■ GHANA: DVB Bank SE to advise Starbow on fleet renewal/selection process.

Ghana's Starbow Airlines (S9) and Germany's DVB Bank SE (“DVB”) have announced the signing of an agreement in which DVB will assist and advise Starbow on its fleet renewal and aircraft selection process.

► FRANCE: TACV Cabo Verde Airlines to start Marseille via Paris CDG from July.

Transportes Aéreos de Cabo Verde, TACV, the Cape Verdian flag carrier, is to start a once weekly Ilha do Sal - Paris CDG - Marseille - São Vicente (São Pedro Airport) flight using a Boeing 737-800 effective 2 July 2013.

► RÉUNION: Air Austral outlines its Summer 2013 timetable; added Paris CDG flights due in November.

La Réunion-based French carrier, Air Austral (UU), has outlined its planned Northern Summer 2013 timetable, which runs from 31 March to 26 October 2013, and which aims to optimize its flight schedule in order to help return the airline to break-even during the 2013/2014 Financial Year.

► SOMALIA: Yemenia and Ethiopian Airlines both looking into starting possible Mogadishu flights.

After recent bilateral trade visits by delegations from Yemen and Ethiopia, both Yemenia (IY) and Ethiopian Airlines (ET) have expressed their desire to start regular flights to the Somali capital, Mogadishu. Currently, Yemenia serves all major cities in the Horn of Africa - Djibouti, Asmara, Addis Ababa, Khartoum and Cairo - excepting Somalia.

■ RWANDA: Sudan, Rwanda sign Air Services Agreement.

At a ceremony held in Kigali this week, Rwanda and Sudan signed a five year bilateral cooperation agreement which included a Bilateral Air Service Agreement aimed at expanding air services between Kigali and Khartoum. Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Louise Mushikiwabo signed on behalf of Rwanda with Sudan's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ali Almed Karti signing on behalf of the Republic of Sudan.

■ ZAMBIA: Government finalizing plans for launch of new national carrier - no mention of any possible ET tie up.

Zambian Minister of Transport and Communication, Christopher Yaluma, says the the Zambian Government has finalised plans to re-establish a national airline with proposals to be tabled before Cabinet and the relevant authorities for approval.

● NIGERIA: First ever Nigerian Business Aviation Conference set for May in Lagos.

Evergreen Apple Nigeria, the Lagos-based fully integrated Fixed-base operator (FBO) service provider is to hold Nigeria’s first ever dedicated Business Aviation conference - the Nigerian Business Aviation Conference, NBAC - at the prestigious Wheatbaker Hotel in Lagos on Tuesday, 7 May, 2013. 

■ TANZANIA: TCAA opens airport ground-handling sector up to more players.

Following a meeting of the Board of Directors in late February, the Tanzanian Civil Aviation Authority has reviewed and adjusted 2009 legislation governing the liberalisation of ground handling services, including aviation fuelling, in Tanzania. The changes affect airports in Dar Es Salaam, Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar and Arusha.

■ ANGOLA: Plans for TAAG civil aviation academy in the pipeline: Carreira.

At a press conference held in Luanda last week to update the public on the airline's restructuring and reorientation program, Rui Carriera, the Executive Director of TAAG Linhas Aéreas de Angola (DT), said the Angolan flag carrier intends to make staff training and skill development a priority in the coming years through the opening of a civil aviation academy. 

■■ ZIMBABWE: A new board in place, Air Zimbabwe now hunting for a new CEO.

[UPDATE 19 MARCH] After the appointment last month of Ozias Bvute and six other board members charged with reinvigorating the airline, Air Zimbabwe (UM) is now on the hunt for a new Chief Executive Officer to replace the incumbent, Innocent Mavhunga, who was appointed to the role temporarily following the surprise resignation of Peter Chikumba in late 2010.

► MAURITANIA: Military Tucano EMB-312F crashes near Aoujeft; 1 dead.

An Embraer Tucano EMB-312F military aircraft belonging to the Mauritanian National General Staff (Air Wing) crashed yesterday (Monday 18 March) morning at 10h50L whilst out on a test flight. The aircraft came down 7km south-east of Aoujeft, a desert town in the Adrar Region of western Mauritania, roughly 500 kilometers (300 miles) north-east of the capital, Nouakchott.

► TURKEY: Turkish Airlines boosts Lagos, Dar es Salaam ops from May.

Turkish Airlines (TK) is to boost its capacity and frequency between Istanbul and Lagos and Istanbul and Dar es Salaam. Changes will come into effect from late May.

■ UNITED STATES: Quest Aircraft Company names SkyQuest International its Kodiak sales agent for Africa.

Idaho-based Quest Aircraft Company, the manufacturer of the Kodiak 10-seater turboprop aeroplane, has named SkyQuest International, LLC as an authorized Kodiak dealer to represent the company’s sales activities in Africa. 

► NIGERIA: Dana Air resumes ops tomorrow morning as AeroContractors moves to fire nearly 1'000 striking employees.

After talks held today between its management, the Nigerian Aviation Ministry and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Dana Air (9J) has announced it will resume operations tomorrow. Fellow Nigerian domestic operator, Aero Contractors (AJ), has moved to fire nearly one thousand employees, striking since last Wednesday.

► KENYA: Updates on ALS Aircraft Leasing, Mombasa Air Safari, Skyward International and Phoenix Aviation ops.

Kenyan operators ALS - Aircraft Leasing Services (K4) and Skyward International Aviation have taken delivery of an Embraer ERJ-145 and a Fokker 50 respectively while Mombasa Air Safari (RRV) and Phoenix Aviation are to retire their Let 410s and McDonnell Douglas MD83 respectively.

► COMOROS: Air Tanzania resumes Dar es Salaam - Moroni flights from late March.

Tanzanian national carrier Air Tanzania (TC) will resume flights from Dar es Salaam to Moroni (Comoros) effective 25 March. Flights will operate three times weekly using Air Tanzania's leased Boeing 737-200Adv.

■ SEYCHELLES: Air Seychelles officially announces $1mln profit for FY2012/2013.

Following three years of losses, Air Seychelles (HM), the national airline of the Seychelles, today officially reported a net profit of USD1million for its 2012/2013 Financial Year. The positive result comes just 12 months after Abu Dhabi carrier Etihad Airways (EY) acquired a 40 per cent stake in the airline and was awarded a five year management contract. The result beats Etihad's original expectations in which the Gulf carrier projected Air Seychelles to turn a profit albeit within the first 24 months of operation.

■ SOUTH AFRICA: fastjet files letter of intent with 1Time's creditors in Johannesburg; one step closer to launching.

LCC fastjet (FN) has taken, what it terms, "a major step” towards its acquisition of defunct South African LCC 1Time (T6) through the filing of a letter of intent with the airline's liquidators in Johannesburg. The move comes on the back of a visit by fastjet's Chairman and Chief Executive, David Lenigas, to South Africa, last week.

►► KENYA: First of four Kenya Airways Boeing 737-300s set for Cargo conversion.

[UPDATE 18 MARCH] Kenya Airways (KQ) has announced plans to convert four of its six Boeing 737-300s into regional cargo freighters in a move that will see the carriers' cargo division, Kenya Airways Cargo, increasing its presence in Eastern, Central, and Southern Africa.

► CHINA: Air Mauritius switches flights to Shanghai to afternoon ops during Northern Summer 2013.

AirlineRoute reports that Air Mauritius (MK) will, starting 31MAR13, adjust its northbound schedule on its Mauritius – Shanghai Pu Dong route, as the carrier shifts its night-time departure, ex-Mauritius, to the afternoon.