■ ANGOLA: Government to spend EUR1.6billion on aviation infrastructure by 2016.

The Angolan government, by 2016, will have invested EUR1.6billion into the construction and rehabilitation of thirty domestic airports, including sixteen new ones, Manuel Ferreira de Ceita, the CEO of Angola's airport and air traffic authority (Empresa Nacional de Aeroportos e Navegação Aérea - ENANA), has said.

■ ANGOLA: Menongue International Airport to come online before 2014 - Ceitas.

Manuel Ceitas, the CEO of Angola's airport and air traffic authority (Empresa Nacional de Aeroportos e Navegação Aérea - ENANA), says that Comandante Kuenha International Airport, situated in the near-central Angolan town of Menongue in Cuando Cubango Province, could become operational before the end of this year given that its rehabilitation and expansion works are almost complete after nearly 6 years of work.

■ ANGOLA: Uíge Airport to be completed shortly, operations to tentatively resume by year-end.

Uíge Airport, situated in Uige, the capital city of its namesake province in northwestern Angola, could be inaugurated later this year following the successful completion of renovation and expansion works. Speaking to ANGOP, the CEO of Angola's airport and air traffic authority (Empresa Nacional de Aeroportos e Navegação Aérea - ENANA), Mr Manuel Ceitas, said the facility will also offer night-time operations given the recent installation of runway lighting.

■ ANGOLA: Namibe Airport to resume operations from September 6.

Angola's airport and air traffic authority Empresa Nacional de Aeroportos e Navegação Aérea (ENANA) is on track to complete USD90million in upgrades to Yuri Gagarin International Airport in the south-western Angolan port of Namibe. According to the governor of Namibe province, Rui Falcão, operations are scheduled to resume with effect from September 6. Angolan carrier TAAG (DT) had been the airport's sole dedicated carrier prior to the start of construction.

■ ANGOLA: Government takes first legal steps in bringing its aviation bodies up to ICAO standards.

Angola's parliament has introduced the first legislation aimed at bringing its Aviation Law up to international and ICAO standard with the separation of the yet-to-be-named Accident's investigations bureau from the country's civil aviation authority (Instituto Nacional da Aviação Civil - INAVIC) which currently falls under the Angolan Ministry of Transport. 

■ UNITED KINGDOM: Government donates airport security equipment to Angola, Kenya.

The British Government, via its Safe Skies initiative aimed at improving airport security measures in force around the world, has donated security equipment to both Kenya and Angola in a bid to enhance the quality of security screening procedures at both Kenyan and Angolan airports.

■ ANGOLA: Zimbabwe, Angola renew BASA; TAAG to get rights between Lusaka and Harare?

Following negotiations between the two countries, Angola and Zimbabwe have signed a Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) which is a revision of that signed in 2005. Under the agreement, TAAG Linhas Aéreas de Angola (DT), the Angolan national carrier and the only airline currently operating flights between Luanda and Harare, will have provision for 4 weekly frequencies and vice versa.

► ANGOLA: More foreign carriers making a beeline to Luanda's door as calls for higher route frequencies grow louder.

RAM - Royal Air Maroc (AT) and Ethiopian Airlines (ET) have joined a growing chorus of carriers servicing the Angolan capital, Luanda, in asking the Instituto Nacional da Aviação Civil (the National Institute of Civil Aviation - INAVIC) to increase their frequencies on the lucrative route. 

■ ANGOLA: TAAG's operating revenue up $120m in 2012 but lack of fiscal control remains a grave worry.

TAAG Linhas Aéreas de Angola (DT), Angola's national carrier, registered a growth in passenger traffic of 11% for the year ending 2012, with 1.1million passengers flown, the airline said in a statement.