► NIGERIA: Saudia Cargo launches 9 new West African destinations via its Lagos hub.

Using its various interline partners in West Africa, Saudi Airlines Cargo (SV) is to launch cargo services from Jeddah and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to Abidjan (Cote d'Ivoire), Accra (Ghana), Cotonou (Benin), Douala (Cameroon), Libreville (Gabon), Lomé (Togo), Malabo (Equatorial Guinea), Niamey (Niger) and Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) via its new Lagos, Nigeria hub, which it presently serves with a daily Boeing 747F.

► GABON: Turkish Airlines to serve Libreville from late December.

Panapress Africa is reporting that Turkey and Gabon, on Monday 4 September,  finalized a Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) that will see the Turkish carrier operating a daily flight between Istanbul and Libreville, the Gabonese capital, with effect from "the end of December."

► RWANDA: RwandAir announces CRJ900 routes; introduces other additional frequencies.

With the first of its two new Bombardier CRJ900NGs (MSN# 15286| 9XR-WH) due in by the middle of October 2012 and the second due in mid November, so Rwandan national carrier RwandAir (WB) has outlined the future routes they will be used on, in addition to various new frequencies to come into effect from 31 October 2012.

RwandAir CRJ900 '9XR-WH'

RwandAir CRJ900NG Routes

RwandAir: Kigali, Rwanda – Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

-Effective 31 October 2012

• WB440 KGL1730 – 2030DAR CR9 | 1234567
• WB441 DAR2100 – 2200KGL CR9 | 1234567

Kigali, Rwanda – Entebbe, Uganda

-Effective 31 October 2012

• WB422 KGL1440 – 1625EBB CR9 | 1234567
• WB423 EBB1655 – 1640KGL CR9 | 1234567

Kigali, Rwanda – Nairobi, Kenya

-Effective 31 October 2012

• WB404 KGL0155 – 0410NBO CR9 | 1234567
• WB406 KGL1455 – 1710NBO CR9 | 1357
• WB402 KGL1455 – 1710NBO CR9 | 246

• WB405 NBO1155 – 1210KGL CR9 | 1234567
• WB407 NBO2125 – 2140KGL CR9 | 1357
• WB407 NBO2125 – 2140KGL CR9 | 246

Source [Airline Route]

Additionally, various new frequencies have been announced:

• Entebbe, Uganda: from 17x to 33x weekly flights.
• Brazzaville, Congo & Libreville, Gabon: 3x to 5x weekly flights.
• Dubai, UAE : from 6x to 13x weekly flights.
• Lagos, Nigeria: from 3x to 7x weekly flights.
• Johannesburg, South Africa : from 8x to 10x weekly flights.

Source [RwandanFlyer]

Kigali, Rwanda – Dubai
-Planned service increase from 6x weekly to daily. The daily service operates nonstop in both directions, replacing 3x weekly nonstop and 1-stop service via Mombasa, Kenya.

• WB300 KGL0045 – 0830DXB 738 | 1234567
• WB301 DXB0950 – 1335KGL 738 | 2467
• WB301 DXB1010 – 1335KGL 738 | 2467

Kigali, Rwanda – Johannesburg, South Africa
-Planned service increase from 8 to 10 weekly

• WB100 KGL0100 – 0500JNB 738 | 123567
• WB100 KGL0100 – 0500JNB 735 | 4
• WB102 KGL1445 – 1845JNB 738 | 356

• WB101 JNB0800 – 1200KGL 738 | 123567
• WB101 JNB0800 – 1200KGL 735 | 4
• WB103 JNB1930 – 2330KGL 738 | 356

Kigali – Lagos, Nigeria
-Planned service increase from 3x weekly to daily

• WB200 KGL1435 – 1745LOS 738 | 1234567
• WB201 LOS1830 – 2340KGL 738 | 1234567

Source [Airline Route]

►► EQUATORIAL GUINEA: CEIBA Intercontinental waves Adios to its 777.

The Boeing 777-200LR (3C-LLS) of Equatorial Guinean carrier CEIBA Intercontinental (C2) (with what had to be one of the coolest liveries ever on a Boeing 777) today left Malabo, Equatorial Guinea for Lisbon, Portugal to be re-registered under White Airways (WI), a Portuguese leisure and charter flight operator out of Lisbon, becoming CS-TQX on the Portuguese registry.

(ex) CEIBA Intercontinental Boeing 777-200LR (sabian404)

It is unclear, however, what purpose the 777 served whilst under the CEIBA name, as the Equato-guinean flag-carrier is on the European Union's Banned Operator's List. In all honesty, it wouldn't be a massive surprise if it turned out that the aircraft had originally been bought for exclusive Presidential/VIP usage given Equatorial-Guinean President Teodoro Obiang's family's penchant for the high life and luxury which of late, has come under increasing scrutiny from the international media.

With the departure of the 777, CEIBA is now left with a fleet of two ATR 72-500s, one ATR 42 - 500, one ATR 42-320 and three Boeing 737-800 on order whilst its network consists of Malabo (Equatorial Guinea), Bata (Equatorial Guinea), Cotonou, Douala, Accra, Abidjan, Lomé, Libreville, Pointe Noire and Brazzaville.

[UPDATE]: SkyLinerAviation informs us that the 777 has now been re-registered as CS-TQX and is to be ferried back to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea as of 21 August 2012. Hopefully the plane will now return to operation for CEIBA and we'll see it in possible international service in the near future. Watch this space for further details!

► CONGO (BRAZZAVILLE): Check out Trans Air Congo's swanky new livery! (Pic)

Pointe Noire-based regional carrier Trans Air Congo (Q8) has applied a smart new livery to its Boeing 737-200 (TN-AHI). 

► BENIN: Westair Benin to start Libreville, Abidjan, Niamey, Ouagadougou shortly; to acquire various aircraft.

Beninois start-up Westair Benin (WH) is to planning to use a Bombardier CRJ-200 on flights between the capital, Cotonou, and Libreville (Gabon), Niamey (Niger), Abidjan (Cote d'Ivoire) and Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) with other destinations to be added in future.

Founded in 2002, the airline has maintained a relatively low profile thus far, though it is considering a Boeing 737-300 for use in future operations.

Read More Here [CH Aviation]