 10% increase in revenue - thanks in part to an increase in demand for its products in Africa, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific and South America - a restructuring of its debt and a reduction in its expenditure.

British Airways (BA) will, starting 12 February 2014, begin introducing the Airbus A380 aircraft on its London Heathrow – Johannesburg route, where it’ll operate 3 times a week, replacing the Boeing 747-400.

►► ETHIOPIA: Ethiopian Airlines maintains Brussels, Paris from December; drops Munich plans.

[UPDATE 27 AUGUST] Ethiopian Airlines (ET) will tentatively begin serving Stockholm via Munich, Germany daily effective December 1. Flights will operate using a Boeing 757. Also from December 1, Brussels will be dropped from the Ethiopian national carrier's network leaving Paris CDG to be operated direct.

Eurocopter has expanded its partnership with South Africa’s Denel Aviation on helicopter repair and maintenance. Under the new contract with the European helicopter manufacturer, Denel Aviation has received authorization to offer its repairs and servicing capabilities on Super-Puma helicopters in Southern Africa.

According to the GDS, Air Malta (KM) has suspended its Malta Valletta - Algiers flights, barely one month after their June 17 launch with a twice weekly A319 service.

Nairobi-Wilson based operator, ALS - Aircraft Leasing Services (K4) has reportedly ceased offering scheduled services between Nairobi and various remote strips in northern Kenya and South Sudan.

South African Airways (SAA) has taken delivery of its first two A320s, (MCN 5637 | ZS-SZA) & (MCN 5680 | ZS-SZB), out of a total of twenty A320-200s ordered from Airbus. The development will allow SAA to expand its Sub-Sahara regional route network and boost revenue in the rapidly growing market.

Further to a previous report in which fastjet (FN) allured to being in talks with four unnamed African carriers over possible partnerships, company Chief Commercial Officer, Mr Richard Bodin, has said that his airline, in addition to now having a "confirmed licence" in Nigeria, was now close to completing the initial steps for applications to fly in Uganda though gave no further details.

►► TUNISIA: DGAC reportedly refuses to certify Tunisair's leased HiFly A310.

The prospects of Tunisair (TU) operating an A310-300 (MCN 565 | CS-TEX) on wet-lease from Portuguese ACMI specialists, Hi Fly (5K), for the duration of summer are getting slimmer and slimmer following reports that authorities in Tunis have refused to certify the aircraft on the grounds that it was not compliant with local "safety and air-worthiness regulations."

Kenya Airways (KQ) has increased its services between Nairobi and Mahé, Seychelles with effect from July 6 until August 31. The new flight operates on Saturdays and is expected to handle the anticipated rise in demand for flights to the island. Equipment on this route varies according to demand.

Kenya's Jetlink Express (J0), grounded since November last year, has managed to convince 70% of its unpaid creditors to accept a business recovery proposal which would see the Kenyan domestic and regional carrier back in operations come October 1, though one, Kenya's Equity Bank, has remained adamant that it wants to see the bankrupt airline wound up and its debt of USD8.1million settled forthwith.

Global passenger, ramp and cargo handling services provider, Menzies Aviation, has withdrawn its support and ceased doing business in Senegal after its local partner, Aviation Handling Services (AHS), was placed under judicial administration following an investigation into the alleged corrupt business activities of the former Minister of State for International Cooperation, Regional Development, Air Transport, and Infrastructure, Karim Wade, the son of former Senegalese president, Abdoulaye Wade.

Kinshasa's N'Djili International Airport's New stop-gap International Terminal

French airport equipment firm Alpha Airports, the winner of the Build-Operate-Transfer contract for this project, has commenced the construction of Kinshasa's Ndjili International Airport's new USD21million Terminal. The works were officially launched by Congolese prime minister, Mr Augustin Matata Ponyo and are expected to be concluded in the first quarter of 2014.

Belgian carrier brussels airlines (SN), will from October 27, 2013 adjust its operations to the following West African destinations including: Banjul, Dakar, Freetown and Monrovia.

► ETHIOPIA: Ethiopian Q400 reportedly suffers engine problems on finals into Axum; makes a safe landing.

An Ethiopian Airlines (ET) Bombardier Q400 operating a domestic flight ET128 from Addis Ababa to Axum, Ethiopia, on Wednesday, July 17, reportedly suffered engine problems on its port side shortly before touchdown at Axum's Emperor Yohannes IV Airport.

Ethiopia and Vietnam have now signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a Bilateral Air Services Agreement following talks between officials from the Ethiopian Civil Aviation

Authority (ECAA) and the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (Cục Hàng không Dân dụng Việt Nam - CAAV) in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi, recently. According to a statement by the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority, the MoU was signed by Colonel Wossenyeleh Hunegnaw for the ECAA and by his Vietnamese counterpart, Vo Huy Cuong, after two days of discussions held between officials from 11-12 July 2013.

The Tunisian national assembly has approved a bill allowing national carrier, Tunisair (TU), to secure EUR74million in funding for the acquisition of its ten Airbus A320 necessary for its renewal plan. The move is part of a raft of measures laid down by Tunis to help the struggling airline return to profitability following the events of the last three years which saw Tunisia's tourism numbers plummet.

► FLEET UPDATE BULLETIN: Afriqiyah, Libyan Airlines, Syphax Airlines, Comair, Afric Aviation, Solenta Aviation, Tassili Airlines, Air Algérie, AfricaWest, Air Memphis & Royal Air Maroc.

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: Afriqiyah Airlines (8U), Libyan Airlines (LN), Syphax Airlines (FS), Comair Ltd (MN), Tassili Airlines (SF), Air Algérie (AH), Africa West (FK), Afric Aviation (L8), Solenta Aviation, Air Memphis (E9), Royal Air Maroc (AT).

The United Kingdom's Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB)has issued a special bulletin pertaining to a fire onboard a parked Ethiopian Airlines (ET) Boeing 787-8 (MSN 34744 | ET-AOP) at London Heathrow Airport last week has been released. According to the report, suspicions thus far point to the aircraft's Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) and its associated system wiring. On the basis of these initial findings and a recommendation from the AAIB, the US Federal Aviation Administration has said it is preparing to issue an Airworthiness Directive in the coming days that would make inspections of all ELTs aboard Boeing 787 aircraft, mandatory.

From 6 August 2013, Air Namibia (SW) will introduce an additional flight per week on Tuesdays on its Windhoek and Luanda route, bringing the total number of flights operated by the Namibian national carrier between the Namibian and Angolan capitals to seven weekly (i.e daily). Flights operate using an Airbus A319.

► NIGERIA: Ethiopian Airlines boosts Abuja to daily from late August.

Ethiopian Airlines (ET) will, from 27 August 2013, increase the frequency of its Addis Ababa – Abuja flights where overall service will increase from 5x weekly to daily. The new flight operates on Mondays and Thursdays on-board a Boeing 777-200LR.

The Cameroonian parliament has adopted a Civil Aviation Regulations Bill following a plenary sitting of the Upper House in Yaoundé on July 16. The bill is based on recommendations made by the ICAO following a September 2006 audit of the country's civil aviation structures which revealed several shortcomings both in terms of legislation as well as implementation.

Two people were killed yesterday morning when their Cirrus SR-20 (ZS-CAP) light aircraft crashed after take off from Johannesburg's Lanseria International Airport. According to the South African Press Association, a Lanseria spokeswoman has stated that the "plane left the airport and appeared to be trying to return when it crashed on open land outside the airport."

Turkey has successfully brokered an agreement following talks between the autonomous, yet internationally unrecognised, state of Somaliland and Somalia in which United Nations aircraft will once more be allowed to resume transiting Somaliland airspace and airports, effective July 15. Mr Mahmoud Abdi Hashi, Somaliland's Minister of Civil Aviation and Air Transport, made the announcement in Hargeisa.

Kenya Airways (KQ) will "soon" commence direct flights to the Nigerian capital, Abuja, Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta has announced. Mr Kenyatta made the remarks during a recently ended official visit to West Africa in which various trade and bilateral agreements were signed,

among them, a revised Air Services Agreement. Speaking during a meeting with Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan, at State House Abuja, he pointed out that tourism was a potentially untapped market in bilateral relations between the two countries.

Royal Air Maroc (AT) will, from 7 December, resume flights from Casablanca to Munich, Germany following a 7-year long interregnum. The thrice weekly flights will be operated by Denim Air Embraer E190 aircraft.

► CAMEROON: Airbus Military delivers a CASA CN-235 transport to the Cameroonian Air Force.

Airbus Military has delivered one of its CASA/IPTN CN-235 medium-range transport planes to the Cameroon Air Force. The handover makes Cameroon the sixteenth sub-Saharan nation to operate the Airbus Military family of aircraft.

Egypt's new interim president, Adly Mansour, on Tuesday July 16, presided over the swearing-in ceremony of his new cabinet, scheduled to last six months while fresh elections are planned, whereupon he appointed Mr Abdel Aziz Fadel, the current Chairman and CEO of Egyptair Maintenance & Engineering, to the post of interim Minister of Civil Aviation. Mr Fadel replaces Engineer Wael El-Maadawy who was ousted along with the rest of Mohammad Morsi's government during last week's military-backed coup d'état.

Aerovista has announced that as of July 1, 2013, it has suspended the operations of its Tanzanian subsidiary, Aerovista Tanzania Limited. The Sharjah-based ACMI specialists had obtained their Tanzanian Air Operators Certificate in September 2012 just as a lease deal with Air Tanzania (TC) for a Boeing 737-500 (MSN 27354 | 4L-AJB) fell through.

TAAG Linhas Aéreas de Angola (DT) will launch flights to either London or Paris CDG during the second half of 2014, the airline's director of operations, Mr. Rui Carreira, has disclosed. The route's launch, however, will hinge upon the delivery of a new Boeing 777-300ER, due in May 2014, he added.

Over 4000 South African Airways (SA) employees in the airline's cabin and ground crew sectors will, from today, embark on a strike proclaimed by their trade union, the South African Transport & Allied Workers' Union (SATAWU), after SAA's management "unilaterally" went ahead and implemented a 6.23% wage rise with benefits; an offer previously rejected by the union.

■■ SUDAN: See Renderings for New Khartoum International Airport to be built and financed by China.

[UPDATE 17 JULY 2013] The Arab press is reporting that the Sudanese Government has signed a USD$750million loan, with an as-yet-unspecified foreign bank, to fund the initial construction phase of the capital, Khartoum's, New International Airport. The loan will be repaid over a period of 25 years, beginning after the completion of the project. Other loans secured thus far include a USD$47million loan from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development signed in July 2010, and another for USD$120million from the Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank (IDB) signed in May 2010.

[UPDATE 17 JULY] According to AirlineRoute, Ethiopian Airlines (ET) plans to adjust its East Asia operations from 18JUN13, with the tentative launch of 3 new destinations: Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), Manila (Philippines) and Seoul Incheon (South Korea).

The Agency for Aerial Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar (L'Agence pour la Sécurité de la Navigation aérienne en Afrique et à Madagascar - ASECNA) has secured a loan of USD39.43million (EUR30million) from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, to finance part of its renovation plan, which includes the acquisition of new equipment and the refurbishment of buildings. These investments will allow ASECNA to continue improving the quality of its services and to maintain its perfect safety track record.

With the launch of Johannesburg - Dar es Salaam flights said to be approaching "soon", fastjet says once operations are in place, it would like to get in on the difficult to access, albeit very lucrative, South Africa - Mozambique and South Africa - Zimbabwe markets.

The following is an extract from the latest Official Journal of the European Union detailing the group's most recent decisions and activities, with particular reference paid to the latest updates made to its ominous Banned Operators List. Among the countries that argued their cases to be struck off the list in Brussels (and in one instance, chose to remain on the list) were the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Libya, Madagascar, Mauritania, Mozambique and Sudan. The extract lists the various changes, including carriers that have now been either certified or struck off the countries' respective verified operator's lists, that each regulatory authority has implemented with respect to EU & ICAO minimums.

Royal Air Maroc (AT) is set to begin flights from Casablanca to Tenerife Nord with effect from 29OCT. The three times weekly flights will operate using an ATR72. Canary Islands-based carrier, Binter Canarias (NT) currently serves Marrakech from Tenerife Nord.

Friday, July 26, 2013

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Kinshasa's N'Djili International Airport's New stop-gap International Terminal

Monday, July 22, 2013

Friday, July 19, 2013

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Wednesday, July 17, 2013