► GHANA: Virgin Atlantic to use A330-300s to Accra from 2013.

With effect from 31 March 013, Virgin Atlantic Airways (VK) will employ its Airbus A330-300s on the London Heathrow - Accra route. At present, the route is serviced by an Airbus A340-300.

Virgin Atlantic Airbus A330-300

London Heathrow – Accra 5x weekly effective 31 March 2013.

• VS657 LHR2245 – 0500+1ACC 333 x36

• VS658 ACC1010 – 1800LHR 333 x47

Read More Here [Airline Route]

► KENYA: Virgin Atlantic to drop Nairobi from September 2012.

Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic Airways (VS) will, with effect from September 24, end its London Heathrow - Nairobi flights sighting low passenger numbers and higher overheads amongst other factors. No doubt, this will come as relief to Kenya Airways who in January 2012 issued a profit warning for the First Quarter of 2012.

Virgin Atlantic's B747-400

“During the past five years a combination of record fuel prices, higher and higher taxes imposed by the UK Government and a poorly timed slot not providing connections from London, have made it uneconomical to fly from Nairobi,” said Sir Branson in statement from London.

“For the past five years our team in Nairobi have worked incredibly hard and we hope to return should the economic situation change.”

Read More Here [Business Daily Kenya]

This comes at a time when various European carriers are axing various African routes citing route viability problems: of recent note Iberia (Johannesburg),  TAP (Johannesburg).

Virgin Atlantic has stated, however, that it will maintain its other African routes to Accra, Lagos and Johannesburg.

► UNITED KINGDOM: British Airways to replace BMI codes on 3 Moroccan routes.

British Airways (BA) is to replace 3 BMI coded flights (BD) to Morocco with effect from 23 May 2012.

London Heathrow – Agadir 

• BD44x > BA816x

London Heathrow – Casablanca

• BD44x > BA816x

London Heathrow – Marrakech 

• BD44x > BA816x

Read More Here [Airline Route]

British Airway's parent company International Airlines Group (IAG) bought British Midland International from Lufthansa in April.