• The African Aviation Tribune •

Thursday, March 21, 2013

■ MOROCCO: Bombardier to participate at World Investment Conference in Marrakech.

Bombardier Aerospace, the Canadian aircraft and train manufacturer based in Montréal, has announced its participation in the first ever North African edition of the World Investment Conference, which runs from March 20 to 22, 2013 in Marrakech, Morocco. During the Global Leaders' Panel for Automotive and Aeronautics Industries, Ms. Souad Elmallem, Bombardier's Chief Country Representative for North Africa, will discuss the attractiveness of the North African market for foreign direct investment with other international industry leaders.

■ NIGERIA: NCAA grounds AeroContractors over ongoing industrial action.

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, has grounded AeroContractors (AJ) until a resolution to an ongoing strike by its staff has been found. A brief announcement appeared on the carrier's site yesterday evening claiming Aero would be back in the air today, but was quickly rescinded within an hour of publication.

Don Smith, the owner of Five-Forty Aviation, who is currently embroiled in a lawsuit with fastjet PLC over ownership rights to to the Fly540 brand, says fastjet's move to initiate legal proceedings constitutes a breach of contract.

US Carrier, Delta Air Lines is continuing to work closely with the Liberian Minister of Transport to develop and fine tune GPS Approach procedures to help improve the safety and reliability of aircraft operations at Monrovia's Roberts International Airport. As part of its ongoing commitment to Liberia and to the safety of its people, Delta has developed these GPS Approach procedures specifically for Liberia using U.S. Federal Aviation Administration standards.

After the successful 1 March launch of twice weekly Alexandria - Tripoli and once weekly Assuit - Tripoli flights, Egyptian LCC, Air Cairo (SM) has now announced the launch of direct flights from Alexandria and Assuit to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, effective 25 March 2013.

The former Mayor of Bujumbura and current CEO of Air Burundi (8Y), Mr. Evrard Giswaswa, was on Monday 11 March arrested on charges of aiding and abetting fraudulent management and for interfering in investigations of a fire that broke out at Bujumbura's central market in late January. Since then, he has been imprisoned at Mpimba Prison in the Burundian capital awaiting trial.

The United Arab Emirates wants TAAG Linhas Aéreas de Angola (DT) to boost its flights between Dubai and Luanda claiming that the increase would help stimulate trade.

Moroccan national carrier Royal Air Maroc (AT) will from 10 April, boost its frequencies between Casablanca and Dakar, Senegal through the addition of 3 extra flights, bringing to 17 the number of weekly flights between the two cities.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

[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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

[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.

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.

► SAUDI ARABIA: Palestinian Airlines, Egyptair cooperating on El Arish - Jeddah Umra flights.

EgyptAir (MS) in late January, signed a cooperation agreement with Palestinian Airlines (PF) to operate a series of pilgrimage flights on behalf of the Palestinian

carrier out of its current base in El-Arish, Egypt to Muslim holy sites in Saudi Arabia.

The Namibian Airports Company (NAC) is currently constructing a new USD1.36million (NAD12.5million) state-of-the art fire and rescue station at Windhoek's Eros Airport. Together with an emergency control centre, as well as ablution and recreational facilities for staff, the new facilities will allow the airport to comply with standards stipulated by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

Ethiopian Airlines' (ET) Aviation Academy is to acquire two new flight simulators for delivery later this year. The Bombardier Q400 simulator is expected in the coming months with a Boeing B787-8 simulator having recently been tendered for.

Turkish Airlines (TK) and Emirates (EK) will commence services to the northern Nigerian city of Kano before month-end according to Nigerian Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah. Princess Oduah made the remarks during the recent opening of the newly renovated and expanded international terminal at Malam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA).

Planning for the construction of a new USD20billion "airport city" near Cairo International Airport is to be concluded come April reports from Egypt’s Ministry of Civil Aviation state. The new development will be the first of three similar projects to be built in the capital, Alexandria (Burg Al Arab airport) and at Port Said airport.

Following on from our last report, LCC fastjet (FN) is now reportedly in negotiations with a "credible local South African partner" to aide in its protracted battle to acquire control of bankrupt South African carrier, 1Time (T6). This comes after an outcry from the local airline community including South African Airways and Comair Ltd, forced fastjet to rethink its strategy to acquire 1Time, which until now, has been blocked by South African law.

Egypt's Minister of Civil Aviation, Wael al-Maddawy, says Egyptian national carrier, Egyptair (MS), has posted continuous losses of USD880million (EGP6billion) since the 2011 Egyptian revolution which lead to the fall of then president, Hosni Mubarak, and his regime.

Singapore Airlines Cargo (SV), the cargo wing of Singapore Airlines, on Monday 11 March 2013, operated a one-off Boeing 747-400F flight into the Zambian capital, Lusaka.

Nigeria's Dana Air (9J), has had its Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) revoked by the Nigerian Ministry of Aviation acting through the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). The move comes only 3 months after the carrier received its revalidated AOC and resumed operations.

■ TANZANIA: Worldwide Flight Services, Wings Flight Services win tender to operate new USD6million cargo terminal at JNIA.

Global ground service providers, Worldwide Flight Services (WFS), has entered into a long-term partnership with Wings Flight Services in Tanzania to operate a new cargo terminal at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam.

As previously speculated by The African Aviation Tribune, South African Airways (SA) is likely to instigate legal proceedings against Comair Ltd.'s LCC kulula (MN) over the latter's controversial new branding which mocks the South African national carrier.

Angola's airport and air traffic authority Empresa Nacional de Aeroportos e Navegação Aérea (ENANA) has announced the closure of Yuri Gagarin International Airport in the south western port city of Namibe. The airport will be closed until August 2013 at the earliest to allow for rehabilitation and expansion works to proceed.

► NIGERIA: Arik Air signs ACMI deal with Emirate Touch Aviation for two B737-300s.

Nigeria's Arik Air (WB) has signed an ACMI lease agreement with Kano-based Emirate Touch Aviation Services Limited for the use of two of Arik's stored Boeing 737-300s for cargo ops.

[UPDATE 14 MARCH] After a 10 year hiatus from the Zimbabwean capital Harare, KLM Dutch Airlines (KL) has announced the resumption of its Amsterdam - Harare service, albeit with a stopover in Lusaka.

According to AirlineRoute, as per the 14MAR13 GDS timetable and inventory display, Rwandair (WB)’s planned Summer 2013 operation will change as follows, with additional changes possible.

After the floating of a tender last year in September, the Tanzanian Civil Aviation Authority is to proceed with the upgrading of its aeronautical ground-ground communications network which currently uses the Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunication Network (AFTN) analogue standard.

After being spurned by Air France (AF) who cited a "lack of means" to commit to any partnership with lonesome Indian Ocean carrier, Air Mauritius (MK), Emirates (EK) may turn out to be the struggling airline's knight in shining armour after the two agreed to "explore further development of commercial opportunities for both companies." The announcement came after a one-off visit by an Emirates (EK) Airbus A380 to the island of Mauritius on Tuesday 12 March.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Monday, March 18, 2013

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Friday, March 15, 2013

Thursday, March 14, 2013