► ALGERIA: Tassili Airlines to launch domestic ops from 4 March; outlines intended route network.

As was speculated about last year, Algeria's Tassili Airlines (SF) will, at long last, launch its first scheduled domestic flights to eleven destinations beginning 4 March, in what marks Algeria's first steps towards the deregulation of its airspace.

► GABON: Nationale Regionale Transport dominates domestic market in 2012 says AdL.

Gabon's Nationale Regionale Transport (NRG) has come out Gabon's most dominant domestic carrier for the year 2012, according to statistics released by L’aéroport de Libreville (Libreville Airport - AdL). Nationale saw a 7% increase in passengers carried on 2011.

► SOUTH AFRICA: Qatar Airways reduces capacity to Joburg, Cape Town & Maputo from 31 March.

Qatar Airways (QR) will from 31 March adjust its capacity on its Doha – Johannesburg – Cape Town route and its Doha – Johannesburg – Maputo route.

■ ETHIOPIA: New BASA signed with Spain raises hopes for an eventual Ethiopian Airlines' Madrid service launch.

The signing of a new Bilateral Air Transport Agreement  (BASA) between Ethiopia and Spain has reignited hopes of Ethiopian Airlines (ET) finally launching its currently shelved Madrid route plans. The BASA was signed yesterday in Addis Ababa by the Spanish Ambassador to Ethiopia Miguel Angel Fernandez Palacios Martinez, and the ECAA's Director-General, Colonel Wesenyeleh Hunegnaw. 

■ MALAWI: Massive civil servant strike forces closure of Lilongwe & Blantyre airports.

As they had previously threatened, civil servants in Malawi have gone on strike over payrise demands, thus bringing the country to a virtual standstill with Lilongwe's Kamuzu International Airport, and later Blantyre's Chileka International Airport, having being forced to close.

► COTE D'IVOIRE: Ethiopian announces various changes to its West African network from June.

AirlineRoute reports that Ethiopian Airlines (ET) will from June 2013 adjust its operations to West Africa with numerous equipment and frequency changes to come into effect.

■ SOUTH AFRICA: SAA's ninth turnaround plan in 13 years will work because it is "cutting edge" claims Myeni.

South African Airways (SAA) acting board chairman Ms. Duduzile Myeni claims that the airline's latest turnaround plan, its ninth in 13 years, set to be presented on either March 28 or 2 April, will be "cutting edge" and will be more successful than its eight predecessors because it has been developed and "owned by our own people".

■ RWANDA: Netherlands, Rwanda sign Air Services Agreement.

Rwanda and The Netherlands, on Wednesday 6 February, signed a Bilateral Air Services Agreement following a visit to Kigali by Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade & Development Cooperation, Lilianne Ploumen. In typically wooden diplomatic language, no explicit details about the contents of the BASA were revealed. The agreement, signed on behalf of Rwanda by Minister of Infrastructure, Albert Nsengiyumva, now accommodates "both countries’ current requirements and wishes" and formalizes the air connection between the two countries.

■ MOZAMBIQUE: AdM's air traffic control comms network to be upgraded with PolarSat's VSATPlus 3.

Mozambique's air traffic control communications network, under the control of Aeroportos de Moçambique (AdM), is to be ungraded with a VSATPlus 3 satellite communications network following the signing of a multi-phase contract between GECI, a worldwide high technology, engineering, E&M support and consulting group, and PolarSat Inc, a manufacturer of full mesh hubless VSAT modem technology.

► LIBYA: Air Cairo to launch Alexandria, Assuit to Tripoli from March.

Egyptian LCC, Air Cairo (SM) has announced the launch of new services between Egypt and Libya effective 1 March 2013. Alexandria - Tripoli will launch with two weekly flights, while Assuit - Tripoli will launch with a 1x weekly flight.

► SOUTH AFRICA: Alitalia mulls resuming Rome - Johannesburg from September.

Italian carrier, Alitalia (AZ), is mulling the resumption of operations from Rome Fiumicino to Johannesburg, South Africa this September as part of the reorganization of its long haul route network. According to Alitalia, Johannesburg has become a "highly requested intercontinental destination".

► SOUTH SUDAN: flydubai to start Dubai - Juba from late April.

flydubai (FZ), the Dubai based LCC, has announced operations to Juba, the capital city of South Sudan. Commencing 21 April 2013, flights will operate 4x a week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays using a Boeing 737-800 between Dubai Terminal 2 and Juba Airport.

► YEMEN: Nasair Eritrea has launched 2x weekly Asmara - Aden flights.

Eritrea's Nasair (UE) launched twice weekly flights from Asmara to the city of Aden in Yemen using an Airbus A320 on 2 February reports out of Yemen state.

► KUWAIT: Nile Air starts flights between Alexandria and Kuwait City.

Egyptian airline Nile Air (NP) has launched a new route between Alexandria and Kuwait City effective 14 February, according to Kuwait's General Directorate of Civil Aviation. The Head of the Flight Scheduling department at the Kuwaiti Aviation Authority, Emad Al-Sabti, said that Nile Air would start operating the new route twice-a-week.

► SOUTH AFRICA: See Pic of Air Zimbabwe's Airbus A320 in Johannesburg for maintenance checks.

One of Air Zimbabwe's two Airbus A320s (Z-WPM) has been spotted at Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport undergoing pre-entry-into-service checks. The aircraft is sporting a half finished livery (to put it mildly).

■ GHANA: China Airports Construction Corporation set to begin work on Accra's new international airport.

Following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ghanaian government last year, China Airports Construction Corporation (CACC) is set to begin construction of Accra's new International Airport, to be situated near Prampram in Dangbe-East District, near Accra. The move comes after CACC successfully concluded a feasibility study for the conceptual design for the new airport.

► NIGERIA: Cargolux to start Port Harcourt ops from early March.

Luxembourg's Cargolux (CV) has announced that it is to add Port Harcourt in Nigeria as a new destination on its African network. The inaugural service, CV7122, will be operated on 5 March 2013 with Cargolux’s Boeing 747 freighter. (Editor's note - whether this is the 747-8 or 747-400F is unclear).

■ NAMIBIA: Tourism sector jittery as Government, Air Namibia remain mute on the latter's new business plan.

Contrary to the old adage that "No news is good news", the silence emanating from Windhoek regarding Air Namibia's (SW) new business plan, pitched to its sole shareholder, the Namibian Government, late last week, is starting to unsettle players in Namibia's tourism industry, already hit by the Eurozone crisis.

► ZAMBIA: SA Airlink puts ERJ135s onto Kruger/Mpumalanga - Livingstone route effective late March.

SA Airlink (4Z) will enhance its Kruger Mpumalanga - Livingstone, Zambia service with the introduction of  Embraer ERJ 135 jets onto the route from 22 March 2013.

►► NIGERIA: AeroContractors to add "several" Dash 8-400s; to possibly retire B737-500s?

[UPDATE 18 FEBRUARY] CH-Aviation writes that Nigeria's Aero Contractors (AJ), also known as Aero, have announced plans to add several Bombardier Dash 8-400s to their fleet with an ex-Flybe (BE) Q400 (MSN 4079 | 5N- BPU) currently being painted for Aero at Norwich Airport in the UK.