Ethiopia and Qatar have taken a significant step in repairing relations, broken off in April 2008 over alleged news bias against Addis Ababa by Qatar's Al Jazeera TV, with the signing of "various" agreements, among them an air services agreement (BASA) on 10 April following the conclusion of bilateral talks between the Emir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, and Ethiopian Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn. 
Leone Airways, the new Sierra Leonian national carrier formed out of a partnership with Arik Air(W3), Nigeria's largest carrier, and the government of Sierra Leone is to tentatively commence operations in June this year. Under the partnership deal signed in 2011, Arik will provide the carrier with its initial fleet and technical skills and comes about from the airline's close relationship with Freetown after in 2009 it was designated "the national carrier of Sierra Leone", thereby allowing it to ply the Freetown - London route.
During a ceremony attended by Mr Driss Benhima, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Air Maroc (RAM) Group, and Mr Franck Terner, President, Air France Industries, the two partners officially announced a new phase in the development of their Aerotechnic Industries (ATI) joint venture. Set up in 2009, the 50/50 joint venture between the two groups is now extending the scope of its activities to the overhauling of Boeing 737 Next Generation (NG) airframes.
As the political situation in Mali begins to settle down, so Celestair Group's Malian subsidiary, Air Mali (I5), has taken its first steps towards resuming operations by dusting off its stored Bombardier CRJ200 (MSN 7392 | TZ-RCA) kept until recently in France.
Kenya Airways Cargo (KQ) has taken delivery of its first Boeing 737-300(F) (MSN 29088 | 5Y-KQC), recently converted in Shanghai by Boeing. The ceremony took place today at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Under its 10-year growth strategy, Kenya Airways plans to have 12 freighters in its fleet by 2022.
Libyan carrier, Libyan Airlines, (LN), set to take delivery of its first of four Airbus A330s next month, has selected OnAir to provide on-board internet broadband connectivity. The aircraft will fly on long-haul international routes to Asia and Europe.
Zambia's first LCC, Mukuba Airlines, set to be operate out of the Victoria Falls town of Livingstone, has outlined its intended route network with flights set to range in cost from USD35 to USD50.
The launch of JamboJet, Kenya Airways' (KQ) planned Low Cost Carrier wing, has been pushed back to "sometime later this year", Kenya Airways CEO, Titus Naikuni has said.
Luxembourg's Cargolux (CV) today announced that it will
introduce a new air cargo service to Tripoli, Libya’s capital and
largest city. The first flight is scheduled for 16 April, followed by
weekly services that will operate every Tuesday on the route Luxembourg –
Tripoli – Johannesburg.
RAM - Royal Air Maroc (AT) and Ethiopian Airlines (ET) have joined a growing chorus of carriers servicing the Angolan capital, Luanda, in asking the Instituto Nacional da Aviação Civil (the National Institute of Civil Aviation - INAVIC) to increase their frequencies on the lucrative route.
Mozambique's flag carrier, LAM - Linhas Aéreas de Moçambique (TM), will from 28APR13 expand its Johannesburg operations through the addition of 16 weekly flights from Maputo, Beira, Tete and new route, Nampula.
Algerian national carrier, Air Algérie (AH), is planning to offer an Oran – Madrid
service from 24JUN13 to 18SEP13 though reservations are not,
at present, available to general public.
The Ghanaian Parliament has greenlighted the allocation of USD100million needed for the construction of a major international airport in Tamale, capital of the Northern Region. The Ghana Airports Company (GACL), who will ultimately be responsible for the running of the facility once it is open, are still to approve the project's final designs, currently being done by an unnamed Brazilian firm, before construction can begin.
TACV Cabo Verde Airlines (VR) says it has suspended flights to Bissau, the capital of Guinea-Bissau, owing to the route's poor returns. The move is effective 3 April.
Air Mauritius (MK) has placed a contract with Airline Services Ltd for the company's new enhanced definition digital video player - the Aerostream XP1. The IFE system has been selected for their Airbus A330 and A340 fleet and installation of an initial 40 units will begin this year.
Philippine Airlines(PR), who are planning to launch flights from Manila to the Brazilian metropolis of São Paulo in early May (the signing of a Bilateral Air Services Agreement pending) could be considering the African hubs of either Johannesburg (possibly Cape Town) or Addis Ababa as a transitory point.
Ghana's Minister of Transport, Dzifa Attivor, has bemoaned Nigeria's inaction in granting Ghanaian airlines rights to operate into Nigerian airports, despite the fact that Nigeria is a signatory to the Yamoussoukro Agreement which concerns the liberalisation of access to air transport markets in Africa (the Yamoussoukro Decision) and which entered into force on 12 August 2000. The Yamoussoukro Decision takes precedence over any multilateral or bilateral agreements on air services between States Parties which are incompatible with the Decision.
In yet another case of a deadbeat airline failing to pay its dues, Nigeria's Chanchangi Airlines (5B) has been given 30 days to pay Ethiopian Airlines (ET) its debt of USD772'000 for maintenance rendered to an unspecified Chanchangi aircraft (possibly a B727) and engine back in February 2004.
Atlasjet (KK) has announced it is to abandon plans to set up a joint national carrier with the Government of South Sudan. The Turkish carrier originally won a tender in January for a 49% stake in the airline which the Government hopes, will boost its regional presence as well as safety.