African Aviation News [Archive] - Page 5

mwanamwiwa

November 28th, 2009, 04:59 AM

Chinese firm wins airport expansion tender

http://www.communication.go.ke/nbp/pix/JKIA.jpg

A tender to build the second phase of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in its expansion and modernisation plan has been awarded to China National Aero-Technology International Engineering Company (CATIC).

The China based company was awarded the contract in September 2009 at a cost of Sh4 billion and is expected to begin construction of the new terminal four and a multi storey car park next month to be completed in 21 months.

The project is expected to cost a total of Sh5.4 billion ($73 million).

On Thursday, CATIC presented the management of Kenya Airports Authority, the custodians of airports in the country, the performance bond obtained from Kenya Commercial Bank and the projected work scheduled.

“We got good value for money with this contract. We also hope to have started the third phase by mid next year with the tenders going out early next year,” said Mr George Muhoho, the managing director of Kenya Airways Authority (KAA).

CATIC is a Chinese state owned enterprise that was established in 1980 and is affiliated to China National Aero Technology Import & Export Corporation whose core business is in the aviation sector.

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/image/view/-/813288/medRes/115758/-/w/300/-/cbyke8/-/KAA.jpg
Already KAA has secured all the needed funding to see through the full expansion and modernisation plans for JKIA, which began over three years ago.
“With these funds there is no reason we should not complete the expansion of the airport now,” Muhoho said.

Phase one of the project, which was completed last year, saw the airport increase its aircraft parking space and add two taxiways at a cost of Sh3 billion.

The second phase will see JKIA boast a new terminal and parking space increased with the construction of a three storey car park to accommodate 1,500 cars.

Phase three, expected to cost $95 million (Sh7 billion), will involve the expansion and renovation of current terminals with the construction of another floor that will enable the separation of incoming and outgoing passengers.

However, by the time the upgrade of the airport is done the government will have to immediately start looking at a further expansion or a totally new airport as its expected to reach maximum capacity by 2018.

The new airport upgrade was expected to see the airport handle 10 million passengers by 2024 this was however revised to 2018 following the massive growth of Nairobi as a hub and the expansion of Kenya Airways in the region.

The project is part of the improvement of the Northern Corridor, a major artery for Kenya and its neighbours.

Along with JKIA, Kisumu and Wilson airport are also undergoing various rehabilitation projects.
Currently Kisumu airport is undergoing expansion to make it an international airport with the project expected to be completed by mid next year.[/QUOTE]

BUTEMBO21

November 28th, 2009, 10:47 AM

^^

Good news for you guys but what I can see is a code share. The plane and the crew is all Brussel Airlines, so nothing to be bragging about. I personally will be more happy and proud if my country main airliner is flying its own plane and crew. It's maybe a good beginning for Rwanda.

Their problem is that .they like to believe what they like.

desert burner

November 29th, 2009, 03:35 PM

MBA-Congo

November 29th, 2009, 04:21 PM

Congolese have to worry less initially we were in Kinshasa and Lubumbashi and now Kisangani:) so kenya airways is ready to ferry you anywhere:lol: show us another big town we will be there in a minute:cheers: so feel at home:)

I think direct flights from Asia into Congo is soon on the table currently people doing business in kinshasa, lubumbashi and Kisangani use Kenya airline or SA Airline to reach this destinations. Direct flights to Asia was on the table with RAK airways they already operate one aircraft for Hewa Bora. Since the market is growing the next move would be to revive air route deals with those countries esp. China which is starting to have a growing presence in Congo and airline destinations in Africa is not many.

Yoniii

November 30th, 2009, 08:42 AM

http://nazret.com/blog/media/blogs/new/Avion_767-300_Ethipian_Airlinesde234234.JPG

http://nazret.com/blog/media/blogs/new/Nigerian-Eagle-Airlines.jpg

Ethiopian Airlines, Africa's most profitable airline, and Nigerian Eagle Airlines (formerly Virgin Nigeria Airways) have signed a code share agreement whereby both both airlines would be able to sell seats on the same flight as a connecting flight, ThisDay (http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=161042) reported.

The agreement was signed by the Managing Director of Nigerian Eagle Airlines, Capt. Dapo Olumide and Ato Girma Wake, Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian Airlines and it is coming on the heels of an earlier technical service agreement (TSA) in August by both airlines in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Full report (http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=161042)

Great news, more co-operation between African airlines and leading companys!:cheers:

BUTEMBO21

November 30th, 2009, 09:08 AM

I think direct flights from Asia into Congo is soon on the table currently people doing business in kinshasa, lubumbashi and Kisangani use Kenya airline or SA Airline to reach this destinations. Direct flights to Asia was on the table with RAK airways they already operate one aircraft for Hewa Bora. Since the market is growing the next move would be to revive air route deals with those countries esp. China which is starting to have a growing presence in Congo and airline destinations in Africa is not many.

I don't mind KenyaAriways. In fact i will prefer KenyaAir than Brussels Air, a 1000 times.

They wont last longer [ as the government is trying trying to bring back LAC] after all the public pressure they have been facing. Kinshasa will be the only place they will keep.

MBA-Congo

November 30th, 2009, 09:34 AM

I don't mind KenyaAriways. In fact i will prefer KenyaAir than Brussels Air, a 1000 times.

They wont last longer [ as the government is trying trying to bring back LAC] after all the public pressure they have been facing. Kinshasa will be the only place they will keep.
Most people fly with Kenyan airline for connection to china and dubai. Ethiopian airline stopped flying to Lubumbashi leaving Kenya and SA airlines to compete. I would of prefered Ethiopian airlines then the two, but a connecting flight from lubumbashi to harare is already served by Air Zimbabwe and most people would just drive across the border to Ndola to catch a flight if none is available that day.

Yoniii

December 1st, 2009, 02:52 AM

http://www.abbaymedia.com/Image_Bank/Ethiopian_Airlines.jpg

Ethiopian Airlines wins AFRAA's "Airline of the Year Award"

Ethiopian Airlines has earned another industry honor, "Airline of the Year Award" at the 41st Annual General Assembly of the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) held in Maputo, Mozambique on November 24, 2009. According to AFRAA, the award was presented to Ethiopian Airlines "In recognition of its outstanding, efficient and exemplary provision of Airline services to the African airline industry."

Mr. Paulo Zucula, Transport Minister of Mozambique handed out the award to Ato Girma Wake, CEO of Ethiopian Airlines at the Gala Dinner held on November 24, 2009 in Maputo, Mozambique. Commenting on the award, Ato Girma said, "We are indeed honored to receive this award which, once again, reaffirms our commitment to meet the needs of African aviation" and further added, "The recognition, coming at such a challenging time for the airline industry, is an acknowledgement of our continued hard work and dedication to provide outstanding service to our customers."

Ethiopian has frequently been chosen as the best Airline in Africa for its performance and outstanding contribution to the development of African aviation. In addition to the AFRAA award, Ethiopian has received four significant awards in a row since January, 2009.

The Annual General Assembly which took place from November 22 to 24, 2009 was attended by the Chief Executive Officers of African airlines, senior officials representing the civil aviation and airport authorities, regional and international aviation organizations and regional economic community leaders as well as global aircraft manufacturers led by Airbus, Boeing and Embraer.
:banana::banana::banana:

ufookoro

December 1st, 2009, 05:58 PM

Nigeria: Arik Air Makes Maiden Flight to United States

30 November 2009
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Abuja — Arik Air on Sunday night recorded its maiden flight to New York from Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) said the flight departed the airport at about 11 p.m. to the United States.

The airline's Head of Media, Mr Adebanji Ola,told NAN that its management was highly excited with the achievement, coming 10 years after the defunct Nigeria Airways stopped direct flight services to the U.S.

"The maiden flight was unique. Our passengers were happy to fly out of the airport, using Arik Air," he said.

He quoted the airline's Managing Director, Mr Jason Holt, as expressing satisfaction with the maiden flight operation.

The Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr. Harold Damuren, also commended the airline for the successful maiden flight to New York.

The Airport Manager, Mr Edward Olalerin, said it was delightful that the airline had started operations to the U.S." (NAN).

mwanamwiwa

December 1st, 2009, 10:01 PM

.........

desert burner

December 3rd, 2009, 05:34 AM

Air Uganda has become the latest international airline to fly directly into Mombasa from its Entebbe hub.

The move heralds a new era of air connectivity between landlocked Uganda and Mombasa, which is an important business corridor for many Ugandan entrepreneurs.

Air Uganda will operate three times a week, on Tuesday, Thursday and Sundays.

"Following extensive market research, we have started this service, which will boost regional tourism and business," Air Uganda Head of Sales and Marketing, Jeniffer Musiime, said, after the inaugural direct flight touched down at the Moi International airport on Tuesday.

The Air Uganda aircraft, an MD 87 with a capacity of 99 passengers, brought 25 passengers, and left after a 30-minute turn-around.

Incoming flight

On board the incoming flight were six travel agents, who will be sampling Kenyan Coast tourist attractions at the Leisure Lodge and Golf Resort, Sarova Taita Hills, and Salt Lick Lodges. A group of Kenyan travel agents flew out to Uganda on the return flight for a similar mission.

Meanwhile, Kenya Airports Authority will invest Sh140 million in the construction of a state of the art terminal building at the Lamu airstrip.

kaps76

December 3rd, 2009, 03:32 PM

Hewa Bora is more likely replacing its aging fleet of B 727 with MD 82 planes. It is rumoured that 2 more MD 83 planes are to join the fleet in the next few months.

http://i50.tinypic.com/2d7bx94.jpg
http://i47.tinypic.com/2vvjqde.jpg

kaps76

December 3rd, 2009, 04:06 PM

So, it's just the name. but they don't own planes or even have pilotes.:lol:

That's what they wanted to do to HBA; Joint that would coast 450 Congolese were going to loose their jobs and and then hire Belgians

Hewa Bora scraped the deal and that's when they lobbied the EU Commission to ban Hewa Bora.

Hewa Bora's ban wasn't even the safety issue.[ simply because the deal was dead].

and then the EU Comminssion finds racist reasons to ban HBA [ Saying that the AirPlanes make so much noise].

Good that HBA made the Government to take actions against BrusselsAir.

And by the way, the EU commision on its new no fly list (27 Nov 2009) has just banned all airlines company from Sao Tome and Principe, and de facto all HBA plnes licensed in that country. Sounds like some sort of harassment. Basically, if you dont side with these europeans, they will sidelined you. See TAAG Angola is only authorized to fly to Portugal and not any other europen country (lucky since Portugal pleaded in their favor and helping them modernize their airport infrastructure). This doesnt make sense. That is why I would prefer either LAC or HBA to associate themselves with some african or Asian giants to become much stronger and more competitive.

benj_bewa

December 3rd, 2009, 05:01 PM

And by the way, the EU commision on its new no fly list (27 Nov 2009) has just banned all airlines company from Sao Tome and Principe, and de facto all HBA plnes licensed in that country. Sounds like some sort of harassment. Basically, if you dont side with these europeans, they will sidelined you. See TAAG Angola is only authorized to fly to Portugal and not any other europen country (lucky since Portugal pleaded in their favor and helping them modernize their airport infrastructure). This doesnt make sense. That is why I would prefer either LAC or HBA to associate themselves with some african or Asian giants to become much stronger and more competitive.

What they dont say is that all these european national cariers are heavily subsidised,hence distording competition.The truth is these european countries want to protect their territories by forcing competitors out of business via arbitrary measures.It is like saying all chinese products arent good quality coz they are cheap.Total nonsense!China has given us a huge leverage and the congolese government must use it to hurt back belgians and their european associates

BUTEMBO21

December 3rd, 2009, 06:04 PM

And by the way, the EU commision on its new no fly list (27 Nov 2009) has just banned all airlines company from Sao Tome and Principe, and de facto all HBA plnes licensed in that country. Sounds like some sort of harassment. Basically, if you dont side with these europeans, they will sidelined you. See TAAG Angola is only authorized to fly to Portugal and not any other europen country (lucky since Portugal pleaded in their favor and helping them modernize their airport infrastructure). This doesnt make sense. That is why I would prefer either LAC or HBA to associate themselves with some african or Asian giants to become much stronger and more competitive.

So, that's what they are doing, they are making sure that HBA does not fly into Europe , by all means necessary.

Belgium makes me sick to my stomach. The Government must shut down Belgian embassies.

Congolese chose to fly with their Airline, but, yea, Just listen to HBA CEO. ( But in French).
FSDanSkn9FQ

BUTEMBO21

December 3rd, 2009, 06:41 PM

benj_bewa

December 4th, 2009, 05:48 PM

These so called civilized, advanced, are scared to compete with us.:lol:

Just listen. exactly what they talk about.

pb3yox8NTFE

These comments just echo european mindset.The Hewq Bora case is just about racism and jealousy.Had it been about safety and so on,there wouldnt have been such hateful mediatic campain against Hewa Bora.Since its incorporation,Hewa Bora has had less deadly and near miss incidents than Air France for example.Why dont they ban Air France.

mwanamwiwa

December 6th, 2009, 12:52 AM

African airlines blame woes on poor politics

Published on 03/12/2009
By Cyrus Kinyungu

African airlines have blamed politicians for the woes bedevilling the airline industry in the continent.

They accused politicians of doing little to help them thrive and compete with foreign carriers during the current global financial crisis.

African airlines chief executive officers attending the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) annual general assembly in Maputo, Mozambique, said politicians enter into pacts with foreign airlines without consulting the country’s civil aviation authority yet they seek to enforce the same through airlines.

"Leasing firms work with politicians and not airlines," said Ghana Airways CEO Ms Gifty Annan-Myers. "Woe unto you if you do not implement the agreement."

Myers said politicians hardly look into the airlines’ business plans when sign such agreements.

Arbitrary decisions

She urged politicians to consult local airlines and aviation industry when negotiating on issues that are likely to affect them.

"Politicians should not blindly pry into the airline business. The day this happens, there will be a great change in the business," said Mr Inati Ntshanga, the chief operating officer of South Africa Air.

Ntshanga noted that politicians also interfere with their countries civil aviations decisions, which negatively affects the airline business.

The CEOs heard that the continent had failed to fully implement the Yamoussoukro declaration, — meant to open the African airspace to African carriers.

"We have failed to unite. Middle East carriers have taken over our air space and that is why Africans should learn to trust one another," said Captain David Savvy of Air Seychelles.

African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) president Mr Charles Wako urged Africa governments to fully implement the declaration to facilitate the integration of the African air transport system.

"Our airlines and indeed air transport system may collapse if the declaration is not implemented immediately," he warned.

He lamented at instances where one has to travel from African cities to Europe to get connections to other African cities.

"The declaration was intended to facilitate the liberalisation of access to air transport markets in Africa and to promote and protect the African air transport system," he noted.

While giving his annual report to the CEOs, Afraa secretary general Mr Christian Folly-Kossi called on African airlines to establish strategic partnerships, joint ventures or co-operation between the more resource-endowed carriers with their smaller counterparts. He said co-operations would ensure enhanced airline safety and security levels.

Folly-Kossi also said blacklisting of some African airlines by some European countries has adversely affected the image of the continent.

"African airlines have presented a united voice to the European Union highlighting the unfairness of the procedures used against certain African carriers," he noted.

He contended that Africa’s aviation industry was also being hit by brain drain with highly trained and experienced professionals taking up jobs out of the continent.

Brain drain

In mitigation, Folly-Kossi said airlines should make use of the world class training facilities on the continent such as Kenya Airways’ Pride Centre, Ethiopia Airlines Training Academy, Egypt Air and Royal Air Maroc Training Centre.

He said Afraa was discussing with airlines on how to exploit opportunities created by the World Cup to be held in South Africa next year.

"Airlines have been discussing with each other how to take advantage of these opportunities," he said. "Airlines can collaborate through network planning, development and promotion of joint tour packages and product price bundling."

He noted that some airlines had planned to increase flight frequencies between their countries and Johannesburg next year.

Some airlines, he said, are concluding commercial agreements with South Africa-based airlines in preparation for the games.

In his report, Folly-Kossi noted that though the African airlines have been affected by the global recession, the effects have been more limited than in other continents.

"Africa has not witnessed significant reduction in passenger numbers and cargo uplifts as is the case elsewhere," he observed.

He said since 2003, the total passenger numbers to and from Africa have been steadily risen until 2007. Last year, there was a marginal drop of about four per cent as a result of the world economic recession.

He said the freight carried was equally affected by the recession.

"This year, the loss by the African airlines is estimated at $0.5 billion — a much smaller loss than in other regions," he said.

Among the African carriers that made profits include Ethiopian Airlines, Royal Air Maroc, Lam Mozambique Airlines, Air Seychelles, South African Express and Precision Air.

Alex Roney

December 6th, 2009, 01:23 AM

These comments just echo european mindset.The Hewq Bora case is just about racism and jealousy.Had it been about safety and so on,there wouldnt have been such hateful mediatic campain against Hewa Bora.Since its incorporation,Hewa Bora has had less deadly and near miss incidents than Air France for example.Why dont they ban Air France.

Racism??? Really?
Number of African airlines flying to Paris
Afriqiyah Airways
Air Algerie
Aigle Azur
Air Arabia Maroc
Air Madagascar
Air Mauritius
Air Seychelles
Egypt Air
Gabon Airlines
Kenya Airways
TACV
Tunisair
Ethiopian Airlines

Jealousy? What would Air France have to be jealous of? It's one of the largest airlines with the most extensive route map.

BUTEMBO21

December 6th, 2009, 02:04 AM

Racism??? Really?
.
Yes, Racism; Brussiars Airline can't compete against little Hewa Bowa Airways. So they Lobbied the EU Commission to get HBA banned. If you ever understood why i resent that country with a passion, this is it.

kaps76

December 11th, 2009, 03:28 AM

Wednesday, 07 October 2009 13:45 | | |
From 26th October 2009, the expanding Libyan airline, Afriqiyah Airways, will operate a new scheduled service between Tripoli and Dhaka (Bangladesh).

The new flights will fly from Tripoli on Mondays and Thursdays, returning on Wednesdays and Saturdays from Dhaka. Also announced is a new services starting on 12th December 2009 between Tripoli and Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo). This route will be flown three times per week, on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, returning every Monday, Thursday and Sunday.

Hersh

December 13th, 2009, 05:35 AM

How would y'all rate the top African airlines' in safety, operation, business model, and overall competency?

1-3 in order of preference.

I don't know enough to make a list.

Tarrex

December 13th, 2009, 03:52 PM

Star Alliance and Ethiopian to discuss membership

Thursday December 10, 2009
Star Alliance is holding exploratory talks with Ethiopian Airlines and will discuss the African carrier's potential membership at its chief executive board meeting today in Brussels, Star CEO Jaan Albrecht confirmed to ATWOnline. "We have been talking to them as part of our strategy to fill in our white spots on the world map," he said, pointing out that that while small in market share, Central Africa is showing strong growth. A decision on ET is not "imminent," he stressed, and an announcement can be expected in the first half of 2010.

ET would be Star's third member in Africa and would provide a good fit with EgyptAir in the north and South African Airways down south. Eleven Star Alliance members serve 81 destinations in 40 countries across Africa at present. Ethiopian carried 2.8 million passengers in its fiscal year ended June 30, a 12.3% increase year-on-year, and net profit jumped 165% to ETB1.35 billion ($105.2 million). It has five 777-200ELRs, 10 787s, 12 A350s and eight Q400s on order.

by Cathy Buyck

http://www.atwonline.com/news/story.html?storyID=18754

xAbd0o

December 13th, 2009, 05:11 PM

^^ good news It would be nice if they joined Star Alliance. I hope they get it.

kaps76

December 15th, 2009, 07:39 PM

Another way for Brussel Airlines to make money at the expense of national air carriers. I hope this project doesnt take off under these conditions, specially that they have The Forrest group associated with them, who will sooner have most of Katanga ressources under his control. After sinking Hewa Bora on international route, they are back with a project of their own. Not because they like us or like our country, but essentially because they see the potential of profitability. Shame on them!!! Get back on line before authorizing this deal. In many other country, you can not have a foreigh company holding the majority of stakes without a local associate. Lets see how this one goes on.

Brussels Airlines will launch a Congolese company: Korongo

The owner of Brussels Airlines in DRC confirms the creation of an airline in the DRC. Without giving a specific deadline, Sven Marinus, CEO of Brussels Airlines in the DRC, said that the headquarters Korongo (Editor's note: The name of said company) will be based in the city of Lubumbashi in Katanga, reports radiookapi.net

A plane of Brussels Airlines
Korongo is the name of the Congolese airline whose project is still under study according Sven Marinus. He stated that the city of Lubumbashi is a geographically important for business and especially for his flights. Hence the choice of this second largest city as the seat of the new company. However, he said that the project plans to have flights within the country.

The intention of the Belgian company would level the ban Congolese airlines not flying the European skies.

Korongo, new look version of stillborn Air DC?

Two years ago, Hewa Bora Airways and Brussels Airlines will put together to create an improved air service in which Hewa Bora Airways would own 51% shares and the Belgian company Pan African Airlines Leasing Company, a subsidiary of Brussels Airlines, she must have 49%. The trade agreement between the two airlines planned to provide five times a week, a liaison between the DRC and Belgium and develop the activity of passenger transport within the Congolese territory. Hewa Bora Airways saw this as an opportunity to bypass the blacklist of the European Union. For Belgians, it was also avail of such a partnership to enjoy the market offered by the DRC. The creation of the Air DC has ever produced. Hewa Bora, which accused him of manipulating his partner, chose to ally after the Asian Rakeen Airways which she had obtained a Boeing 767 that was registered in Sao Tome and Principe.

Blow
Last October, authorities in Sao Tome and Principe prohibit boeing 767 Hewa Bora to land on the European space. Papaiouannou Stavros, the owner of the private Congolese company, accused the Belgian authorities have pressured the Sao Tome to withdraw his authorization, in order to favor its competitor, Brussels Airlines. What Struye Dominica, Ambassador of Belgium in the DRC had dismissed the next day in an interview radiookapi.net. The news turned to the advantage of Brussels Airlines, which continues to exercise a monopoly on direct flights Brussels-Kinshasa in DRC.

Reacting against this new project, Stavros Papaiouannou, owner of Hewa Bora Airways, is confident in radiookapi.net estimated the project Korongo is a veiled form of Project Air DC. Project that failed between the company Hewa Bora Airlines and Brussels. "Absolutely, it is not the shadow of a doubt, the same aircraft, the same people. I insist that they have just replaced by Hewa Bora companies by Forrest. "Said Stavros radiookapi.net

Forrest with Brussels Airlines?
Radiookapi.net has attempted to contact officials Tuesday Forrest International Group. The office of Lubumbashi was not yet able to confirm this information. Officials from Brussels Airlines does not reveal the names of interested partners. Sven Marinus, CEO of Brussels Airlines in the DRC, was limited only to say that talks with the Congolese authorities are underway to complete the formalities necessary for this project: "Korongo will meet the international safety standards, and all standard application requirements for Brussels Airlines will be the same for the project Korongo "
.
Asked whether the project Korongo could not destroy the Congolese business market, Brussels Airlines says it only works for the development of the DRC without worrying about what is or may be other companies.

benj_bewa

December 15th, 2009, 08:12 PM

Mulopwe

December 15th, 2009, 08:20 PM

Alex Roney

December 15th, 2009, 08:24 PM

Star Alliance and Ethiopian to discuss membership

http://www.atwonline.com/news/story.html?storyID=18754

Nice Ethiopian Airlines is definitely one of the best run companies on the continent. The fact that an airline alliance is interested, just goes to show how important they view them as. Currently their are only 3 African airlines in any of the alliances (Egypt Air, South African Airways and Kenya Airways) two of which are in Star, the best of the three alliances.

Alex Roney

December 15th, 2009, 08:33 PM

Matthias Offodile

December 15th, 2009, 08:49 PM

Belgians should invest more in other African countries than Congo. it is high time.

benj_bewa

December 15th, 2009, 09:37 PM

Belgians should invest more in other African countries than Congo. it is high time.
You should try to explain that to belgians!That is all what congoleses want!

kaps76

December 15th, 2009, 09:46 PM

Mulopwe,

Though I will encourage the venture as it will bring more jobs and investment to the country, what bothers me the most is to see that it is actually Brussell Airlines that brokered this deal. I would have been less bothered and would have preferred that it be with another african airlines (Kenya, Ethiopian, SAA or others). I just cant believe we have to wait for these people again to have the only viable airline in the country. That is really a shame !!! They have apprently mentioned that they will make the airline compliant with Europe requirments. However, all companies based in the country are officially banned from european skies for not only reasons that affect the airliners themselves but also because of the country infrastructure and management of the civil aviation authority. Therefore, I found it hard to see how they will manage to have this embargo lifted only for that company. And by the way, as far as I am aware, the last no fly list by the EU commission dated from Nov 27, I couldnt find reasons listed agains HBA for not flying to Europe. It appeared more that it was a country problem, and no particular problem related to HBA. Obviously, having the Belgian and the EU on their side will certainly help htem break the deadlock. TAAG was granted licnce to fly again to Portugal with that country help. Who knows?

I still believe that a national ariliner like Air Zaire is necessary but with a 59% held by the state and another 49% held by private investors, instead of living it completely to private.

BUTEMBO21

December 15th, 2009, 11:51 PM

Belgians should invest more in other African countries than Congo. it is high time.

Oh please, they are struggling to compete against Congolese let alone those Giants such as Kenya, Ethiopia, SAA. They wont even make it Angola.

That will be great if they go to African countries. :banana:

BUTEMBO21

December 15th, 2009, 11:55 PM

Belgians should invest more in other African countries than Congo. it is high time.

Your Belgian friends are more than arrogant. maybe you know why i resent them.:)

BUTEMBO21

December 16th, 2009, 12:06 AM

Kaps76,

My understanding is that, the new airline will be own partially by
Brussels airline and Congolese investors among them is Forrest Group.

HBA have no adequate resources to service entire DRC; imagine currently there is no direct fly from Kasai to Kindu or Goma to Lubumbashi.

HBA is small, the country is too big to be handled by single airline that doesn't even recieve any subsidies from the government.
Screw Belgians , i would love that all their airlines be banned. i would preffer others africans( SAA, Ethiopia Air, KenyaAir) to be at their place untill we get in order.

With credible competition, possibility is that travel cost will go down and service will improve. We don’t need another subsidize airline company like Air-Zaire… let private sector handle it.

Subsidies are good if the company is commercial . Air Zaire wasn't commercial.

Nothing was commercial in Zaire.

Mulopwe

December 16th, 2009, 09:57 PM

HBA is small, the country is too big to be handled by single airline that doesn't even recieve any subsidies from the government.
Screw Belgians , i would love that all their airlines be banned. i would preffer others africans( SAA, Ethiopia Air, KenyaAir) to be at their place untill we get in order.

Subsidies are good if the company is commercial . Air Zaire wasn't commercial.

Nothing was commercial in Zaire.

Things that should be subsidized at this point are: Education, Health, Agriculture and any private initiative to provide clean water and electricity to the poor. Let private sector deal with air transportation …. The government should create good condition for competition. After all, Congo market is very attractive due to the size.

I prefer Brussels airline. They are effective, organize with deeper pocket. I read somewhere that Brussels airline will have only 41%.... 59% remaining shares will be sold to private. I am almost certain that beside Forest, Moise and some Katangese will be among the investors.

Mulopwe

BUTEMBO21

December 16th, 2009, 10:50 PM

Things that should be subsidized at this point are: Education, Health, Agriculture and any private initiative to provide clean water and electricity to the poor. Let private sector deal with air transportation …. The government should create good condition for competition. After all, Congo market is very attractive due to the size.

I prefer Brussels airline. They are effective, organize with deeper pocket. I read somewhere that Brussels airline will have only 41%.... 59% remaining shares will be sold to private. I am almost certain that beside Forest, Moise and some Katangese will be among the investors.

Mulopwe

How can you support these anti competition scumers that are helped by their government. HBA can't fly in Brussels because they broke the deal with Brussels scums.

You know nothing about how they treated HBA. i would prefer Kenya airways, Ethiopian air than those scums.

they are even planning to fly interior flights. :bash: i will be very pissed off if it really happens.

mwanamwiwa

December 17th, 2009, 03:19 AM

Kenya Airways flies to Kisangani

Thursday, November 5, 2009: Kenya Airways has today launched direct flights to Kisangani; the Democratic Republic of the Congo.:cheers:The airline will operate three weekly flights every Monday, Thursday and Friday to the Bangoka International Airport.

Passengers are being offered US$ 47 return fare on this route for tickets purchased by November 30, 2009 and valid for travel by December 31, this year. The special fare offer is only valid for the return travel from Nairobi to Kisangani.

The introduction of flights to Kisangani brings to 47 the number of destinations that Kenya Airways flies to.

“Travelers on this route are expected to benefit greatly from the superb connections to Europe and Asia,” Kenya Airways Chairman Evanson Mwaniki said.

He said the provincial capital of Tshopo Province will also serve to connect tourists visiting Kananga, Kinshasa and other parts of the populous African nation – endowed with resources of vast potential wealth.

Investors dealing in minerals such as copper and industrial diamonds will find the route very convenient.

Other routes that Kenya Airways has launched include Gaborone; Botswana and Ndola; Zambia which was unveiled to connect London, Mumbai, Accra, Dubai, Nairobi, Hong Kong and New Delhi.

KQ has embarked on an aggressive network expansion with recent route additions being Congo-Brazaville and Libreville; launched in March and June this year respectively.

The airline operates three daily frequencies into Johannesburg, South Africa and double dailies to Lusaka, Zambia; 10 flights a week to Lilongwe, Malawi and Harare, Zimbabwe and three weekly flights to Maputo, Mozambique.

Kenya Airways has continued to invest heavily in expanding its network to cater for the growing customer needs. This route expansion plan has been accompanied by fleet modernization and a commitment to safety and growing aviation standards in the continent, he said.

Kenya Airways operates the youngest fleet in sub-Saharan Africa.

http://diva.waidev14.com/cms/ckfinder/userfiles/images/2000/Capital-Kenya---StandChart/kenya_airways_new_logo.jpg

BUTEMBO21

December 17th, 2009, 03:39 AM

^^ as long as it's not Belgium.

MBA-Congo

December 18th, 2009, 01:39 PM

UAE official meets governor of Katanga in DR Congo

Dec 17, 2009 - 11:45 -

WAM Official meets governor of Katanga province in DR Congo Abu Dhabi 17th Dec.2009 (WAM) H.E Khalid Ghanim, Assistant to UAE Foreign Minister for Economic Affairs, met today H.E Moise Katumbi Chapwe, Governor of Katanga Province in Democratic Republic of Congo.

During the meeting, they discussed issues of mutual interest and ways of consolidating economic relations and implementing cooperation agreements between UAE and the Katanga Province.

The Governor of Katanga expressed his region's desire to benefit from the UAE model in diversifying sources of income and the economic development.

He invited the UAE airline companies to operate direct flights between the UAE and his region.

H/TF WAM/TF

By next year direct asian routes should open.

enkelfam

December 19th, 2009, 03:15 AM

Ethiopian Airlines Receives the NEPAD Award

News Release – Ethiopian Airlines

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, December 16, 2009 – 16:00

In a ceremony held on November 25, 2009 at Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, Ethiopian won the NEPAD Transport Infrastructure Excellence Awards 2009. According to NEPAD, Ethiopian was honored as an institution in Africa that contributed to the development of transport infrastructure in the continent in line with the aims and objectives of NEPAD and the African Union. The development of transport infrastructure is seen as an important component and a prelude to regional integration. The contribution of Ethiopian Airlines in facilitating the regional integration through its long standing motto “Brining Africa Together” and its continuous effort to build modern infrastructure has helped it stand out among its African compatriots.

Dr John Tambi, NEPAD Transport Infrastructure Expert presented the award trophy to Mr. Girma Wake, Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian at the gala dinner held at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

Ethiopian Airlines has currently embarked on rapid growth strategy, investing in various infrastructure developments to support the growing passenger and cargo business. In the last five years, the airline has made huge infrastructural investments. Some of the projects carried out by the airline were the construction of the state-of-the-art Cargo Terminal and Maintenance Hangar as well as the purchase of B737-7/800 New Generation Simulator.

The NEPAD Secretariat launched the annual NEPAD Transport Infrastructure Projects of Excellence Awards to recognize and honor those who have contributed largely to the success of the programme in the Transport Infrastructure sector. NEPAD (the New Partnership for Africa's Development) was launched in 2001 by the President's of Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa as a vision for the African Renaissance and the continent's renewal.

About Ethiopian Airlines:

Ethiopian Airlines, one of the largest and fastest growing airlines in Africa, made its maiden flight to Cairo in 1946. With the recent addition of flight services to Mombassa and Monrovia, Ethiopian provides dependable services to 37 cities in Africa and a total of 58 international destinations spanning throughout four continents.
In July, 2009, Ethiopian won the ‘Airline of the Year 2009’ Award at the African Business Award Event organized by the London based African Business Magazine and Common Wealth Business Council.

In August, 2008, Ethiopian won “the 2008 Corporate Achievement Award” of Aviation & Allied Business for setting the pace towards the development and growth of the African aviation industry.

Ethiopian is also the first African carrier to win the 2008 Brussels Airport Company Award in recognition of its distinguished long haul operations witnessed through the introduction of new routes, new products, and close cooperation with Brussels Airport in marketing activities.

Ethiopian was the winner of the ‘2008 Best Airline in Africa Award’ at the African Travel Award ceremony in Lagos, Nigeria, for its excellent network and convenient connections in Africa.

mwanamwiwa

December 29th, 2009, 11:18 PM

RwandAir and PTA Bank enter aviation financing agreement

November 29, 2009 Kigali: The Eastern and Southern African Trade & Development Bank (PTA Bank) and Rwanda's national carrier today signed an aviation financing agreement which will see the leading investment finance institution in the region fund the aircraft purchase among other major infrastructural investments for RwandAir. The ceremony held at Serena Hotel - Kigali was presided over by Rwanda's Minister for Infrastructure, Hon. Linda Bihire. Speaking during the ceremony, the minister stressed on the need for Rwanda to have a functional aviation system given the country's strategic location on the continent. Hon. Bihire reaffirmed the government's keenness to support a reliable air transport for the country.

Key signatories to the initial agreement worth USD 13.5 Million are Rwanda's Minister for Finance, Hon. James Musoni and the President of the PTA Bank, Dr. Michael Gondwe. While giving his speech Dr. Gondwe said, "The two aircrafts that the airline is acquiring is just the beginning, being a development bank, PTA Bank is always ready to assist projects which contribute to the economic development of its Member Countries". Currently PTA Bank has invested in excess of USD 65 Million in various projects in Rwanda.

Speaking after the ceremony, the CEO of RwandAir, Amb. Gerald Zirimwabagabo confidently stated that the national carrier is assured of the delivery of its first own aircrafts; CRJ -200 series before the end of the year. Currently, negotiations between RwandAir and large aircraft suppliers are at advanced stages for the acquisition of mid to long range aircrafts beginning 2010. The airline intends to expand its fleet considerably over the next five years.

kaps76

December 30th, 2009, 05:59 AM

CAA (Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation) based in Kinshasa has recently released an advertisement of the arrival of their Fokker-50 and Airbus A320 for domestic routes. More details will follow.

http://i47.tinypic.com/2wdcyhl.jpg

Cigar

January 5th, 2010, 09:50 PM

Fly Kumba have launched their website - http://www.flykumba.co.zw. 3x daily flights between HRE-BUQ initially.

mwanamwiwa

January 7th, 2010, 06:45 PM

KAA to extend Kisumu Airport runway by 300 metres

Updated 21 hr(s) 45 min(s) ago
By Kepher Otieno

Kenya Airports Authority (KAA) will extend its three kilometer runway as part of the ongoing expansion of Kisumu Airport, which expected to end in August this year.

"The government has accepted the request by leaders and the run way, which initially was two kilometers and then extended to three will finally be pushed to 3.3 kilometres,"said transport Permanent secretary, Dr Cyrus Njiru while touring the facility.

Since the runbway will now go beyond to the Lake, families living adjacent to the Airport will have to be relocated or compensated by KAA.

KAA Managing Director, George Muhoho announced that families who will be affected by the expansion owill receive compensation to the tune of Sh100 million.

He said evaluation done had earmarked some Sh127 million for settling claims by the affected families.

So far, the expansion is more than is 70 per cent complete and by August next year, the facility will be fully operational, Muhoho said.

The PS challenged Kisumu Municipal Council to embark on modernisation of the local roads networks and lines so that by the time the Airport is complete, traffic jam are tackled.

Traffic jam

" We don’t want a case where one will take 45 minutes flying from Nairobi and take almost similar hour or more on the road due to traffic jam and the council must effect that plan now before the town population bursts," said Njiru.

The Airport expansion is set to cost Sh2.9 billion.

The contract was awarded to Chinese Overseas construction Company.

The airport expects the new runway and terminal to significantly increase its capacity.

After the Sh2.9 billion expansion, it will be bigger than Wilson Airport in Nairobi, and will be able to handle four Boeings, and up to seven smaller planes at once.

The PS said it would be the transport hub of Kisumu and asked residents to take advantage of its fruits.

JKIA, Moi airports in Sh2b upgrade

Related Stories
By Fredrick Obura

The country’s major International gateways are set to undergo a $28 million (Sh2.1 billion) upgrade by June this year.

This follows a ten-year agreement between Kenya Airports Authority(KAA) and SITA, the world’s leading specialist in air transport communication and information technology solutions.

The face-lift of passenger processing unit at Jomo Kenyatta and Moi International Airports will include installation of first self-service check-in kiosks.

"Nairobi will receive 32 Kiosks, while Mombasa will have 16. Our new arrangement will allow about 37 airlines to share check-in and boarding facilities," said KAA Managing Director, George Muhoho.

He said the AirportConnect S3 Kiosks are environmentally-friendly, having the smallest carbon footprint in the industry. Each kiosk weighs 64 kg, can scan travel documents and includes a printer that can issue up to 5,300 boarding passes from a single roll.

...

desert burner

January 8th, 2010, 09:29 AM

:cheers::cheers:

MBA-Congo

January 17th, 2010, 01:57 PM

Govt wants more bidders for Air Tanzania

Even as the government enters the final stages of two-year negotiations with China Sonangol International Holdings to buy a controlling stake in Air Tanzania Corporation Ltd, it has now decided to invite more international firms to vie for a stake in the ailing airline.

The state-owned carrier last month cut 155 jobs amid talks of a partnership with China Sonangol. Only 182 employees remained. It cited overstaffing and accumulated staff wages as the reasons for the layoffs..

Ministry of Infrastructure Development Permanent Secretary Omar Chambo told The EastAfrican last week that talks between the government and officials from China Sonangol are at an “advanced stage,” without elaborating further.

Mr Chambo said the negotiations with the Chinese firm do not debar the government from looking for other investors, and that already several other companies have shown interest in the carrier. However, he declined to name the firms and their number, saying this could jeopardise the discussions.

According to Mr Chambo the government wants to see Air Tanzania revived and brought back to full strength to take advantage of growing markets like the Democratic Republic of Congo, China, Zambia and Malawi.

But critics say the government has not kept its word on giving Air Tanzania full support since the firm parted ways with South African Airways in 2006.

Air Tanzania Corporation Ltd, formerly known as Air Tanzania Corporation, was privatised on December 2, 2002 in a deal in which SAA acquired 49 per cent shares in the firm $20 million, which largely went into shareholding, with the rest going into capital and training accounts.

Last week, a US firm, Celtic Capital Corporation of Texas, said it was ready to take over the operations of Air Tanzania.

Five firms based in the US, the UK and the United Arab Emirates have also shown interest in running the cash-strapped airline.

In August 2008, the Tanzania government held secret talks with the Chinese Development Bank to sell the 49 per cent shares acquired back from SAA to a Hong Kong-based private firm with a view to reviving the ailing airline.

In the deal, China Sonangol International Holdings was expected to fund the operations of the airline that is now struggling to regain its reputation and position in the regional and international market.

Sam Pal, chairman of Sonangol International told The EastAfrican recently that China Development Bank would be funding the takeover of Air Tanzania, but bureaucracy within the government has delayed the takeover.

Terminal 3

Mr Pal said that Sonangol has already started construction of Terminal Three of JK Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam and is working on expansion of the airport.

Sonangol said that it has already bought an Embarer fleet for Air Tanzania.

China Sonangol International Holdings Ltd, which was established in 2004, mainly engages in oil, gas and minerals investment and exploration, crude oil trading and large-scale national reconstruction projects.

Headquartered in Hong Kong, the company also has branch offices in mainland China, Africa and Latin America and operates the oil refinery in Angola as well as chartered airlines in Angola, the US and the UK.

Kenguy

January 17th, 2010, 03:49 PM

^^

Looks like Precisionair has some competition.

MBA-Congo

January 17th, 2010, 08:55 PM

Brussels Airlines to form a new airline company in DR Congo

A Belgian air transport company, Brussels Airlines, will form a new aerial company in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) called "Korongo", Sven Marinus, the general director of the company, declared on Tuesday during a press conference.

The new company, Korongo, whose feasibility studies are still on-going, will have it's registered office in Lubumbashi, the second biggest town in DRC and the main town of Katanga province, Marinus added.

He justified the choice of Lubumbashi to host the new company because of it's economic importance since it's a mining province with more than ten mining companies and also it's geographical position because as he indicated, "From Lubumbashi, we can fly to whichever direction."

Korongo will therefore have flights to different airports both national and international, he added, without giving more details on either the cost of the project, types of aeroplanes to be used or when the operations will begin.

Yoniii

January 18th, 2010, 05:43 PM

http://nazret.com/blog/media/blogs/new/tk_et_alliance34234.jpg

Ethiopian Airlines and Turkish Airlines have signed a code share agreement for flights between Istanbul and Addis Ababa operated by Turkish. The agreement took effect on January 15.

A Free Sale Code Share Agreement has been signed between Turkish Airlines and Ethiopian Airlines (ET). Code share operations will begin as of 15 January 2010. Within the framework of ET/TK codeshare agreement, TK will be the operating carrier on Istanbul-Addis Ababa v.v. flights and ET will market these flights by putting its own code and flight number.

Yoniii

January 18th, 2010, 05:53 PM

1/18/2010 11:29:00 AM

Ethiopian Airlines is working to strengthen its presence in Europe and is now focusing on the German market. Therefore AVIAREPS and Africa’s largest airline recently signed a new GSA agreement starting on 1 April 2010. The world’s leading aviation and tourism management expert will then be in charge of all sales, marketing and ticketing activities in Germany. Besides the European markets of Austria, Belgium, Switzerland and Hungary AVIAREPS also represents the Ethiopian flag carrier in the South American markets of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. Ethiopian Airlines currently offers four weekly flights between Frankfurt (Germany) and Addis Ababa (Ethiopia): each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, passengers can use a nonstop connection to the Ethiopian capital. On Sunday the airline provides an additional flight with a short stopover in Rome. As from June 2010 Ethiopian Airlines will increase the frequency to five weekly flights on this route. All flights, operated with a modern Boeing B767, take off in the late evening. After an overnight journey of seven hours travellers reach Addis Ababa in the morning of the next day. From Ethiopian Airlines’ hub they can conveniently connect to various African destinations such as Johannesburg, Nairobi, Mombasa, Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar. As Africa’s leading carrier Ethiopian Airlines operates its flights with the newest and youngest fleet consisting of 30 Boeing aircraft (10 B767-300s; 8 B757-200s; 2 B575-260Fs; 2 B747Fs; 5 B737-700NGs; 3 B737-800Ws), 2 MD-11Fs and 5 Fokker 50s. Within the next years the fleet will continue growing. The airline has already ordered five Boeing B777-300LRs, eight Bombardier Q400s (delivery in 2010), 12 Airbus A330-900s and 10 Boeing B787 Dreamliner jets. Ethiopian Airlines, the largest airline in Africa, was founded 1945. The national carrier is based in Addis Ababa and offers flights to 56 international destinations: six in Europe (Brussels, Frankfurt, London, Paris, Rome and Stockholm), 35 in Africa, 14 destinations in the Middle East and Asia (e.g. Bahrain, Bangkok, Beijing, Beirut, Dubai, Mumbai, Delhi and Tel Aviv) and one in North America (Washington). Furthermore the Ethiopian flag carrier serves 16 domestic routes.

chiefayic2

January 18th, 2010, 06:36 PM

By NamNewsNetwork Jan 18th, 2010

ADDIS ABABA, Jan 18 (NNN-ENA) -- Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin has described the partnership between national flag carrier Ethiopian Airlines and ASKY airlines, the cotinent's regional carrier supported by the African Union and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as a truly historic example of intra-African co-operation in the airline industry.

Togolese President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbe meanwhile lauded Ethiopia's effort to advance the African aviation industry at the operational commencement of ASKY airline held in Lome Town recently.

Seyoum, who is also Chairman of Ethiopian Airlines' Board of Directors, said Ethiopian Airlines and ASKY had entered into a unique form of business partnership and alliance to fill the void created by the absence of sufficient air transport services across many nations of the continent, particularly in the Central and West African sub-regions.

He said Africa lagged behind in the development of transportation and communication infrastructure which is vital for the advancement of all aspects of life including industry, agriculture and education, among others.

Seyoum, who expressed belief that ASKY would play a vital role in bringing Africans closer to one another and to the rest of the world, said Africa needed to develop its aviation industry in order to accelerate its social economic progress and provide efficient service in global mobility for its people.

He said Ethiopia was committed to doing whatever it took to support initiatives such as the Ethiopian-ASKY partnership.

Founder and ASKY Chairman Gervais Koffi Djondo said Ethiopian Airlines had remarkably contributed towards the realization of ASKY. Ethiopian, which is a leading carrier in Africa, has played a significant role for ASKY to begin operations as scheduled.

Ethiopian has a 25 per cent share in ASKY while OTHER African investors, regional economic blocs and African banks control the balance, Djondo said, while calling on stakeholders to make ASKY effective in the business.

ASKY chief executive officer (CEO) Bussera Awol said the airline had signed a five-year management contract with Ethiopian Airlines, whose CEO, Girma Wake, said that besides addressing West African air transport problems, ASKY would also enhance air transportation servicec in the region.

Girma said Ethiopian?s dream to set up a hub in West Africa had come true through the commencement of operations of ASKY.

He said Ethiopia is benefiting Africa. The commencement of ASKY airline indicates that Africans can work together.

Meanwhile, Togolese President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbe has presented the Togolese Medallion of Honour to Ethiopian Airlines at a ceremony held at the Togolese National Palace. The Ethiopian Airlines Chairman and CEO also received awards for outstanding performance.

Ethiopian has provided two Boeing 737 aircraft and has trained 45 stewardesses for ASKY, which was established with a capital of 120 million USD. -- NNN-ENA

http://news.brunei.fm/2010/01/18/ethiopian-airlines-partnership-with-regional-asky-airlines-historic-says-ethiopian-fm/

Rabat with love 2

January 19th, 2010, 01:11 PM

:)
Between 2010 and 2011, Royal Air Maroc plans to expand the opening new routes.

* Casablanca - Washington. Using Boeing 767-300ER
* Casablanca - Tokyo. Using Boeing 767-300ER
* Casablanca - Dar Es Salaam. Using Boeing 747-400
* Casablanca - Johannesburg. Using Boeing 747-400
* Marrakech - Fr.ankfurt Using Boeing 757-200
* Nador - London-Heathrow. Using Boeing 737-500
* Oujda - Milan-Malpensa. Using Boeing 737-800
* Oujda - Zurich. Using Boeing 737-500
* Tangier - Frankfurt. Using Boeing 737-800
* Tangier - Marseille. Using Boeing 737-800
* Tangier - Lyon Using Boeing 737-800
* Tangier - Milan-Malpensa. Using Boeing 767-300ER
* Tangier - Vienna. Using Airbus A321

Lydon

January 20th, 2010, 11:51 AM

:)

Internet wherever you are

South Africans will soon be able to connect ‘anywhere they are’, including domestic and long-haul flight

Sub-Saharan Africans will soon be able to connect to the Internet anywhere they are – even while on a domestic or long-haul flight – thanks to a new technology announcement from WirelessG.

While the technology that will enable in-flight Internet services is depending on Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) approval, it will be provided through an exclusive agreement with US-based Row 44 who is already successfully offering in-flight Wi-Fi Internet to Southwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines and in 2010, through Norwegian Air Shuttle.

After testing in the US, the first complete set of hardware will arrive in South Africa shortly. This will be used to setup a ground-based proof of concept (POC) here in South Africa to test the complete solution including the Satellites that will be used for the commercial product.

WirelessG also holds an exclusive agreement for the African continent, but are still investigating options to see how soon, and to which extent they will be able to provide in-flight Wi-Fi into Africa and is actively investigating potential airline prospects to identify valuable business partners.

Carel van der Merwe, CEO of WirelessG, says the company is already in negotiations with local airlines, and while the solution is already in POC phase, no information is being released as to which carrier will launch the service first.

Because Row 44’s in-flight broadband system is satellite-based and leverages the extensive Hughes satelllite network, WirelessG and Row 44 will be able to provide African airlines’ passengers with uninterrupted high-speed connectivity in-flight, no matter where they fly—including flights across multiple countries and over water.

WirelessG has successfully integrated its converged billing platform to this new technological environment. This platform, which has undergone testing against the WirelessG converged billing service, will connect via satellite to provide a full range of Internet services such as web browsing, email access, VPN connectivity and web-based SMS.

Van der Merwe says the new solution will dovetail into G-Connect's current converged Internet solution and extend the ADSL, Wi-Fi hotspot and 3G Internet access currently on offer from the service into the cloud.

The in-flight Internet service will be available to all passengers on participating flights for a fee, while G-Connect users can benefit from the service as they will be able to use their current G-Connect accounts onboard the aircraft.

“With the G-Connect sign-up process being free of cost and contracts, we are expecting many travelers to utilise the advantage of our in-flight offering,” says van der Merwe.

“We have always focused on innovating within the telecoms space in order to provide increased value to our customers. We were the first provider to offer a 3-in-1 service (ADSL, 3G, Wi-Fi), and a wallet for managing connectivity spend. All that is required now, is to legitimise the US approved Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs) through the South African CAA. Once we have received this approval, we are able to launch the POC aircrafts and then be the first to offer in-flight Internet access in Africa,” explains van der Merwe. “Being able to provide such a highly necessary and useful product, makes us really proud.”

“WirelessG has built the dominant Wi-Fi hotspot presence across Africa and maintains agreements that extend its services globally,” said Frederick St.Amour, Row 44’s Vice President of Business Development. “By extending its coverage to aircraft in flight, they continue to demonstrate the innovation and leadership for which they are well known. As a result, air travelers in Africa will enjoy in-flight broadband services much sooner than they would have otherwise. Row 44 is thrilled to join forces with WirelessG to bring a wide range of connectivity services to the African skies.”

Internet on planes (http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php?t=212156) - comments and views

http://mybroadband.co.za/news/Telecoms/11136.html

In-flight Internet pricing plans

Wireless G CEO gives insight into what consumers can expect regarding accessing the Internet on local planes

WirelessG this week announced that Sub-Saharan Africans will soon be able to connect to the Internet on domestic and long-haul flights. WirelessG has an exclusive agreement, on the technology that will enable in-flight Internet services, with US-based Row 44, who is already successfully offering in-flight Wi-Fi Internet to Southwest Airlines and Alaska Airlines.

According to the broadband provider the first complete set of hardware will arrive in South Africa shortly, and will be used to set up a ground-based proof of concept (POC) in South Africa to test the complete solution.

WirelessG CEO Carel van der Merwe recently explained in a Moneyweb radio interview that the local technology which will be used is a satellite based solution which differs from the typical US based offerings that use a ground-to-air cellular technology though Aircell.

“They've got about 25% of the aeroplanes already linked up there, and you've got that much more planes in America, and they've got the scale advantage there. In Africa we don't have the privilege to sweep the signal up from a ground to a plane model. We have to use satellite,” explains van der Merwe.

Van der Merwe further said that WirelessG used Vodacom Business to obtain satellite capacity: “Another problem was to get satellite transponder space reserved for the South African market, and that we have done now through Vodacom Business Solutions, who assist us in getting capacity on that side. So bringing together the Row 44 on-board technology and the Intel SAT capacity and the Wireless G G-Connect billing platform, now we've got a business model at the end.”

WirelessG will use the G-Connect billing platform for its service which brings some advantages to consumers. G-Connect currently offers a single account service for ADSL, 3G/HSDPA and Wi-Fi services, and the new in-flight connectivity will form part of this bundled offering.

“In America we've got a model where the customer pays per trip. In South Africa we will have a totally different model. We will also offer a per-trip model, but what's different here is you take the G-connect platform, we'll be able to integrate an on-board wireless broadband with the rest of the broadband packages like DSL, 3G and Wi-Fi,” explains Van der Merwe.

“So what you do not use in the plane you will not lose. You'll be able to use that airtime with DSL or 3G at home. So our plan is to convert the on-board technology, the on-board airtime with the converged bundle in every ordinary day's broadband. So that is the model.”

While the final pricing details are dependent on various factors, G-Connect customers can expect to pay less than for standard out-of-bundle cellular data. “At this stage our business model predicts estimated pricing of between 50c en 90c per MB for G-Connect customers. We have not yet investigated pricing for integrated partners,” said G-Connect

The WirelessG CEO is confident that they will roll out the first commercial services in May/June this year – in time for the 2010 World Cup. “[What] we have to do now is to submit the FAA approval to the CAA. Hopefully it's just an endorsement, it is not a long process. We have to do that now. And we hope to have the first POC in April in the air and then with May/June have the first commercialised plane there,” Van der Merwe concluded.

In-flight Internet pricing plans (http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php?t=212481) - comments and views

http://mybroadband.co.za/news/Broadband/11159.html

-----

Not too bad considering it's significantly cheaper than the average out-of-bundle rate on cellular networks, and you are most likely only going to do some browsing/emailing/MSN etc when on a plane, so you shouldn't use much bandwidth.

grjplanes

January 20th, 2010, 12:39 PM

Casablanca - Johannesburg. Using Boeing 747-400

Do you know how soon we can expect this route, still within 2010? Although I believe a 747-400 is a bit too much, rather a 767 or 757 to do 2/3 weekly flights, or even 737-800 via somewhere central Africa like Libreville like they used to. But nonstop 757 or 767 flights would be good, if connected to European and US flights in Casablanca!

kaps76

January 20th, 2010, 06:37 PM

By Vernon Wessels
(Corrects to say SA Express not a unit of South African Airways in first paragraph.)

Jan. 20 (Bloomberg) -- SA Express, the state-owned South African domestic and regional carrier, will start an airline to operate domestic flights in the Democratic Republic of Congo to meet increased demand in Africa’s second-biggest country.
SA Express will own 49 percent of the airline venture, called Congo Express and started with BizAfrika Congo, a local investment company, the Johannesburg-based carrier said in an e- mailed statement today. The airline will begin operating on Feb. 1 after four years of talks on the venture.
Congo Express will fly seven days a week between Lubumbashi and Kinshasa, the capital, and four times a week between Kinshasa and the diamond-producing center of Mbuji Mayi, it said.
“Next, we plan on growing the domestic routes to serve other airports within the Congo, followed by an extension of services beyond the borders of the Congo,” Didier Kindambu, managing director of Congo Express, said in the statement.
SA Express, which operates flights six days a week between Johannesburg and Lubumbashi, will be responsible for technical maintenance, the company said. It will continue operating flights along its routes in the country, SA Express said.

BUTEMBO21

January 20th, 2010, 06:43 PM

kaps76

January 20th, 2010, 07:52 PM

Thats a market no one can ignore. a sweet market.

That is a very good news. I want to see Congolese people to partner with international airlines. Can only wish them good luck. They have taken a step ahead to Brussel Airlines and its Korongo project. I think HBA will be announcing new routes by the end of next month or April. Let's the airline war start. I don't know how LAC will position itself in the market without any foreign investment.

BUTEMBO21

January 20th, 2010, 08:07 PM

That is a very good news. I want to see Congolese people to partner with international airlines. Can only wish them good luck. They have taken a step ahead to Brussel Airlines and its Korongo project. I think HBA will be announcing new routes by the end of next month or April. Let's the airline war start. I don't know how LAC will position itself in the market without any foreign investment.

Thats true.

LAC must come back hard , stronger, than ever before, that will only boost the competition to make things better.

Yoniii

January 21st, 2010, 11:49 AM

Thursday January 21, 2010
Ethiopian Airlines CEO Girma Wake yesterday announced that the carrier placed orders for 10 737-800s this month while achieving a long-sought objective to create a West African hub with the launch of ASKY Airlines, a Lome-based carrier operating a pair of 737s leased from ET.

First flights for the new airline on Jan. 15 were from Lome to Abidjan and Banjul (ATWOnline, Dec. 9, 2009).

The 737-800 orders are listed by Boeing as unidentified on its Orders and Deliveries website. Wake said Ethiopian, which has a fleet of 37 aircraft, now has 45 on order, including eight Q400s to begin delivering in March, five 777-200LRs to begin delivering in November, 10 787s slated to begin arriving in July 2011 and 12 A350s set to begin delivering in 2016.

Following a speech to the International Aviation Club in Washington, Wake told ATWOnline that Ethiopian has a 25% stake in ASKY, which has a diverse ownership spread among individuals and institutions in 11 African countries. Investors comprise the private multinational Ecobank and the major development banks of the region including the Economic Community of West African States, Bank for Investment and Development and West African Development Bank. He said ET has a contract to manage and operate the new airline, which he said will feed passengers into Ethiopian's network of 74 destinations, including 35 in Africa.

In a wide-ranging speech, Wake said that "African aviation is an area of very, very big opportunities" owing to a largely "untouched" base of potential passengers and growing investment in the continent from Asia, Europe and the US. But he acknowledged the region's airlines face a number of "challenges," including the high cost of operating at many African airports, underdeveloped infrastructure and "stiff competition" from non-African carriers. He noted that 70% of the traffic between Africa and the rest of the world is carried on non-African airlines.

He also criticized the EU blacklist, stating that it "is not a genuine blacklist" and is at least partially "borne out of competition," explaining, "I have seen carriers whose record is very good who were put on the blacklist [upon attempting to enter European markets]. I'm not saying all the blacklisted carriers are good. Many are not good. . .But at the same time, I don't think unilateral decisions [regarding carriers' safety] are good."

He additionally confirmed Ethiopian's interest in joining Star Alliance (ATWOnline, Dec. 10, 2009) but emphasized to this website that the airline has not been accepted into the group. In explaining his preference for Star over SkyTeam and oneworld, he noted that ET already has a codeshare relationship with Lufthansa and also works closely with Singapore Airlines and United Airlines.

by Perry Flint and Aaron Karp
http://atwonline.com/news/story.html?storyID=19114

It's time for African companies and investors to get a cake of our African market. This is very good news.

Yupes

January 22nd, 2010, 11:28 AM

Yoniii

January 24th, 2010, 07:42 PM

SEATTLE (BNS): Ten Next-Generation 737-800s, valuing $767 million at list price, is ordered to Boeing by Ethiopian Airlines. The order previously was listed on Boeing's Orders and Deliveries Web site as unidentified.

According to a Boeing press release, in 2009, Ethiopian Airlines became the first African carrier to order and operate the ultra-long-range 777-200LR model. Ethiopian also was the first African carrier to order the 787 Dreamliner, ordering 10 in 2005.

"Since its founding in December 1945, Ethiopian Airlines has been a dedicated Boeing operator -- from first flights using DC-3 propeller-driven airplanes between Addis Ababa and Cairo, to recent orders for the long haul 787s and 777-200LRs, and continuing now with 737-800s. Ethiopian Airlines has been among the most profitable airlines in the region and one of our most valued partners," said Marlin Dailey, vice president of Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes in a press release.

Ethiopian Airlines became the first African carrier to order the ultra-long-range 777-200LR model

"The Boeing Next-Generation 737 has proven to be a reliable and profitable component of our fleet," said Ethiopian Airlines Chief Executive Officer Ato Girma Wake. "Boeing has been an important and valued partner to Ethiopian for many, many years. This order reinforces the deep ties between our two companies."

Ethiopian Airlines is an all-Boeing operator. The airline operates five 737-700s and two 737-800s. Ethiopian also operates nine 757s, 10 767s and one MD-11BCF (Boeing Converted Freighter), with a second MD-11BCF arriving in August, it said.

enkelfam

January 24th, 2010, 08:06 PM

Tewodros

January 24th, 2010, 09:50 PM

Ethiopian Airlines, a state company, is doing fine but why can't other state-owned companies and ministries emulate the Airlines' success ?

The sad fact is we have a government or others say a mafia group in Ethiopia that is working against the interest of Ethiopia.

Normally a government uses the country's human,natural and other resources to get the best possible result such as food security,better education and health care for its people,but the woyane government has been doing the opposite for almost two decades:

1. instead of giving wealthy Ethiopians priority when selling land for commercial farming, which is in the best interest of the country,the government does exact the opposite.
It forbids selling land for Ethiopians,mainly because of its Killil policy ( the often quoted excuse being rich Amaras and Gurages would go to every killil and buy up the whole land ) but has sold some 3 million hectare land to foreigners,like Indians,Arabs and Chinese, for as cheap as 1 dollar per hectare. http://www.ethiopianreview.com/content/11418

An enemy regime and a puppet of the west is in power in Ethiopia since 1991 and it could stay so long in power thanks to military,financial,moral and other support it gets from USA,UK and other western countries and the military which is totally controlled by Tigres, the ruling ethnic group who make up only 5% of the Ethiopian population http://ethioforum.org/wp/archives/1077 .

Last december Africans could witness the dangerousness of this western puppet regime in Copenhagen.
http://panafricannews.blogspot.com/2009/12/western-backed-ethiopian-leader.html

2. instead of solving the food security problem, or the hunger problem, the government creates it and perpetuates it. The reason being a hungry population is easier to control than a well fed one. Keep them hungry and they will always think how to get something to eat and not how to overthrow the government.
This is really amazing.
And when the population is hungry the government can cheaply and easily recruit soldiers,police and spies to maintain its power.
Really shocking.

3. instead of working to spread the internet in Ethiopia it works against it for example by imposing exorbitant prices. For your information surfing in internet cafes is far more expensive in Ethiopia than in western countries. And as a result of this anti-progress policy of the woyane government the percentage of people with Internet access in Ethiopia is one of the lowest in Africa.
In this era of the internet and communication this anti-progress and anti-development policy of the woyane regime is causing great harm to the country and its future. Why does the woyane regime discourage the spread of the internet in Ethiopia ?
Of course again to maintain its power. The woyane regime feels threatened by the free flow of news and information, and fears opposition groups might use the internet to overthrow it. Therefore many opposition sites are blocked in Ethiopia.

And so on and so forth.

http://atwonline.com/news/story.html?storyID=19114

It's time for African companies and investors to get a cake of our African market. This is very good news.

lamrof

January 25th, 2010, 04:45 AM

Ethiopian airliner crashes after takeoff from Beirut
BEIRUT
Sun Jan 24, 2010 9:17pm EST
Related News

BEIRUT (Reuters) - An Ethiopian Airlines plane with 85 passengers on board crashed into the Mediterranean sea shortly after taking off from Beirut airport in the early hours of Monday, airport sources said. The plane disappeared off the radar shortly after takeoff, the sources said. There were no further immediate details.

lamrof

January 25th, 2010, 04:47 AM

egypt69

January 25th, 2010, 05:59 AM

Breaking News:Ethiopian airliner crashes after takeoff from Beirut

Update 1:An Ethiopian Airlines [ETHA.UL] plane with 85 passengers on board crashed into the Mediterranean sea shortly after taking off from Beirut international airport in the early hours of Monday, airport sources said. The plane, said to be a Boeing (BA.N) 737 by one source, disappeared off the radar some five minutes after takeoff.

About 50 passengers were Lebanese nationals, most of the others were Ethiopians, the sources said. There were thought to be seven crew members.

The plane took off shortly after its scheduled time of 3:10 a.m. (0010 GMT), flying south-west, the sources said.

Ethiopian Airlines' website shows it has a flight from Beirut to the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa around that time, operating a Boeing 737. The airline could not immediately be reached for comment.

According to one source, residents on the coast saw a plane on fire crashing.

Senior Lebanese officials headed to Rafik Hariri International Airport after news of the crash. The plane had flown in from Addis Ababa earlier in the night, the sources said.

Flight safety records indicate that there has not been a crash involving Beirut International Airport since 1987.

CNN) -- An Ethiopian airliner with 92 people on board disappeared from radar and is believed to have crashed shortly after takeoff from Beirut, Lebanon, early Monday, Lebanon's National News Agency reported.

The Boeing aircraft was en route to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, when it disappeared from radar 30 minutes after takeoff from Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut, NNA reported. The plane is believed to have been over water at the time of its disappearance, the news agency said.

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/01/24/ethiopian.airliner.crash/index.html

An Ethiopian Airlines passenger plane has crashed into the Mediterranean Sea shortly after taking off from Beirut airport in Lebanon.

Lebanese aviation sources said the plane was heading for the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa and had 85 passengers on board.

Reuters news agency quotes airport sources as saying that about 50 of the passengers were Lebanese nationals.

The majority of the remaining passengers were Ethiopian, they add.

Thousands of Ethiopians are employed as domestic helpers in Lebanon.

The plane, believed to be a Boeing 737, reportedly disappeared from radar screens some five minutes after take-off in stormy weather.

The plane is said to have left Beirut shortly after its scheduled departure time of 0310 local time.

Residents who live near the coast are reported to have witnessed a plane on fire crashing into the sea.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/8478060.stm

Very, very tragic :( R.I.P to all the victims.

I beleive Ethiopian operates the Boeing 737-800 to Beirut. It is pretty new, and is a very popular aircraft, and has impressive safety features, strange that it crashed.

bayviews

January 25th, 2010, 07:50 AM

Yes, this is a very sad tragedy.

EAL has a long history & a very good saftey record.

Condolences go out to all the Ethiopians, Lebenese & others affected by this tragedy

Nadini

January 25th, 2010, 07:51 AM

7:15am Wife of French ambassador to Lebanon among missing passengers.

Xusein

January 25th, 2010, 08:01 AM

RIP to the victims if deaths are confirmed. Sad how much tragedies happen...

abesha

January 25th, 2010, 08:29 AM

So tragic! How horrible to wake up to this news. Several of my high school friends are flight attendants at ET. I hope to God they were not in that plane :(

Carver02

January 25th, 2010, 08:30 AM

RIP to any victims.

This is such sad news. :(

Tewodros

January 25th, 2010, 09:21 AM

This appears a terrorist attack, if so would be interesting to know who did it.
We have to know that Ethiopian Airlines is a good source of income (foreign currency) for the ruling western puppet ethno-fascist regime of Meles Zenawi,which many call the worst regime in African history.
Not surprising that it was installed by the USA and still kept in power thanks to support from the west.

which one is more damaging to the airline,

aircraft problem
pilot error
terrorist attack
hijackers

BUTEMBO21

January 25th, 2010, 10:59 AM

RIP.

mkenya

January 25th, 2010, 11:22 AM

Initial indications are of a lightening strike in the bad weather-aircraft are regurlarly hit by lightining but are rarely brought down.

Yoniii

January 25th, 2010, 12:50 PM

This appears a terrorist attack, if so would be interesting to know who did it.
Source? All I've heard is lightning..

enkelfam

January 25th, 2010, 01:00 PM

Source? All I've heard is lightning..

You can't really expect him to provide you with proof, do you? Think of Pat Robinson after Haiti earthquake, its kind of like that, use a tragedy to put forth your personal agenda.

egypt69

January 25th, 2010, 04:33 PM

Initial indications are of a lightening strike in the bad weather-aircraft are regurlarly hit by lightining but are rarely brought down.

Thats pretty strange. Lightning isnt so much of a factor nowadays for modern aircraft like this one, it would be very odd.

Pilots in such aircraft are usually aware of circuits of dense lightning, and they should be avoidable. The Boeing 737-800 is equipped with Multiscan Hazard Detection System configuration, Head-up Guidance System.

They would have known if there was lightning in the area.

Anyways heres and update:

Bodies found from Ethiopian Airlines crash

Beirut, Lebanon (CNN) -- British, French and Cypriot aircraft joined rescue crews searching the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Lebanon on Monday where an Ethiopian Airlines flight crashed with 90 people aboard.

By midday Monday, crews had found 23 bodies, but no survivors, the state-run Lebanese National News Agency reported.

Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced a day of mourning for the victims of the crash, ordering all government departments to close, the agency reported. He praised security forces and the Red Cross for their efforts in the aftermath of the accident.

Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409 left Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut about 2:30 a.m. and was headed to the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

It disappeared from radar a few minutes after takeoff, said Ghazi El Aridi, Lebanon's minister of public works and transportation.

Authorities did not immediately know the cause of the crash.

"We don't believe that there is any indication for sabotage or foul play," Lebanese President Michel Sulayman said.

The airline said a 14-member team of investigators was at the scene of the accident.

"We want to figure out the reasons behind this plane crash and we will be very transparent in informing everyone of what happened," Hariri said.

The Boeing 737-800 had seven crew members and 82 passengers -- 51 Lebanese nationals, 23 Ethiopians, two Britons and citizens from Iraq, Turkey, Syria, Canada, Russia and France, the airline said.

An earlier tally provided by the Lebanese government varied slightly.

Among the passengers was the wife of the French ambassador to Lebanon, said Anne Charlotte of the French embassy.

The plane crashed about 3.5 km (2.1 miles) west of the town of Na'ameh. Na'ameh is 15 km (9 miles) south of Beirut.

As worried family members gathered at the Beirut airport for news, the army and the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon continued to scour the crash site for survivors.

"We hope that we will be able to rescue as many survivors, but the weather conditions are very bad," Sulayman said.

Government-owned Ethiopian Airlines is one of the largest in Africa.

Unlike several African carriers that are not allowed in European air space because of shoddy safety records, Ethiopian Airlines serves Europe. It serves three other continents as well, for a total of 56 destinations.

The airline has such a commendable safety record that some expanding airlines in Asia have lured away its pilots at high pay, The New York Times reported in 2006.

The airline has experienced two fatal crashes since 1980.

In November 1996, a flight bound for Ivory Coast, also known as Cote D'Ivoire, was hijacked by three men who demanded that the pilot fly to Australia. The pilot attempted an emergency landing near the Comoros Islands off Africa as the plane ran out of fuel, but crashed. About 130 of the 172 people aboard died, according to published reports.

And in September 1988, a flight struck a flock of birds during takeoff. During the crash landing that followed, 31 people of the 105 people aboard died.

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/01/25/ethiopian.airliner.crash/index.html

Tragic :(

cyberManHere

January 25th, 2010, 04:44 PM

Beirut: 90 feared dead as Ethiopian Airlines plane crashes into Mediterranean
Debris of an Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed in the Mediterranean Sea near Beirut Photo: EPA
Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409 was just minutes into its journey to Addis Ababa when the Boeing 737-800 plunged into the sea in what witnesses described as a "ball of fire".
At least 23 bodies have been recovered so far and there have been no reports of survivors.

Related Articles

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01565/beirut_1565341c.jpghttp://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01565/plane-crash_1565483c.jpg

According to Lebanese officials, the aircraft disappeared from radar screens five minutes after taking off from Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport during a thunder storm and heavy rain.
Shortly after 2.40am local time (0040 GMT), it crashed into the sea two miles west of the coastal village of Na'ameh, Ghazi Aridi, Lebanon's transport minister, said at the airport. Na'ameh lies six miles south of Beirut.

Emergency crews were ordered to begin what the minister described as a "search and rescue" operation", terminology which signalled that the Lebanese authorities have not yet abandoned hopes of finding survivors.

President Michel Suleiman said terrorism was not suspected in the crash. "Sabotage is ruled out as of now," he said.

Saad Hariri, Lebanon's prime minister, declared Monday a national day of mourning. After arriving at the airport to offer comfort to the relatives of those on board the flight, he said: "We are working with all the power we have to try and find missing people from this tragedy.

"We are working to find the black box that will tell us what really happened on the plane."

Lebanese army patrol boats were seen scouring the waters around the crash site. Helicopters from nearby Cyprus were also heading towards the scene, while British soldiers stationed on the island were ordered to remain on standby to assist if required. The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, UNAFIL, also sent helicopters to the crash site.

An investigation into the cause of the crash has been launched. Officials declined to say whether or not fierce winds and driving rain that lashed the Levantine coast overnight could have been a factor.

Of the 83 passengers and seven crew on board the stricken aircraft, 54 were Lebanese nationals and 22 were Ethiopians. Two passengers carried British passports, while Canadian, French, Russian, Iraqi and Syrian nationals were also listed on the passenger manifest.

In London, the Foreign Office said a British national and a British dual national were on board. A spokesman said their identities would not be released until their next of kin were informed.

Distressed family members of the Lebanese passengers on board gathered in a cordoned off area of Rafik Hariri airport to await news.

One woman was sobbing and screaming "Why, why?" as other anguished relatives fainted and had to be carried out of the airport lounge by Red Cross volunteers.

Another woman said she had lost all hope of finding her husband. "He's my life. They won't find him, I know it, they won't find him," she wailed as her mother hugged her.

In Addis Ababa, Girma Wake, the CEO of Ethiopia's national airline, which operates one of Africa's largest commercial passenger fleets, said the aircraft had last been serviced on Christmas Day and had passed its inspection.

In a continent with a reputation for lax aviation standards, Ethiopian Airlines is widely respected for its professionalism and attention to safety.

Operating a fleet dominated by Boeing and with ambitious plans to expand into the Asian market, the company's aircraft are on average newer than most of its US and European competitors.

Until Monday, the airline had not been involved in a major crash since November 1996, when a Nairobi-bound passenger jet was commandeered by hijackers in one of the most bizarre incidents in aviation history.

Claiming to have a bomb on board, the intoxicated hijackers demanded to be flown to Australia, ignoring the pleas of the captain that the aircraft did not have sufficient fuel for so long a journey.

Forced to fly out into the Indian Ocean, the captain secretly directed the aircraft to the Comoros islands and, once it had run out of fuel, attempted an emergency landing on the water close to a beach packed with tourists.

All but 50 of the 175 people on board were killed when the aircraft struck an unseen coral reef. Many passengers died because they had inflated their life jackets before leaving the aircraft and became trapped in the flooded ca

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/lebanon/7071260/Beirut-90-feared-dead-as-Ethiopian-Airlines-plane-crashes-into-Mediterranean.html

Yoniii

January 26th, 2010, 04:01 AM

You can't really expect him to provide you with proof, do you? Think of Pat Robinson after Haiti earthquake, its kind of like that, use a tragedy to put forth your personal agenda.
:lol: No, but I am curious to see what the answer will be.. :D

abesha

January 26th, 2010, 11:08 AM

You are not going to believe this :ohno:

Man dies on flight from Ethiopia, body taken off board at IGI

New Delhi A tanzanian national on a flight from Addis Ababa to Beijing died on Saturday on board the Ethiopian Airways, which had a stopover at IGI Airport here.
Since Musak Suleman Amir, 36, did not have an Indian visa, his body was kept at the airside for over three hours till the Tanzanian Embassy was contacted to verify his details.

According to airport officials, Amir complained of feeling uneasy two hours after the flight took off from the Ethiopian capital — he reportedly collapsed inside the airborne-plane.

The Ethiopian Airways flight (ET 604) had a stopover at Delhi, and Amir’s body was be de-boarded at IGI Airport. Airport sources said he was declared dead by doctors after arrival at the city airport around 4.30 pm, and the police followed the standard operating procedure of informing the concerned embassy.

Amir’s body is now awaiting postmortem at Safdurjung Hospital, and further formalities would be performed only once the relatives get in touch with the airport authorities in India, a senior official said.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGI Airport) O P Mishra confirmed the incident. “The deceased person’s body has been preserved at the Safdurjung Hospital mortuary,” he said. “The concerned embassy has been able to contact his relatives, who are trying to get here.”

DCP Mishra said postmortem and other formalities would be done only after someone claims the body.

Unwilling to comment whether it was a case of natural death, DCP Mishra said the cause of death would be known only after the postmortem is conducted.
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/man-dies-on-flight-from-ethiopia-body-taken-off-board-at-igi/571691/

What horrible luck!

cyberManHere

January 26th, 2010, 06:51 PM

What caused the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Jet? an aviation expert weighs in

http://www.ethiotube.net/video/7606/What-caused-the-crash-of-Ethiopian-Airlines-Jet-an-aviation-expert-weighs-in

BUTEMBO21

January 26th, 2010, 11:11 PM

lamrof

January 27th, 2010, 04:18 AM

which one is more damaging to the airline,

aircraft problem
pilot error
terrorist attack
hijackers

There is only speculation. One thing is certain because I just saw a video, there was an explosion of some sort on the plane while it was in the air. ET has impeccable, world class safety record.
2 crashes so far one caused by hijackers the other due to a flock of birds during a local flight take-off. ET doesn't get into accidents unless there is some foul play or a hand of God.

lamrof

January 27th, 2010, 06:45 AM

According to the World Wide Lightning Location Network out of the University of Washington, data showed severe lightning in the Lebanon area within the time of the crash.

"A significant bolt was detected at 2:37 a.m., local time, 10 miles South of the Beirut Airport and 2.5 miles west of the coastal town of Na'ameh," said AccuWeather.com Expert Senior Meteorologist Henry Margusity.

The detected bolt was in line with the runway, and occurred shortly after the plane left Beirut at 2:30 a.m.

It appears that this bolt was directly in the flight path of the plane, which was headed to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

"Eight WWLLN sensors detected this particular stroke, which indicates the stroke was stronger than average," said Professor Robert Holzworth, Director of the World Wide Lightning Location Network.

A relative of one of the passengers commented that the plane should have been delayed at take off due to bad weather.

"They should have delayed the flight for an hour or two to protect the passengers. There had been strong lightning bolts and we hear that lightning strikes planes especially during take offs."

Commercial jets are equipped with special lightning protection, including aircraft skins made of electricity-conducive aluminum, Fuel tanks and any piping carrying fuel are also protected by a skin that is thick enough to withstand sparking.

According to the Scientific American, it is estimated that each airplane in the U.S. commercial fleet is stuck by lightning more than once each year.

Violent cumulonimbus, or thunder, clouds can lead to the destruction of even the biggest aircraft. Airliners fly around them, guided by their own weather radar and sometimes by ground controllers as well.

BUTEMBO21

January 27th, 2010, 07:53 AM

More than one half-hundred of Lebanese of the DRC killed in the crash of the plane of Ethiopian Airlines little after takeoff in Beirut
Kinshasa, 1/26/2010 / World
Lebanese community of Kinshasa struck of a deep mourning following the crash of a plane of Ethiopian Airlines off Beirut from which had just taken off the plane with 90 passengers on board, all killed and among which there was some 54 Lebanese established in DRC

The Lebanese of Kinshasa died in the crash of the plane of Ethiopian Airlines to the wide Lebanon. According to the sources, the majority, of 54 Lebanese killed, living in Kinshasa. A Boeing 737 of Ethiopian Airlines with 90 people on board was damaged to Lebanon, Monday January 25 at about 2 hours, local time little after its takeoff from Beirut. Probably, the bad weather conditions would be at the base of this catastrophe.

The terrorist track is vigorously isolated by the authorities of this country "the weather conditions are terrible, but the efforts of the helps are always in hand" This weather was also recorded at the time of the takeoff of this plane. The Lebanese Minister of Transport specified that "flight 409 of Ethiopian Airlines had lost the contact with the tower of control of the airport of Beirut little after takeoff whereas it was with a score of kilometres in the south of the airport, and 5 kilometres of the coasts. The Lebanese president indicated that the authorities drew aside "any act of sabotage".

The assessment established by Ethiopian Minister of Transport gives a report on 54 Lebanese, 22 Ethiopian, and an Iraqi, a Frenchwoman, a Syrian, 2 Libano-British, a Libano-Canadian, a Libano-Russian and 7 members of crew which were on board. According to a person in charge of the airport speaking under cover of anonymity, "a ball of fire was seen at the time of the accident", the wife of the ambassador of France in Lebanon was also on board of the same plane. In Kinshasa, a religious office will be organized to the Mosque of the Large Prophet this Tuesday January 26, the majority of the stores of the Avenue du Commerce and elsewhere observe mourning and remain closed.

mwanamwiwa

January 30th, 2010, 12:29 AM

New low-cost airline set to begin flights

http://www.onejetone.com/images/main.jpg

By NATION Correspondent
Posted Friday, January 29 2010 at 19:30

Local airline OneJetOne is set to take to the skies in August, anchoring itself as a low cost outfit in Kenya.

The airline is to begin its operations to Kisumu and Mombasa in what is expected to stir the domestic air fare competitions.

According to managing director, Mr Arjun Ruzaik, the firm will charge passengers based on revenue and yield management.

“Why should a person flying minus luggage pay the same as another with over 20 kilogrammes of luggage? Our model will be based on ensuring that you only pay for what you need the seat for and the extras depending on what you carry,” Mr Ruzaik told the Nation in an interview.

The firm had postponed its inaugural flights in the past year at least twice, citing delays in the delivery of its aircraft.

However, this was pushed to March this year and now said to be in August.

The new date Mr Ruzaik said, was occasioned by the licensing procedures that have taken long. The certification process is being conducted by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority and is nearly complete.

Amendments

“We are 90 per cent done with the process, what remains are amendments that we are working on. The last stage will require a demonstration to the authorities when we make the deliveries of the aircraft,” he said

The airline is currently in discussion with three leasing companies for its preferred aircraft A320-200.

The flight will have a seat capacity of 150, which might be too ambitious for domestic routes.

With the backing of Chinese investors bringing in Sh3.2 billion into the business, the firm is expressing optimism as a carrier in the Kenyan skies. A commercial bank, Southern Credit has also granted them Sh128 million for the business operations.

Last year the company ran into turbulence over a tender awarded to it by the Kenya Airports Authority for use of the Embakasi Terminal.

http://www.onejetone.com/

Kenguy

January 30th, 2010, 08:19 PM

^^
I thought fly540 was Kenya's first budget airline.

desert burner

February 1st, 2010, 07:50 AM

^^
I thought fly540 was Kenya's first budget airline.

^^yep, i posted this information in the Kenyan forum:) the difference onejet will be focusing more on international competing with kQ :cheers:

desert burner

February 1st, 2010, 07:52 AM

Direct flights to Somaliland launched

http://www.nation.co.ke/image/view/-/853196/highRes/132416/-/maxw/600/-/oucj30z/-/PIX1.jpg Official from the Kenya Airport Authority moves dancers way from the runway after an East African Safari Air Express lands at the Kisumu Airport. The airline has launched direct flights to Somaliland. PHOTO/ JAMES NJUGUNA
By NATION CorrespondentPosted Sunday, January 31 2010 at 20:00

Travelling to Somaliland is now easier with the launch of direct flights to the city of Hargeisa in the country by East African Safari Air Express.

This follows the signing of a bilateral trade agreement between the airline and the Government of Somaliland last year.

However, no bilateral agreements have been put in place between the Kenyan government and the country

The firm will be operating scheduled flights twice a week, on Tuesday and Saturday’s.

Mr Hussein Ali Duale, minister of Finance of Somaliland, said this is bound to open the country to trade from the East African Community.

The two-hour flight from JKIA cuts down on a tedious 12-hour journey of connecting flights.

http://www.nation.co.ke/business/news/-/1006/853194/-/hdcjivz/-/index.html

Xusein

February 2nd, 2010, 10:47 PM

^^ Great news. :applause: :cheer:

grjplanes

February 3rd, 2010, 03:44 PM

Have Congo Express started this week as planned?

mwanamwiwa

February 4th, 2010, 05:46 AM

KQ customers to use M-PESA to buy tickets

http://www.kentv.net/09/images/stories/mpesa.jpg

Thursday, December 3, 2009…

Kenya Airways has partnered with telecoms operator Safaricom to offer its money transfer service M-PESA as a ticket payment solution for its customers.

The M-PESA service will be used on both Kenya Airways call-centers and website; www.kenya-airways.com for both regional and domestic flights.

This is in line with Kenya Airways strategy of offering a warm, caring and friendly service in a uniquely African way that supports our leadership position as “The Pride of Africa”

“A customer will now be able to pay for all domestic and some regional flights by M-PESA by simply dialing the Kenya Airways call-centre or by logging onto www.kenya-airways.com,” said Kenya Airways Commercial Director.

This is a convenient service at no extra charge, offering convenience and ease of payment to our valued customers. “It can be used to book flights while in Nairobi, Kisumu, Mombasa, Entebbe, Dar es Salaam, Kigali and Bujumbura.

Safaricom CEO Michael Joseph welcomed the partnership with Kenya Airways, saying it would offer customers a convenient and dependable way of paying for their local and regional international flights. The service also fits in with Safaricom’s strategy of increasing data usage and application for customer convenience as it diversifies its revenue base and evolves into a total telecoms operator.

“This partnership is a great development for us as we move M-PESA from merely being a money transfer service into facilitating e-commerce. With this new service, customers will now be able to pay for their flights from wherever they are in a secure, convenient and fast manner,” said Mr. Joseph.

Following the partnership, KQ joins a growing number of organizations that are already using M-PESA’s PayBill option to receive payments.

A Kenyan registered M-PESA user who is buying a ticket of less or equal to Ksh35,000 inclusive of all taxes or changing a reservation of less than or equal to the same amount will be able to use this service.

When customers call to make a reservation which costs less than or equal to Kshs. 35,000 inclusive of all taxes, they are given the M-PESA payment option. If they agree to this payment method, customers will be given the booking reference number, ticket value in Kenya shillings inclusive of taxes and the business number via SMS.

A customer will then use this booking reference number to make payment through M-PESA using the business number 777777 and thereafter gets a KQ confirmation receipt of payment in the Web Portal provided by Safaricom.

KQ then sends SMS with a valid ticket number and an e-ticket is sent.

In the case of a Website, a customer logs onto www.kenya-airways.com; buys a ticket that is less than or equal to Kshs. 35,000 inclusive of taxes; then uses the booking reference number to make payment through MPESA.

KQ confirms receipt of payment in the Web Portal provided by Safaricom and sends both SMS and email with e-ticket to the customer.

The transaction time limit is at least 10 minutes. The refunds and reversals will be made to the number that sends the funds to Kenya Airways.

Notes to the Editor

About M-PESA

Safaricom’s M-PESA service was launched in partnership with Vodafone in March 2007. It is the first commercial mobile money transfer system anywhere in the world. Designed to answer to the needs of the unbanked and people outside the formal financial system, this trailblazing innovation has had phenomenal success, to global acclaim.

According to the latest figures, M-PESA serves a growing clientele of over seven million subscribers through an agency network estimated at over 12,000. It has handled over Kshs230 billion in person-to-person transfers since launch, while the monthly cash flow has reached Kshs20 billion.

kaps76

February 4th, 2010, 06:44 AM

Have Congo Express started this week as planned?

Yes, they have indeed started their flight as of this Monday.

BUTEMBO21

February 4th, 2010, 06:57 AM

Yes, they have indeed started their flight as of this Monday.

Good job.:cheers:

Now LAC must reconquer her space.

hereI'm

February 6th, 2010, 10:54 AM

Ethiopian to Fly Daily to Washington D.C.

http://www.dcabesha.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/ethiopian-air-full.jpghttp://www.theloweroad.com/storage/ethio787.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1260204510825

EthiopianAddis Ababa, February 4, 2010 - Ethiopian Airlines is increasing flights to Washington D.C. to once a day beginning this June 2010, reports ENA. This is up from four times weekly flights between Addis Ababa and Dulles Airport in Washington DC.

Morning departures will be every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from Washington Dulles evening departures on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.

The Washington, D.C. hub currently offers four weekly departures on Ethiopian Airlines to Addis Ababa. From there, passengers can connect to 35 African destinations – more than any other airline.

Source: ENA

egypt69

February 7th, 2010, 08:51 PM

^^

Fantastic!! The B787 of Ethiopian looks beautiful, and daily to Washington DC, will be great for the airline.

RwandAir launched service from Kigali to Johannesburg (four-times-weekly) and Dar Es Salaam via Bujumbura (thrice-weekly). The airline said it expects to acquire one 767 and one 737-800 next month.

http://www.atwonline.com/news/other.html?issueDate=2%2F5%2F2010

EgyptAir Boeing 777-300ER, nearly completed in Boeing's Paine Field, Seattle:

4rZ_dGmn49M&feature=player_embedded

These aircraft cover long haul routes, and EgyptAir have ordered 6 of them.

EgyptAir's B777-300ERs will have PTV (Personal Televisions) in ALL classes, as well as a brand new business class with lie flat seats.

The first two routes planned for the aircraft are London and Tokyo, but obviously EgyptAir will use them on more routes as more of the 6 aircraft ordered arrive.

preme3000

February 22nd, 2010, 03:04 PM

RwandAir staff to DRC for feasibility study

By Saul Butera
Rwanda’s national carrier, RwandAir is set to send a team of experts to Democratic Republic of Congo next week for a feasibility study, RwandAir’s Corporate and Communication Manager, Michael Otieno revealed to Business Times yesterday in a phone interview.

He explained that the feasibility study will pave-way for the national carrier’s plans of opening up an office in DR Congo’s capital city Kinshasa soon.

The development follows days after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two countries of Rwanda and DR Congo.

“The team will be carrying out a study on where we will be setting-up our offices, issues concerning ground handling at the Kinshasa airport and booking offices in Kinshasa,” Otieno added.

In the MoU signed between the two neighbouring countries Rwanda will resume direct flights to Kinshasa.

Aviation cooperation between Rwanda and DRC had been halted by the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi.

Otieno also explained that RwandAir’s team will also be looking at the carrier’s technical operation before operations in the country begins.

He also added that the national carrier is looking forward to reaching an agreement with their DRC counterparts on issues regarding Fuel contract once the flights between the two countries resume.

Substantial economic and political benefits for the two nations are expected to increase tremendously after the signing of the agreement and once the flights between Kigali and Kinshasa begin.

“We will also reach an agreement on how many flights their (DR Congo) national carrier will be making in the country and the number of flights we will be making in a week,’ Otieno explained.

Otieno believes the national carrier will start with three flights a week.

“With our current fleet we can always start with three flights in a week and they will increase as the carrier acquires more aircrafts,” He explained.

After the acquiring their two Bombardier CRJ-200 aircrafts, the national carrier is expecting to acquire the 767 and 737-800 Boeing fleet in March.

The two boeing fleet will help the carrier to conduct direct flights to South African during the World Cup period.

Ends

Matthias Offodile

March 4th, 2010, 12:16 PM

Air Austral: La Reunion carrier orders two A380s with record 840 passenger capacity.

Byline: Nadia Saleem

Air Austral is an airline based in St Denis, Réunion. It operates scheduled and non-scheduled services from Réunion. Its main base is Roland Garros Airport, St Denis. , the La Reunion-based airline, yesterday confirmed an order for two A380s at a list price of $1 billion (Dh3.67 billion).

The all-economy configuration for the two superjumbos will be at a record 840 seats, the highest capacity for passengers on a commercial aircraft. The standard three-class layout of the aircraft seats 525 passengers.

Scheduled for delivery in 2014, the European manufacturer's superjumbo will service the Paris and Saint Denis, La Runion route.

An engine deal of $240 million for the two aircraft was signed earlier at the 2009 Paris Airshow with Engine Alliance, a joint venture between General Electric and Pratt & Whitney.

The ten-year fleet management agreement includes eight GP7200 engines as well as maintenance, repair and overhaul Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul or MRO is a multi-billion dollar industry which works on international authorization rules to deliver a safe airline operation and to assure reliability and availability of customer fleets. .

In addition to Air Austral, the GP7200 has been signed to power A380 aircraft for Emirates, Etihad Airways, Air France, Kor-ean Airlines and the International Lease Finance Corp.

The high-density configuration will result in the lowest fuel cost per passenger, the European manufacturer of the superjumbo Airbus said.

Grard Ethave, president of Air Austral, said that he is convinced of the traffic demands on the route to Paris, especially with their low-cost model.

It currently has nine weekly flights to Paris from its base in Le Reunion, an island in the Indian Ocean. The airline is also in talks with authorities to fly to the French Caribbean islands.

John Leahy, the chief operating officer Chief Operating Officer (COO)

The officer of a firm responsible for day-to-day management, usually the president or an executive vice-president. of Airbus, said that the production of the superjumbo is currently one aircraft per month, and the expected ramp-up will stabilise at two aircraft every month and then move up to three.

"Production problems are relatively minor. The delays are at a few weeks or a month or so at the most," he said.

Currently, 20 A380s are in service with four airlines, while orders for the aircraft stand at 202 from 17 carriers.

orders

nepal deal signed

Airbus has signed an agreement with Nepal Airlines for an A320 at a list price of $77 million (Dh282.59 million) and an A330, with a list price of $181 million, at the Dubai Air Show. Deliveries are scheduled for 2011.

The new aircraft will be deployed on international services to Japan and will for the first time connect Nepal to Europe with direct flights. The dual-class A320 will be deployed on regional routes and operate as far as the Middle East as well as to South East Asia, the company said in the a statement.

u N.S.

Al Nisr Publishing Al Nisr Publishing is a company based in Dubai, UAE. The company is a part of Al Tayer Group. It was established in 1985 by Obaid Humaid Al Tayer, Abdullah Al Rostamani and Juma Al Majid. It employs 1,050 people and has branches in Manilla, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. LLC (Logical Link Control) See "LANs" under data link protocol.
LLC - Logical Link Control 2009. All rights reserved.

Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company

Jember

March 5th, 2010, 11:45 AM

Been a long time since someone (usually Greg) posted the airport traffic data for Africa. Did ACI stop publishing the stats?

Lydon

March 10th, 2010, 04:10 PM

http://www.anna.aero/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/fnb-world-cup.jpg

Less than 100 days to go: Football fever in Jo’Burg – the South African air travel market is 50% bigger than any other African market, although three of the top 10 country markets have grown by 20% since last March: Morocco (+26.7%), Ethiopia (+22.7%) and Tunisia (+21.8%).

With the recent end of the winter Olympics in Vanocuver, the world’s sporting spotlight will gradually shift towards Africa and the FIFA World Cup which takes place in South Africa during June and July. Airlines have already announced a number of capacity and/or frequency increases to cater for the movement of spectators, fans and the media to and from events.

Analysis of current schedule data confirms that the South African air travel market is 50% bigger than any other in Africa, as measured by weekly seat capacity offered from the country’s airports. Five of the next seven busiest nations for air travel are those along the North African coast facing Europe. Within central Africa the largest markets are Nigeria and Kenya followed by Ethiopia and Sudan.

http://www.anna.aero/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/CHT-Africa-top-10-countries.png
Source: OAG Max Online for w/c 1 March 2010 and w/c 2 March 2009

According to data supplied by the airlines to OAG three of the top 10 country markets have grown by 20% since last March, lead by Morocco (+26.7%), Ethiopia (+22.7%) and Tunisia (+21.8%). Just outside the top 10 are Tanzania, Angola and Ghana. Ghana’s capital Accra will soon be welcoming new international services from Virgin Atlantic to London Heathrow and United Airlines to Washington.

SAA and Egyptair top; British Airways ranks sixth

Given the size of the country markets it will come as no surprise that the list of leading airlines operating from African airports is led by SAA and Egyptair. The strong position of British Airways is explained by its franchise arrangement with Comair in South Africa. On the other hand Air France’s top 10 ranking is purely down to flights from France, mainly to North Africa.

http://www.anna.aero/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/CHT-Africa-top-10-airlines.png
Source: OAG Max Online for w/c 1 March 2010 and w/c 2 March 2009

The fastest growing of the top 10 airlines is clearly Arik Air of Nigeria. Its scheduled capacity has surged by over 50% as it develops domestic, regional services and longer-haul services such as direct flights to London Heathrow. Emirates’ top 10 ranking comes from serving 16 African destinations non-stop from its Dubai hub, plus Abidjan (Ivory Coast) and Entebbe (Uganda) via Accra and Addis Ababa respectively. This week it announced that Dakar in Senegal would become the airline’s 19th African destination from the beginning of September.

Three South African airports in top eight

Analysis of schedule data by airport highlights once more the importance of South Africa as Johannesburg (first), Cape Town (fourth) and Durban (eighth) all figure prominently. The other seven top 10 airports are in seven different countries.

http://www.anna.aero/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/CHT-Africa-top-10-airports.png
Source: OAG Max Online for w/c 1 March 2010 and w/c 2 March 2009

Among the top 10 airports Addis Ababa appears to be the fastest growing with year-on-year capacity up by 30%, driven by the growth of Ethiopian Airlines. According to OAG there are 320 airports in the whole of Africa with scheduled commercial services.

-----

http://www.anna.aero/2010/03/09/african-air-travel-dominated-by-south-africa-and-egypt-their-national-carriers-and-their-biggest-airports/

Mister79

March 10th, 2010, 04:33 PM

Not so grazy. You can only travel to South Africa by plane.
A lot of Moroccans and European tourists from Europe go with the car and then with the boat to Morocco etc.

:)

Lydon

March 10th, 2010, 04:56 PM

^^

:lol:

Kenguy

March 10th, 2010, 06:16 PM

BUTEMBO21

March 10th, 2010, 06:56 PM

Kenya Airways en perte de vitesse à Kisangani.
Kinshasa, 09/03/2010 / Economie
L’information est livrée à radiookapi.net par l’administrateur gérant de l’agence de voyage Safari African Business Compagny, SABC, l’un des partenaires de Kenya Airways en Province Orientale.

Quatre mois après le lancement de son trafic aérien à partir de l’aéroport international de Bangboka à Kisangani, la société Kenya Airways est en difficulté. Des trois vols hebdomadaires vers l’Asie au début, la fréquence de la desserte est actuellement de deux vols hypothétiques hebdomadaires.

L’information est livrée à radiookapi.net par l’administrateur gérant de l’agence de voyage Safari African Business Compagny, SABC, l’un des partenaires de Kenya Airways en Province Orientale.

La réduction des fréquences des vols de Kenya Airways serait consécutive à la diminution du nombre des passagers, selon le gérant de la SABC. Willy Likunde affirme que les clients de cette compagnie affichent de plus en plus une préférence pour le transport par route jusqu’à Kampala, en Ouganda.

De là, ils s’envolent vers les pays asiatiques pour leurs transactions commerciales. Ce détour coûte moins cher qu’un vol pris directement à partir de Kisangani, affirment quelques commerçants.

Le président de la Fédération des entreprises du Congo, FEC/Kisangani estime plutôt que les passagers congolais fuient les tracasseries administratives de l’immigration et de la douane à l’aéroport international de Bangboka.

Pour éviter que Kenya Airways n’arrête définitivement son trafic international à partir de Kisangani, la SABC envisage de négocier des vols cargo avec affrètement dans le chef-lieu de la Province Orientale. Willy Likunde affirme que cette solution offrirait des prix alléchants aux commerçants et les inciterait à revenir vers Kenya Airways.

Kenya Airways slowing in Kisangani
Kinshasa, 09/03/2010 / Economy
Information is delivered to radiookapi.net by the managing director of travel agency Business African Safari Company, SABC, a partner of Kenya Airways in Province Orientale.

Four months after the launch of its traffic from the international airport in Kisangani Bangboka, society Kenya Airways is struggling. Three weekly flights to Asia at the beginning, the frequency of the service is currently hypothetical two flights weekly.

Information is delivered to radiookapi.net by the managing director of travel agency Business African Safari Company, SABC, a partner of Kenya Airways in Province Orientale.

Reduced frequency of Kenya Airways flights would follow the fall in passenger numbers, as the manager of the SABC. Willy Likunde says that customers of this company are showing a growing preference for transport by road to Kampala, Uganda.

From there they fly to Asian countries for their commercial transactions. This detour is cheaper than a flight taken directly from Kisangani, some traders say.

The President of the Federation des Entreprises du Congo, FEC / Kisangani estimated rather than passengers fleeing Congolese red tape of the immigration and customs at the international airport Bangboka.

To ensure that Kenya Airways finalizing its international traffic from Kisangani, the SABC plans to negotiate with charter cargo flights in the capital of the Eastern Province. Willy Likunde says that this solution would offer attractive prices to retailers and encourage them to return to Kenya Airways.

http://www.digitalcongo.net/article/65176

BUTEMBO21

March 10th, 2010, 07:02 PM

^^
Slowly joining the big league.:)

They will struggle , Congo has more than 10 airlines that can make those flights.

Even they are struggling because of highways that are being built.

egypt69

March 10th, 2010, 08:05 PM

Nice thread .. Lydon, within the coming hours I expect forumers from all other African countries coming and insisting their airline, airports etc, are bigger and better, cant you just see it happening :tongue2:

Anyawys, been talking to friends of mine in EgyptAir.. they say theres LOTS of demand especially for the world cup. Frankfurt-Cairo-Johannesburg and London-Cairo-Johannesburg bookings are soaring in EgyptAir this summer. Also passengers from the States and Asia, are stopping in Cairo enroute to Johannesburg. I believe EgyptAir is expanding their service to Jo'burg this summer. They already use the A330, so I think they'll be increasing frequency.

In my phase of depression after not qualifying fro the World Cup :P I pretended as if I was going, so I did a flight search. I found that EgyptAir actually has the lowest fares to Jo'burg from Europe and N. America, and they are offering a FREE tour around Cairo in the transit hours you spend there between flights. Maybe thats why its popular.

Btw is this thread for discussing SAA and EgyptAir developments??

I find it amazing how SAA has such a large market share of the continet, even though its the most remotely located!!

Lydon

March 10th, 2010, 08:07 PM

Nice thread .. Lydon, within the coming hours I expect forumers from all other African countries coming and insisting their airline, airports etc, are bigger and better, cant you just see it happening :tongue2:

Yep :D

I love how proximity to Europe supposedly means nothing when it comes to the internet, but suddenly when it comes to air travel boats and everything come into the equation :banana:

If that's the case why is Egypt up there?

CasaMor

March 10th, 2010, 08:09 PM

Not so grazy. You can only travel to South Africa by plane.
A lot of Moroccans and European tourists from Europe go with the car and then with the boat to Morocco etc.

:)

True! Millions of moroccans take the ferry to come to Morocco from Europe! ;)

Lydon

March 10th, 2010, 08:11 PM

^^ And Egypt?

Poor Morocco :lol:

BUTEMBO21

March 10th, 2010, 08:11 PM

The economy , geography makes SA and Egypt giants.

CasaMor

March 10th, 2010, 08:14 PM

^^ And Egypt?

Poor Morocco :lol:

Morocco is about 14km from Europe, it takes 45min! In summer, they pay just for cars, people can take the ferry for free!!! ;)

xAbd0o

March 10th, 2010, 08:16 PM

LOL how about swimming from Africa to Asia sound good??

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=30.697102,32.34346&spn=0.004908,0.006899&t=h&z=17

HAHA. but it's interesting to see such statistics.

egypt69

March 10th, 2010, 08:17 PM

Yep :D

I love how proximity to Europe supposedly means nothing when it comes to the internet, but suddenly when it comes to air travel boats and everything come into the equation :banana:

If that's the case why is Egypt up there?

Haha...oh boy do I see where this thread is going.

Anyways on a serious note, is this thread for discussing SAA and EgyptAir developments?? Or what?

xAbd0o

March 10th, 2010, 08:24 PM

^^ The title now say African Aviation News so that's the whole Africa.

mwanamwiwa

March 12th, 2010, 07:55 PM

Swiss Air launches new flights on Nairobi — Dar routes :cheers:

Published on 11/03/2010
By John Oyuke

Passengers of Swiss International Air, Switzerland’s national carrier, are in for a treat as its new A330-300 commences flights from its Zurich hub to Nairobi and Dar es Salaam next month.

The new long-haul Airbus A330-300 introduced to the route on Tuesday sets new standards for in-flight comfort in all three seating classes and introduces the new SWISS Business and SWISS First.

More spacious

More legroom in Economy Class, an air-cushioned seat that can be turned into a two-meter lie-flat bed in Business Class and a "suite above the clouds" in First Class highlight features of the new cabin product.

The new long-hauler also features a state-of-the-art in-flight entertainment system with individual 23" screen that offers video and audio on demand with a vast range of the latest movies in all three classes and more than 300 music CDs.

Marcel Biedermann, Head of Intercontinental Markets, said the launch of the Airbus in East Africa introduces a new benchmark for individual and business travel in an exclusive in-flight environment.

SWISS currently operates five weekly flights between Dar es Salaam - Nairobi to Zurich and would operate an additional sixth frequency to Mombasa via Nairobi with the new A330-300 as from July this year.

Country Manager Kenya, Yves-Alain Yersin, said the region was the fourth market to receive the all-new A330-300.

"Our passengers are assured of unique Swiss hospitality and comfort with the new features of the A330-300," he said.

"It offers top of the range product in First, Business and Economy class."

Tetwani

March 13th, 2010, 12:27 AM

^^ And Egypt?

Poor Morocco :lol:

:lol::nuts::nuts::nuts:

You need some geography lessons!!

Lydon

March 13th, 2010, 01:15 AM

:lol::nuts::nuts::nuts:

You need some geography lessons!!

The last time I checked both Egypt and Morocco were in North Africa, seperated from Europe by the same sea.

The boat excuse is hilariously pathetic if you take that into account.

CasaMor

March 13th, 2010, 01:33 AM

The last time I checked both Egypt and Morocco were in North Africa, seperated from Europe by the same sea.

The boat excuse is hilariously pathetic if you take that into account.

Morocco - Europe = 14km
Egypt - Europe = hundreds of kilometers :)

http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/infopage/mediterranean.gif

desert burner

March 13th, 2010, 01:36 PM

^^same as the distance between Kenya and Uganda :lol:

Lydon

March 13th, 2010, 01:54 PM

So??

The only country Morocco is significantly closer to is Spain :nuts:

Tetwani

March 13th, 2010, 01:59 PM

So??

The only country Morocco is significantly closer to is Spain :nuts:

And of course Spain is not Europe!:nuts: ...You're dangerously funny Lydon:lol::lol:

By the way, In Europe, people prefer to use TGV/AVE/TAV... instead of planes

http://www.fromrss.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/high_speed_railroad_map_europe_2008.gif

Slaoui

March 13th, 2010, 03:36 PM

Going to egypt with a ferry boat like Moroccan diaspora & tourists... so hilarious :lol:

It does'nt exist, it's only the case for coutries who are closer to europe like Morocco or tunisia, and for few algerians...

Some people really don't know what they are talking about... why not going to china from europe with a ferry boat too ? :bash: :ohno:

egypt69

March 14th, 2010, 04:24 AM

Lydon, I think they mean it is easier and quicker to drive and take a ferry from Europe to Morocco, than from Europe to Egypt

LucusJ

March 15th, 2010, 05:43 PM

According to data supplied by the airlines to OAG three of the top 10 country markets have grown by 20% since last March, lead by Morocco (+26.7%), Ethiopia (+22.7%) and Tunisia (+21.8%). Just outside the top 10 are Tanzania, Angola and Ghana. Ghana’s capital Accra will soon be welcoming new international services from Virgin Atlantic to London Heathrow and United Airlines to Washington.

http://www.anna.aero/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/CHT-Africa-top-10-airlines.png
Source: OAG Max Online for w/c 1 March 2010 and w/c 2 March 2009

Among the top 10 airports Addis Ababa appears to be the fastest growing with year-on-year capacity up by 30%, driven by the growth of Ethiopian Airlines. According to OAG there are 320 airports in the whole of Africa with scheduled commercial services.

-----

http://www.anna.aero/2010/03/09/african-air-travel-dominated-by-south-africa-and-egypt-their-national-carriers-and-their-biggest-airports/

wow thanks for these stats Lydon, I didnt know African carriers and airports were doing so well during this global recession. :cheers:

ufookoro

March 21st, 2010, 02:53 AM

Asaba airport ready in May’
WRITTEN BY NAN
SUNDAY, 07 MARCH 2010 23:29
The Delta State Government is to take possession of the multi-billion naira Asaba International Airport project in May this year.

Mr Uche Okpuno, Chief Executive of Ulo, the construction company handling the project, said this on Tuesday when the state’s Deputy Governor, Prof. Amos Utuama, visited the site.

Okpuno was responding to the deputy governor’s enquiry about the likelihood of the firm meeting the deadline for completion of the project.

“I can assure you that the project will be ready by the end of May this year and handed over to the state government for commissioning,’’ Okpuno said.

Okpuno also told Utuama that 3.4 kilometres of the airport’s runway under construction was nearing completion.

Utuama had inspected the terminal building, the runway, hangar, control tower and fire service bay still under construction. (NAN)

Tbite

March 21st, 2010, 04:40 AM

Wow..Arik Air has already broken into the top ten.

Considering it only commenced its first flight in 2006

It also had the most Growth from 2009....but Nigerian Eagle Airlines will give it some competition in the Nigerian Market.

egypt69

March 24th, 2010, 03:07 AM

Nigeria, Egypt Air trade volume hits $80m

To cope with the expansion of Egyptian-Nigerian bilateral relations and deepening the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) between the two countries, Egypt Air has expanded its operations on the Abuja-Cairo route in anticipation of meeting higher passenger and cargo demand.

With $80 million trade volume between the two, there are more than 20,000 Nigerians in Egypt.

It was also disclosed that the projected number of Nigerians expected in Egypt for this year is 100,000 and that it includes medicals, students, pilgrims, business, officials and tourists.

"This fact reflects the growth in people-to-people interaction" Mr. Muharam Abdulrahman, the new Egypt Air Abuja Regional Manager said.

According to him, before the expansion of flights on Abuja-Cairo route, Egypt Air began operating its two flights per week, Abuja-Cairo but from next month, the airline will start to operate two more flights between Abuja and Cairo.

Abdulrahman disclosed that the airline is the oldest one serving passengers flying from Nigeria and West Africa to Egypt and the Middle East.

It has been in operating in Nigeria in the past 48 years without interruption.

http://thenationonlineng.net/web2/articles/40631/1/Nigeria-Egypt-Air-trade-volume-hits-80m/Page1.html

EgyptAir currently serves Abuja, Kano and Lagos from Cairo.

egypt69

March 24th, 2010, 03:58 AM

Very good article from the Wall Street Journal:

Airlines Swoop In on Growing African Market .

Airlines world-wide have been slashing flights to match dropping demand amid the economic crisis, but one unlikely region is bucking the trend: Africa.

Long the aviation industry's forgotten continent, Africa has recently posted a significant increase in the list of destinations served by foreign and local carriers. Routes are traveled more frequently, and the number of nonstop overseas connections is rising.

In the past two years, as airlines globally cut flights by 3.2% during the worst of the industry's troubles, nonstop frequencies between Africa and major overseas markets jumped 11.4%, according to Innovata LLC, an aviation consulting firm in London.

The growth comes off a low base—Africa accounts for less than 5% of global air traffic—but that is part of the appeal.

Africa offers carriers an underserved market where tickets sell at significantly higher fares than for routes of comparable distance elsewhere. Activity is rising even though routine tasks, such as tanking up on drinkable water, can be challenging. That makes operations expensive, particularly in countries between the Sahara Desert and South Africa. Most passenger facilities are rudimentary, many regions need modern air-traffic control, aviation safety regulators lack resources and airport security poses big concerns.

Delta Air Lines Inc. was forced to delay scheduled route launches last year in part because the U.S. Transport Security Administration withheld certification of some African airports. But Delta, which was the first big U.S. carrier to serve Africa after more than 15 years when it launched flights to Senegal and South Africa in late 2006, still wants to add four destinations this summer that were slated for opening in 2009.

"We're going to continue to invest in Africa," said Glen Hauenstein, Delta executive vice president for network planning. "It's more expensive to operate, but you do get more for it."

Traffic is being stoked by a combination of foreign business passengers chasing the continent's resources, local entrepreneurs doing business abroad, and a steady flow of Africans shuttling to and from numerous ethnic communities abroad.

The coming World Cup in South Africa is another factor boosting demand, but growth is evident across the continent. For example, UAL Corp.'s United Airlines, Britain's Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. and Belgium's Brussels Airlines all recently announced new services to Accra, Ghana.

Airlines in parts of Latin America, Asia and the Middle East are also now posting growth amid the broader industry slump, but no region had been so roundly ignored in the past as Africa.

"Africa is maturing aviation-wise," said Craig Jenks, head of Airline/Aircraft Projects, a consulting firm in New York. "Carriers look at it as a place they need to be, and not just for specialist airlines, as previously."

Gradual improvements to Africa's underdeveloped aviation infrastructure are another catalyst. Senegal is building a new airport near Dakar; Republic of Congo has added runways and terminals at Brazzaville and Pointe Noire; and South Africa has installed a cutting-edge air traffic control system.

"There is a major move in many countries to build or rebuild infrastructure," said Etienne Rachou, senior vice president for Africa and the Middle East at Air France-KLM SA, the leading foreign airline in Africa.

Still, African skies are the world's most dangerous in terms of crashes per million flights, and rising traffic could exacerbate the problem. Nigeria and several other countries have made notable improvements recently, but experts see big gaps in safety systems.

One positive factor is that African carriers are starting to reverse years of shrinkage. Intra-African frequencies are up 30% over the past five years, according to Innovata.

As wars, poverty and neglect ravaged Africa at the end of the last century, many of its carriers struggled and shut down. But over the past decade, local players including Kenya Airways, South African Airways, Egyptair and Royal Air Maroc have pulled themselves together. Ethiopian Airlines in January opened a second hub across the continent in Lome, Togo.

African carriers are now expanding links to secondary cities such as Ndola, Zambia, and Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, whose only air connections have long been either on unreliable local operators or via convoluted routings through Europe.

European carriers are by far the biggest outside players in Africa, due to colonial ties, and the top carriers are battling to grab markets. Air France-KLM leads the race with 42 destinations in 33 African countries. It relies on a mix of Air France's longstanding domination in French-speaking West Africa and KLM's strength in the east. Dutch KLM in 1995 bought a 26% stake in Kenya Airways—one of Africa's best-run carriers—and has since built strong links between their hubs in Amsterdam and Nairobi.

Now, German giant Deutsche Lufthansa AG is racing to catch up by adding flights of its own and with its subsidiaries Swiss International Air Lines and Brussels Airlines. Brussels Airlines is the successor to Belgium's defunct Sabena, which was once one of the biggest foreign operators in central Africa. The Lufthansa group now serves 36 destinations in 31 African countries, and is linking closely to Ethiopian Airlines, another leading African carrier.

Lufthansa, like Air France-KLM, works to cut costs by finding synergies among its carriers in Africa, such as sharing offices, airport facilities and local expertise. "We are able to grow and increase profits," said Thierry Antinori, Lufthansa Executive Vice President for Marketing and Sales after announcing four new destinations for Brussels Airlines.

One risk in Africa's new popularity is that carriers add capacity faster than demand grows, starting price wars that erode profits. The danger is rising as rich carriers from the Middle East and Asia expand Africa services. Fast-growing Persian Gulf airlines boosted Africa frequencies by more than 31% over the past two years, according to Innovata. Dubai's Emirates Airline recently added its 19th African destination, Dakar.

Still, veterans see room for growth as Africa integrates with the world economy. "It won't be frenetic competition, but customers will have more choice," said Mr. Antinori at Lufthansa.

Airlines world-wide, while slashing flights globally amid falling demand, are adding flights to previously underserved African destinations. See full graphic:

http://online.wsj.com/media/AFRICAAIR032210.jpg

Courtesy of Wall Street Journal:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704841304575137820622764574.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsTop

The E.N.D

March 25th, 2010, 12:25 AM

There is just no dethroning CTIA...
Cape Town Airport lands international awards
Anyone who has booked flights to Cape Town may be pleased to learn that the city's airport has recently won two travel awards.

By Southall Travel -Wednesday, March 24, 2010 04:15 PM

People who are set to board flights to Cape Town will no doubt be interested to hear that the city's airport has won two prizes at the Skytrax World Airport Awards.

Cape Town International Airport walked away with the gongs for best airport in Africa and airport staff service excellence.

It is also the only African airport to feature in the Skytrax top 25 airports in the world, in a list which is headed up by Changi Airport in Singapore.

The awards are well timed as thousands of football fans from all over the world are set to travel to South Africa and Cape Town for the World Cup this summer.

Cape Town will play host to five of the group stage matches, as well as a last-sixteen game, a quarter and a semi-final.

Fans lucky enough to have tickets for the final of the tournament will need to travel to Johannesburg on July 11th to discover who will walk away with the coveted trophy.

The world's top 25 rankings in the World Airport Awards for 2010:

1 Singapore
2 Seoul Incheon
3 Hong Kong
4 Munich
5 Kuala Lumpur
6 Zurich
7 Amsterdam
8 Beijing
9 Auckland
10 Bangkok
11 Vancouver
12 Kansai
13 Centrair Nagoya
14 Helsinki
15 Copenhagen
16 Frankfurt Main
17 Tokyo Narita
18 Brisbane
19 Cape Town
20 San Francisco
21 London Heathrow
22 Istanbul
23 Bahrain
24 Hamburg
25 Vienna

Written by Erin Marshal

KSIA is so taking this next year!

abesha

March 25th, 2010, 01:47 PM

Ethiopian to increase fleet to over 100 in the next decade

The management of Ethiopian Airlines has revealed a new ambitious and strategic 15-year plan called “Vision 2025” in which it envisions to increase the airline’s fleet to over 100 jet liners.

At the internal staff meeting held the previous Thursday at the Addis Ababa Conference Center, Ethiopian CEO, Girma Wake told the employees that the airline had drafted a new farsighted development strategy. Girma said that the development strategy will have three phases with a five-year term. The development strategy would be evaluated every five years.

The management will soon present the development strategy to its board of directors chaired by Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin. The public relations department of Ethiopian said that it would not reveal the details of the strategy before it is submitted to the board.

However, reliable sources told The Reporter that the strategy included increasing the number of the airline’s jet fleet to over 100. Ethiopian currently operates 30 jetliners. Ethiopian also plans to increase the number of employees to over 10,000 from the existing 4850. Sources said the management anticipates to raise its destinations to 200 and its operating revenue to three billion dollars. The airline has achieved its vision 2010 that included making an annual revenue of 1 billion dollars. http://en.ethiopianreporter.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2395&Itemid=26

Private air operators register one billion birr capital

Saturday, 20 March 2010
By Dawit Taye

Some 24 private air operators with an aggregate capital of on billion birr have been licensed by authorities to date, it was learnt.

A senior aviation official told The Reporter that out of the 24 licensed companies, 10 have already started operations. The official also said that the companies that had started operation were licensed either to provide passenger or cargo transportation services with the exception of a few that were licensed in both categories. He added that the other 14 companies were also in the process of joining the ones that had commenced operations.

The official noted that among the companies which are completing preparations to begin operation shortly, Sunshine Construction Air Transport and Air Oromia, with 34 million birr and 20 million birr initial capitals, respectively, are the prominent ones. The renowed singer Kemer Yusuf is one of the three shareholders in Air Oromia.

The official further said the government was considering relaxing the limit prohibiting private air transporters from operating passenger planes which have more than 20 seats. He indicated that a detailed study aimed at addressing the issue of whether to let the companies use planes that have seats exceeding 20 was also under discussion.

Industry professionals say the limit on seats hampers the optimal operations of private air companies and are actively promoting the relaxation of the rule.
http://en.ethiopianreporter.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2390&Itemid=26

UtopianSkyscraper

April 1st, 2010, 01:54 PM

World Cup travel confusion as South African Airways scraps flights deal

JOHANNESBURG, Apr 01: Transport concerns for fans attending the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa have been exacerbated by the collapse of an airline deal with the official travel organiser.

South African Airways confirmed, in a statement, reports that it was scrapping its agreement with Match, the company awarded travel and ticket controls by world federation FIFA.

The airline suggested that it would cut prices on its flights. However this only prompted further concerns that Match had been setting higher-than-necessary prices and questions over whether the airline can cope with the possible free-for-all. Tickets involved had been held back for Match at the most pressured peak times before and directly after matches.

Ian Cruickshank, SAA's 2010 project leader, said: "We are very pleased to now be able to offer customers these tickets at reduced rates.”

SAA blamed the collapse on the inability of the two parties to agree on the terms and provisions of the contract.

No agreement

Cruickshank added: “SAA and Match couldn’t come to an agreement on the number of seats to be provided and the terms and conditions relating to this. The airline can no longer offer Match any special conditions for carriage on our aircraft.

“We have done our utmost to assist them, but we cannot hold our tickets stock indefinitely while seat numbers keep changing. We would much rather make these tickets available to our own loyal customers.”

He said SAA remained open to discussions with Match and had not ruled out further cooperation regarding technical and operational expertise and assistance, in particular with internal chartered flights and with international flights involving countries with no service to South Africa.

Source: sportsfeatures.com

egypt69

April 13th, 2010, 04:14 AM

EgyptAir enjoys double celebration with FAA and JAA approvals

Egypt's civil aviation minister, Air Marshall Ahmed Shafik was full of praise for two of the Egypt Air business that have won international recognition.

http://www.arabianaerospace.aero/media/images/stories/EgyptAir_FAA.jpg

At a special event at the Ministry of Civil Aviation Club in Cairo last night, Egypt Air Maintenance & Engineering was given full FAA approval for it maintenance and repair activities.

Meanwhile the EgyptAir Training Academy became the first in Africa and the Middle East to receive full JAA approval as a TRTO. :cheers:

Chairman of the EgyptAir Holdings board, Eng. Hussein Massoud said this was a great achievement and that all Egypt should be proud.

The FAA certificates were presented by inspector Calvin Clark who said that the Egyptian MRO company had an exceptional number of ratings following their audit.

“Often a company will apply for just one rating. EgyptAir asked for a number of their activities to be recognised. As we continued to audit them they just passed every time,” Clark said.

The whole process has taken more than two years. “It is tough to do but the FAA certification is recognised around the world,” Clark said.

Chairman of the EgyptAir Maintenance & Engineering Company, Eng. Abdul Aziz Fadel, said the approvals would allow the company to increase its third party work. It aims at doubling the percentage of third-party over the next few years to 40%.

Presenting the JAA approvals to Captain Al Motosem, the vice president of training, Ole Lynggaard, the chief of personnel licensing with the Danish CAA and the JAA representative, said that he had been impressed by the high level of professionalism by the Egyptian training organisation.

“This is a great day for the whole of Egypt Air,” Massoud said.

http://www.arabianaerospace.aero/media/images/stories/EgyptAir_JAA.jpg

http://www.arabianaerospace.aero/article.php?section=maintenance&article=egyptair-enjoys-double-celebration-with-faa-and-jaa-approvals

:applause:

Muttie

April 13th, 2010, 12:24 PM

^^ And Egypt?

Poor Morocco :lol:

The connections between Egypt and Europe by Ferry are pretty much non-existent. If we look at our beloved Google maps, we see this:

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=35.666222,-4.163818&spn=1.695833,4.216003&z=9

Let's count the known ferry connections to Morocco (with ferries travelling every few hours, and in some cases every half an hour):

We see at least 10 connections, coming from Europe - towards Morocco. I even see they forgotten at least one connection, namely the Almeria - Al Hoceima connection (so that would be at least 11 ferry-connections).

Lets look at the ferry connections between Europe and Egypt:

In Google maps it doesn't show any ferry connection between Egypt and Europe. So i decided to do some search on the internet, and i found out there is one passenger ferry travelling indirectly from Europe to Egypt via Cyprus. This happens weekly through several months.

This is ofcourse pretty logical, as the distance between Egypt and Europe is actually pretty big - and there are not a lot of European tourists which go for a "camping" tour in Egypt. (Theres much better things to do in Egypt after all). In Morocco camping is big business, because of the amount of Europeans travelling with their camper towards Morocco.

In 2009 over 600.000 cars (yes, just cars, not trucks) crossed the strait by ferry. Thats a lot of planetickets if you ask me :).

Anyhow, since Morocco is within the top 3 growers again +26.7%, I think we are doing a darn good job if we break the stats down towards population.

cyberManHere

April 14th, 2010, 03:49 PM

Ethiopian Airlines to debut NavtechFMS Navigation Data on Universal Avionics

When Ethiopian Airlines launched its new fleet of Q400 late March 2010 , the aircraft will debut Navtech FMS Navigation Data on the Universal Avionics’ FMS platform. Ethiopian Airlines, based in Addis Ababa, has relied on Navtech, Inc., a leader in flight operations software and services, for FMS Navigation Data for its current fleet of Boeing 737s. Now, it becomes the first Navtech customer to implement its navigation data on Universal Avionics.

“Establishing an agreement with Universal Avionics is a significant milestone in Navtech’s history of producing data for flight navigation systems,” said Mike Hulley, Navtech CEO. “It’s the icing on the cake to have it debut with a customer with whom we’ve worked so closely and deeply respect. This is a great trio: Navtech, Ethiopian Air and Universal Avionics.”

Navtech and Universal Avionics launched a partnership, effective with the 1003 ARINC cycle, to enable Navtech to provide data for Universal’s SCN 802/ 902 and 1000/1100 Flight Management Systems. The deal significantly expands Navtech’s ability to support both new and existing customers with specialized flight data.

Navtech’s Navigation Data Services Group pioneered the development of navigation data for flight management computer systems more than 25 years ago and now more than 150 airlines rely upon the company to supply their data. Airlines that use such systems as General Electric Aviation Systems, CMC Electronics, Honeywell, Thales, as well as Universal Avionics and others receive regular updates with all the data required for their routings. The data is loaded in the systems, enabling the pilots to simply choose their destination and get all the appropriate navigational information - including data for take-offs and landings - needed to complete the trip.

Navtech navigation databases are managed, maintained and processed by an experienced team of experts in analysis, handling and processing of specialized navigation data. The data is updated and maintained in accordance with the 28-day AIRNC update schedule.

http://www.traveldailynews.com/pages/show_page/36458--Ethiopian-Airlines-to-debut-NavtechFMS-Navigation-Data-on-Universal-Avionics

Slaoui

April 24th, 2010, 03:58 PM

First Boeing 787 Dreamliner for Royal Air Maroc out in Everett

http://blog.seattlepi.com/aerospace/library/RAM787.jpg

A Boeing 787 Dreamliner in Royal Air Maroc livery on Boeing's flight line in Everett on Friday.

The first Boeing 787 Dreamliner for Royal Air Maroc is out on Boeing's Paine Field flight line, in Everett, on Friday.
This is the first 787 in other than Boeing or All Nippon Airways livery. Royal Air Maroc has four 787s on order, according to Boeing's orders website. Stay tuned for more pictures.
Special thanks to All Things 787 for the tip

Source: Seattle PI Blog

Cigar

April 30th, 2010, 11:49 AM

From Flight Global:

Angolan flag-carrier TAAG has announced an order two Boeing 777-300ERs in a deal that includes purchase rights for two additional 777-300ERs.
The two aircraft are valued at about $544 million at list prices, says Boeing, which did not say when the aircraft will be delivered.
TAAG's order was originally posted as unidentified on the airframer's orders and deliveries website in 2009.
The airline will operate the aircraft on new routes to additional European destinations, says Boeing. "TAAG currently flies Boeing 777-200ERs 10 times weekly from Luanda, Angola, to Lisbon, twice weekly to Beijing via Dubai and four times weekly to Rio de Janeiro," it adds.
TAAG is allowed to use only 777 and 737-700 aircraft in Europe due to safety regulations set down in the European Union's airline blacklist.
"The efficiency, reliability and popularity of the 777 family will contribute to TAAG re-establishing itself as one of Africa's premier airlines," says Marlin Dailey, VP of sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/04/30/341308/angolas-taag-orders-two-777-300ers.html

Good news for TAAG!

hakz2007

May 15th, 2010, 01:00 PM

MORE AIRLINES TO FLY TO GHANA
ACCRA, May 15 (NNN-GNA) -- Ghanaians will benefit from yet another choice of flight on the Accra – London route with the introduction of two more airlines on the route.

Virgin Atlantic will launch a new service between Heathrow and Accra, the capital of Ghana, from May 24. The airline plans to operate three services a week, subject to government approval, using an Airbus A340-300 aircraft with 240 seats onboard -34 Upper Class, 35 Premium Economy and 171 Economy.

Virgin Atlantic is one of the world’s leading long-haul airlines, which has operated successfully globally. It is going to be the Official Airline Supplier to the England World Cup squad.

A statement in London by the Chief Executive of the Airline, Steve Ridgway noted “We are delighted that we are able to launch services to this fast growing and vibrant capital city with its historic links to Britain, thriving economy and growing oil and gas industry.

Nearly 200,000 people fly between London and Accra each year and our new services will give them more choice and better value for money, he said.

He observed that Ghana has become the gateway to Africa and that there are more prospects by way of business and economic boom.

“Ghana is a beacon for economic success in West Africa, and with Africa showing greater economic resilience and growth than other global regions, we are thrilled that this will be our fifth route in Africa. We look forward to offering the best possible service to travellers between Ghana, the UK and the United States,” he said.

He mentioned the success of the airline and noted that “the success of our three year strategy requires us to build on these foundations by focusing on the business and leisure markets and driving efficiency and effectiveness, adding that safety, security and consistent delivery of the basics are the foundation of everything we do.

The London-Accra route is currently served by British Airways and Ghana Airways. The new Virgin service will operate from Terminal 3. Another European Airline, Brussels Airlines is also preparing feverishly to launch its maiden flight from London to Accra in July this year. http://www.namnewsnetwork.org/v2/read.php?id=120366

enkelfam

May 15th, 2010, 07:38 PM

Ethiopian Airlines Welcomes Pointe-Noire to its African Network

14 May, 2010

In line with its commitment of expanding its route network within Africa, Ethiopian will launch new services to Pointe Noire, the second largest city in the Republic of Congo, effective June 16, 2010.

Pointe-Noire is the main commercial center of the the Republic of Congo. The city is the main source of oil industry in the country and indeed in central Africa. Pointe- Noire is the major seaport for the country, and with its famous beaches attracts tourist from all over the world.

Ethiopian will serve Pointe-Noire three times weekly effective June 16, 2010. Ethiopian will fly its Boeing 767-300 aircraft on the route, offering 235 seats in a two-class configuration.

The thrice weekly service to and from Pointe Noire will link the city with Ethiopian’s extensive route network, with immediate connections to and from cities throughout the world, including Paris, London, Beirut, Mumbai, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Beijing, Nairobi, Cairo, Dubai, Stockholm, Rome and Washington. No carrier will provide more connections to more cities in Asia from Pointe Noire than Ethiopian Airlines.

Pointe-Noire will be Ethiopian’s fourth major petroleum destination in Africa, after Luanda, Malabo and Libreville. Ethiopian is committed to providing more service to more energy centers in Africa than any other carrier.

http://nazret.com/blog/index.php?title=ethiopian_airlines_welcomes_pointe_noire&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

hakz2007

May 31st, 2010, 09:04 AM

ETHIOPIA-BOTSWANA SIGN AIR SERVICE AGREEMENT
ADDIS ABABA, May 30 (NNN-ENA) -- Ethiopia and Botswana signed here on Friday a memorandum of understanding providing for establishing air links between the two countries.

Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority, General Director, Colonel Wesenyeleh Hunegnaw and an official of the Ministry of Botswanan Transport and Communication, Louse Nitabeni signed the agreement.

The agreement believed to enhance business link between the two nations, according to the accord.

During the last nine months the authority also signed similar agreements with Jordanian, Canadian and Syrian counterparts while up dating the air service agreements it signed with Singapore, Greek and Liberia. http://namnewsnetwork.org/v2/read.php?id=122012

Matthias Offodile

June 4th, 2010, 09:46 PM

Gabon Airlines gets a new Airbus A340 to serve the routes between

Libreville - Paris - Libreville

Libreville - Marseille - Libreville

Gabon Airlines se dote d'un Airbus A340

(Xinhuanet 04/06/2010)

La compagnie aérienne Gabon Airlines vient d'acquérir un Airbus A340 de 265 places pour ses vols à long courrier Libreville – Paris et Libreville - Marseille, a-t-on appris de source proche de la compagnie.

La compagnie ne disposait que d'un Boeing 767 pour ses vols long courrier. La France est l'unique destination de Gabon Airlines.

Créée il y a 4 ans sur les cendres de l'ex-Air Gabon, Gabon Airlines est l'une des deux compagnies gabonaises autorisées à survoler l'espace aérien européen. La seconde compagnie est Afrijet spécialisée dans la location des avions VIP.

© Copyright Xinhuanet

desert burner

June 5th, 2010, 11:25 AM

By Duncan Miriri
Kenyahttp://images.intellitxt.com/ast/adTypes/mag-glass_10x10.gif (http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/business/InsidePage.php?id=2000010900&cid=14&story=Kenya%20Airways%20to%20include%20Rome,%20Juba%20in%20new%20routes#) Airways has said it will expand services as the emerging global recovery is likely to boost revenue this year.
The announcement comes after a gain on fuel derivatives pushed the airline back into the black in the first quarter.
It further expects the economic recovery seen in other parts of the world to flow into Africa and Kenya would benefit this year.
Chief Executive Titus Naikuni said Kenya Airways would start services to nine destinations including Rome and Juba in Southern Sudan.
The airline is also considering increasing the flight frequency on some routes like Kigali and positioning Accra as a west African hub.
"We still believe that Africa is where our mainstay is. It is where potential is," Naikuni said.
Kenya Airways’ revenue in the 2009-2010 year dropped slightly due to a 11 per cent decline in income from its cargo business but turned to a pretax profit from a loss a year ago due to a Sh6 billion ($74.72 million) boost from its fuel hedges, which it uses to balance future costs, after a Sh7.5 billion loss the previous year.
It also benefited from a weaker shilling against the dollar. The airline’s shares were down 4.4 per cent at Sh54.50 yesterday.
"The results whilst commendable did not hit investors’ admittedly elevated baseline expectations, and hence the profit taking bias this Morning," said independent analyst Aly Khan Satchu.
CEO Naikuni confirmed the airline was in discussions with Airbus about purchasing A330s after further delays in Boeing’s much anticipated B787 Dreamliner jets.
Fleet modernisation
Kenya Airways had ordered nine Dreamliners with an option for a further four, but they are not due for delivery until May 2013, which has prompted it to talk to Airbus about the A330 aircraft, Naikuni said. "We should be able to make up our mind (about whether to buy A330s) by the end of this calendar year," he said.
He also said Kenyan horticulture producers, whose exports to Europe account for a significant portion of the airline’s freight business, should consider exporting to other African markets.
Exports were hit when much of European airspace was closed due to an ash cloud from a volcano in Iceland.
The airline has had good growth since the first half of 2000 on the back of new routes to underserved African markets from its Nairobi hub and it plans to expand even more. —Reuters
http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/business/InsidePage.php?id=2000010900&cid=14&story=Kenya%20Airways%20to%20include%20Rome,%20Juba%20in%20new%20routes

ufookoro

June 5th, 2010, 02:44 PM

Akwa Ibom Airport Hangar Will Be Completed Soon' - As Aero Passengers Ask for More

Abel Orukpe 3 June 2010
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Lagos — Tope Awe, Media Consultant to Delta airlines , Bobby Bryan, Commercial Manager, West and East Africa Delta Airlines and Femi Adefope, Managing Director, Sky Logistics at a press conference to herald the operations of Delta Airlines non-stop flight from Abuja to New York in Lagos recently

The Airport Manager of Uyo Airport in Akwa Ibom State, Marco Fenini, has stated that the multi million-naira Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility will be completed before the end of this year.

Fenini said this while speaking with journalists at the inaugural flight of Aero Contractors to Uyo recently.

He added when completed, the hangar would accommodate two Boeing 747s at a time or four Boeing 737s at a time, adding that the terminal that is presently being used is an interim terminal and that the main terminal is still under construction. According to him, "The main terminal is under construction; we have completed phase 1".

He disclosed that when completed the hard currency that airlines take to other countries to do maintenance of aircraft abroad would be a thing of the past, adding that that the good thing about the facility is that domestic airlines in Nigeria would not use hard currencies to carry out the maintenance of their airplanes.

The airport manager said what the state government is putting in place is a functional proficient and efficient hangar.

In his words, "We want to maintain international standard in what ever we are doing in Uyo airport as far as aviation is concerned".

Fenini said that the airport is a thing of the future, as according to him, the airport has the potential to become one of the leading airports in the countr.

Speaking on the maiden flight, the Uyo airport boss said the flight was successful one and that the coming of the airline shows that the airport is growing very fast.

Aero Station manager, Mr. Solomon Ajibade, told Daily Independent that the flight was a success and that he was happy that the airline is now operating to Uyo despite several challenges. Ajibade added that now that Aero has started flying to Uyo, it would ensure that its customers get the best of service, just as he urged people to continue to fly Aero.

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Also speaking on the inaugural flight, Owen Mfon, one of the 55 passengers, who boarded the B737-500 from the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos at about 8.45 am, said, "The flight was okay; it was a safe flight as we can see. Though there was turbulence, we landed safely and we are very happy that Aero Contractors is coming in to operate early morning flights in and out of Akwa Ibom".

Chinelo Ken, another passenger, said that the flight was a success, as its take off and landing were safe but regretted that did not give the 55 passengers that flew the airline inaugural flight any souvenir to commemorate the breakthrough.

In her words, "They flight was a good one but Aero should have given us free in-flight service and souvenirs".

Oyekunle Tayo on his part said that the though the flight was a success, Aero should have given the passengers free in-flight service and souvenirs, as according to him, it is a memorable day. With this development, Aero becomes the third airline to fly to Uyo, the first being Arik Air that had since pulled out and Dana airlines.

hakz2007

June 6th, 2010, 07:45 AM

NEW AIRLINE FOR ZIMBABWE
HARARE, June 5 (NNN-ZIMONLINE) -- Zambezi Airlines have introduced an airline in Zimbabwe to fly the Harare- Johannesburg, the airline said on Friday.

Zambezi airlines joins another airline Fly Kumba which was introduced earlier this year and is flying the Johannesburg and Bulawayo route. Both Zambezi Airlines and Fly Kumba have brought stiff competition to the country's struggling airline, Air Zimbabwe which is charging more on the same routes.

For a return ticket from Harare to Johannesburg, a passenger pays US 245 dollars at Zambezi Airlines while on Air Zimbabwe one pays US 354 dollars. Fly Kumba charges 1200 rands for its Bulawayo- Johannesburg flight.

Zambezi Airlines introduced its maiden Harare-Johannesburg Thursday at 0830 am and said that it would flights scheduled everyday from Monday to Friday.

"Zambezi Airlines are pleased to introduce flights between Harare and Johannesburg with effect from 4th June," the airline said.

The airline boasts of three Boeing 737-500 with 12 premier business class seats and 99 economy class seats. Zambezi flies international flights linking Lusaka, Livingstone, Ndola, Dar es Salaam, Harare and Lilongwe.

The introduction of the Johannesburg-Harare flight by Zambezi airlines will bring competition to Air Zimbabwe which has been struggling over the years to attract passengers due to high ticket costs, flight delays and poor customer service.

The national carrier is reportedly making huge losses and is struggling to pay retrenchment packages to over 400 employees that are expected to be retrenched. http://www.namnewsnetwork.org/v2/read.php?id=122724

GregPz

June 9th, 2010, 04:22 PM

The figures have finally been released for all of the 10 busiest airports in Africa for 2009. Good growth for Lagos, Nairobi and Algiers.

1. Johannesburg 17,445,271 -5.7%
2. Cairo 14,382,042 0.2%
3. Cape Town 7,725,214 -4.4%
4. Sharm el Sheikh 7,430,940 -4.2%
5. Hurghada 6,730,087 -0.2%
6. Casablanca 6,393,000 3.0%
7. Lagos 5,654,122 9.1%
8. Nairobi 5,077,968 7.0%
9. Algiers 4,474,970 8.4%
10. Durban 4,304,740 -3.5%

ufookoro

June 11th, 2010, 08:40 PM

Arik Air takes delivery of brand new A330-200 aircraft

June 11th, 2010

Arik Air, Nigeria’s largest commercial airline, has taken delivery of its third wide-body aircraft, an Airbus A330-200 aircraft, thus increasing its fleet to 26.

The brand new aircraft, the first of two A330-200 ordered by Arik Air, arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos on Friday, June 11, 2010 direct from France. The aircraft, with registration 5N-EIA, is the first wide-body aircraft of Arik Air to carry Nigerian registration.

Announcing the arrival of the new A330-200, Arik Air’s Deputy Executive Vice President, Mr. Chris Ndulue, said the aircraft is powered by Pratt & Whitney PW 4168A engines and will offer the best possible passenger comfort in a two-class configuration.

He explained: “Our new Airbus A330-200 is the first of the two aircraft ordered by the airline and the third wide-body aircraft in our fleet. We already have two Airbus A340-500 ultra range aircraft delivered in December 2008 and May 2009.”

The new A330-200 aircraft is configured to carry 283 passengers in a two-class arrangement. Arik Air’s Senior Vice President, Commercial, Mr Suraj Sundaram explained that the airline’s brand new Airbus 330-200 aircraft, christened ‘Sultan of Sokoto’, would offer Premier Class and Economy Class. “Premier Class will have 24 seats arranged in a 2-2-2 layout, providing easy aisle access from every seat. Each seat comes equipped with a personal audio and video on-demand entertainment system enabling each guest to enjoy his or her favourite Hollywood and Nollywood movies. All seats come fitted with a laptop plug-in socket.”

The spacious and airy Economy Class cabin will have 259 seats arranged in a comfortable 2-4-2 across seat layout. Economy Class will offer a seat-back personal audio and video on-demand entertainment system. Both cabins on board the brand new Airbus 330-200 aircraft will feature relaxing mood lighting.

Mr. Sundaram disclosed that the new aircraft will be deployed on the Lagos-Johannesburg route to replace the Boeing 737-800 currently in use on the route.

The twin-engine and fuel-efficient Airbus 330-200 is one of the quietest and most environmentally friendly aircraft operating in the world today. It complies fully with airport noise restrictions and with current and future international emissions standards.

Arik Air is Nigeria’s leading commercial airline. It now operates a fleet of 26 state-of-the art regional, medium haul and long haul aircraft. The airline currently serves 21 airports across Nigeria as well as Accra (Ghana), Banjul (Gambia), Cotonou (Benin), Dakar (Senegal), Freetown (Sierra Leone), London Heathrow (UK), Johannesburg (South Africa) and New York JFK (USA).

The airline currently operates over 130 flights daily from its hubs in Lagos and Abuja.

tanzan

June 21st, 2010, 04:46 PM

http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae190/tanzan_2010/rwandair.jpg

http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae190/tanzan_2010/FRONY.jpg

Matthias Offodile

June 25th, 2010, 10:15 PM

Lufthansa adds more frequencies a week to Libreviille , it now flies five times a week between Frankfurt and Libreville and it another new route in Africa.... Pointe Noire (Congo-Brazzaville)
:cheers:

Gabon : Lufthansa annonce 5 dessertes hebdomadaires sur Libreville

http://www.flugrevue.de/fm/3/thumbnails/a380_lufthansa_zoom.jpg.14755.jpg

La compagnie aérienne allemande Lufthansa a annoncé ce 25 juin le lancement en novembre prochain d’une nouvelle ligne entre Francfort (Allemagne) et Pointe Noire au Congo, qu’elle ralliera 5 fois par semaine via Libreville.

Dès le 3 novembre prochain, la compagnie aérienne allemande Lufthansa assurera cinq vols par semaine vers Pointe Noire au Congo avec escale à Libreville. La capitale gabonaise Libreville gagnera au passage une liaison directe avec l’Allemagne, elle qui était jusque là reliée par un vol avec escale à Accra au Ghana.

Selon la direction de la compagnie, le voyage se déroulera à bord d’un Boeing 737-800 de PrivatAir de 108 sièges en deux classes, économie et affaires. L’industrie pétrolière congolaise est évidemment pour beaucoup dans la décision de la compagnie d’ouvrir cette nouvelle ligne. L’ouverture de celle-ci pourrait bien faire baisser les tarifs des transports aériens en Afrique centrale où ils demeurent particulièrement élevés.

Membre de Star Alliance, la compagnie allemande opère actuellement 33 vols chaque semaine vers l’Afrique Centrale et de l’Ouest, desservant les villes d’Abuja, Port Harcourt et Lagos, Accra, Libreville, Luanda et Malabo. Des liaisons auxquelles il faut ajouter les douze destinations desservies par les partenaires du groupe, Swiss et Brussels Airlines. Lufthansa vole également vers dix autres villes sur le reste du continent africain.

Publié le 25-06-2010 Source : Gaboneco

agostinho

June 27th, 2010, 03:58 PM

yosef

June 27th, 2010, 04:24 PM

Ethiopian Airlines to expand partnerships in Africa

By Wolfgang H. Thome, eTN | Jun 20, 2010

(eTN) Ethiopian Airlines (ET) is intensifying its own efforts in the "battle for the African skies." With the launch earlier this year of a partner airline based in Lome, a first step was taken to capture additional market share in West Africa by launching new airlines supported by both capital and management expertise. Unconfirmed reports from Addis indicate that following this first, ET is apparently thinking about doing the same thing in other parts of West Africa and even considering investing in existing airlines with promise of a viable future, should initial exploratory discussions allow moving towards formal negotiations.

Meanwhile, ET also confirmed that it is due for delivery of its first B777-200LR in the third quarter of this year, with an additional four such aircraft joining the Ethiopian fleet between then and the middle of next year. In regard of their 10 pending B787 orders, the airline is confident that the envisaged date of July 2011 can be met by Boeing, after repeated long delays.

Once the new wide body fleet is in operation, it will replace some of the ageing B767 models presently in use and also create capacity for more destinations in the US and the Far and South East, an area also eyed by the airline – as does, incidentally, Kenya Airways as well.

No firm joining date could be obtained as to when ET will become a formal applicant airline to join the global Star Alliance, other than reaffirming what is already public knowledge - that Star is indeed the preferred choice of Ethiopian and that discussions are at an advanced stage.

http://www.eturbonews.com/16806/ethiopian-airlines-expand-partnerships-africa

ufookoro

June 27th, 2010, 07:58 PM

I'd rather see african countries be able to organize our aviation and fly everywhere with our planes. The europeans are everywhere in Africa, what about us? We also deceive ourselves when we think letting all of them into our continent can contribute for the air ticket reduction prices, on the contrary. They fly nowadays more and more to angola "Luanda" and nevertheless. Air Ghana international was doin well at the begin, but now not anymore and they now want to fill the gap on its expense. Sad.

This is very sad. As soon as the GIA Ghana International Airlines goes bust, the Virgin, Delta and a host of other airlines start to fly to Ghana. Some will see this as a boost for the economy. It is all well and good, but at the same time shows our inability to provide air travel worth of national pride. In each case, these foreign airlines use phrases such as we see your country as the gateway to the region. This is a load of baloney. National or Domestic airlines should strive to stay in the air and ensure competition.

ufookoro

July 8th, 2010, 12:50 PM

New EU Flight Ban List

http://ec.europa.eu/transport/air-ban/list_en.htm

abesha

July 8th, 2010, 03:32 PM

This is very sad. As soon as the GIA Ghana International Airlines goes bust, the Virgin, Delta and a host of other airlines start to fly to Ghana. Some will see this as a boost for the economy. It is all well and good, but at the same time shows our inability to provide air travel worth of national pride. In each case, these foreign airlines use phrases such as we see your country as the gateway to the region. This is a load of baloney. National or Domestic airlines should strive to stay in the air and ensure competition.

The problem is that every African airline wants to fly to Europe before it even flies to the country next door. It's freaking stupid. If you look at Ethiopian Airlines and Kenya Airways, they both focus on the African market FIRST. Their flights to Europe or Asia are not the focus, their sole aim is to connect European and Asian passengers to their extensive continental network.
If you look at other airlines, they have something like 10 destinations, and 5 are European. So tell me, after that passenger comes to your country, exactly how does he connect to go elsewhere?? When they do this, they are only getting the passengers whose final destinations are the airline's homebase.
For instance, when a Frenchman boards Ethiopian Airlines in Paris, his final destination is most likely not Addis, but one of the 40-something other African cities in the EAL network.
When an English guy boards Air Malawi in London, he's going to Malawi, period.
This is the weakness of these airlines. Their strategies are very much flawed. There are dozens of airlines doing the Europe-Africa link and who are doing it well. However, very few do the African routes and that's where the biggest growth will be, not to mention the cash.
That's why Ethiopian Airlines is so profitable. In fact, the new West African airline in which EAL acquired a stake is already profitable, and EAL is planning on establishing several regional subsidiaries all over the continent. They understand that there is a huge underserved market there, and they are moving in for the kill, while the national airlines in those regions are blindly dreaming of London and Paris passengers.

èđđeůx

July 8th, 2010, 11:05 PM

^^ Good point, but the airlines focusing on European routes, maybe they're doing so to attract more tourists from these areas. If their solely going to x country through x airline who only has routes to a specific city then it would all make sense.

Jember

July 14th, 2010, 01:05 AM

Can you tell us the top 20 or 30 airports?

The figures have finally been released for all of the 10 busiest airports in Africa for 2009. Good growth for Lagos, Nairobi and Algiers.

1. Johannesburg 17,445,271 -5.7%
2. Cairo 14,382,042 0.2%
3. Cape Town 7,725,214 -4.4%
4. Sharm el Sheikh 7,430,940 -4.2%
5. Hurghada 6,730,087 -0.2%
6. Casablanca 6,393,000 3.0%
7. Lagos 5,654,122 9.1%
8. Nairobi 5,077,968 7.0%
9. Algiers 4,474,970 8.4%
10. Durban 4,304,740 -3.5%

egypt69

July 14th, 2010, 03:11 AM

EgyptAir positive on expansion

EgyptAir said it is making good progress with implementation of its strategy of network expansion and product enhancement and is on course to take delivery of its first new A330-300 next month and a further two 777-300s in November and December as scheduled.

Passenger feedback on its first two 777-300s, which arrived earlier this year and feature a new cabin including the carrier’s first fully flat seats in business class, is “extremely positive,” Chairman and CEO Hussein Massoud told ATW during the recent Star Alliance event in Athens to induct Aegean Airlines into the grouping. MS will deploy the new aircraft on its daily Cairo-New York JFK flights starting in December. It will commence thrice-weekly CAI-Copenhagen service Oct. 1 aboard a 737-800 and next summer it will add Toronto as its second North American destination, Massoud revealed.

MS will launch mobile and Internet services onboard its new A330-300 fleet. Passengers will be able to use the Wi-Fi service throughout their flight to make calls through their mobile phones with the same international call rates of their service providers, according to the carrier. The new A330-300 will be configured with 36 fully flat seats in business class and 265 seats in economy.

Massoud also said that EgyptAir is contemplating launching a hybrid carrier at Alexandria, which in recent months has seen an influx of LCCs. He refrained from releasing further details and stressed the “plan has not yet been adopted” but said that if MS proceeds, the hybrid will launch under a different brand because “EgyptAir is not in the business of LCCs and is a full-service carrier.”

http://atwonline.com/airline-finance-data/news/egyptair-positive-expansion-0709?cid=nl_atw_dn

ufookoro

July 14th, 2010, 08:19 AM

Nigeria: National Airline Defrays $237 Million Debt

Ime Akpan12 July 2010
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Lagos — Air Nigeria has said that it is no longer indebted to any Nigerian bank as it had paid the sum of $237m it owed to United Bank for Africa (UBA).

Addressing newsmen in Lagos yesterday, the chairman of the airline, Jimoh Ibrahim said the carrier had earlier paid $6.5m debt owed to Guranty Trust Bank (GTB).

In a letter dated July 9, 2010 and addressed to Ibrahim, UBA stated: "We acknowledge the receipt of the payment of $237, 000.00... in respect of the indebtedness of Virgin Nigeria Airways (Air Nigeria's former name) conveyed to us by your letter to debit NICON Group of Companies with the sum of $237, 000.00 and credit same amount to loan account of VNA with the Bank.

"In accordance with your instruction, we hereby confirm that we have debited your account for the sum of $237, 000.00 and credited same amount to VNA account with UBA Plc.

"We hereby confirm that VNA is no longer indebted to UBA Plc and will send to you a bank statement soon of the account of VNA showing nil balance on the loan. The all-asset debenture on VNA registered in the past will be discharged. Thanks for the repayment of the debt and we look to continuing the relationship."

In all, the Air Nigeria chairman said the airline had so far offset a total of N38 billion debts owed to banks.

He further stated that with the settlement of debts owed to financial institutions, "Air Nigeria has come to show its position of influence in the Nigerian aviation industry and has started on a good note to prepare itself for operations.":banana:

ufookoro

July 14th, 2010, 08:22 AM

Aviation Authority Re-Certifies Arik Air

Lagos — Arik Air has become the first airline to be re-certified by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) as the regulatory body yesterday announced that the airline had met the Federal Government's requirement of the new Civil Aviation Regulations.

Director-General of NCAA, Dr Harold Demuren, told newsmen at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos that Arik had fulfilled the 6th of the eight critical elements as stipulated by the United States of America's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

According to him, the element number 6 involves Licensing and Certification and one of the country's airlines needs to meet the new regulation.

Demuren expressed optimism that soon Nigeria would bag Category 1 status as the country was close to the end of the certification exercise by the American regulatory body and that at the end of the month, there would be a mock audit before the country would move into the final stages of the exercise.

"Today is historic, this is a major event. Several years ago we had accidents with great casualties and many lives were lost. Because of this, the Federal Government came up with robust safety and security regulations to make sure our airlines and the industry meet global standard ,including those of the ICAO, TSA and other audits," he said.

Demuren also said, "Few years ago we began seeking the FAA Category One of which they were eight critical safety elements which must be fulfilled. Today, we are closing number six: License and Certification, and according to the programme, one of our airlines must meet the new regulations.Today, I am happy to tell you that we are closing this open item, we will be issuing the first Air Operating Certification (AOC) under the new regulation under the recertification exercise."

The Director-General said that the airline was moving close to the end of the NCAA certification, "after this we will have the mock audit in the last week of July. Once we do this right, every other carrier in Nigeria will pass through this same baptism.

"You can ask Arik, one of the requirements to demonstrate strict compliance is that the airline must fly Lagos to Johannesburg empty and then fly Lagos to London empty on its new A330 and it must fly at least 50 hours without passengers with its Boeing 737," Demuren also said.

Speaking at the occasion, Arik Chairman, Sir Joseph Arumemi Ikhide, said although the journey was long, tedious, hard and expensive, it was worth it.:)

paddylo

July 14th, 2010, 08:29 AM

^^Nigerias ARIK AIR MAJOR ROUTES. . .
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2f/ArikAirRoutes.png/800px-ArikAirRoutes.png

ARIK AIR WEBSITE. . . http://www.arikair.com/

ufookoro

July 14th, 2010, 10:25 AM

^^Nigerias ARIK AIR MAJOR ROUTES. . .
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2f/ArikAirRoutes.png/800px-ArikAirRoutes.png

ARIK AIR WEBSITE. . . http://www.arikair.com/

Suprising to note that Arik cover domestic flights in Niger. They could do the same in Ghana.:)

paddylo

July 14th, 2010, 03:02 PM

Suprising to note that Arik cover domestic flights in Niger. They could do the same in Ghana.:)

They were specifically invited by the Niger GOVT to be kinda like their national carrier. . .thats why

ufookoro

July 14th, 2010, 03:42 PM

They were specifically invited by the Niger GOVT to be kinda like their national carrier. . .thats why

That is ingenious. That business model can be used for other nations in the sub region to enhance movement of people.

abesha

July 14th, 2010, 04:52 PM

^^
How come there are no flights to Cameroon and Cote d'Ivoire?

Alex Roney

July 14th, 2010, 05:54 PM

The problem is that every African airline wants to fly to Europe before it even flies to the country next door. It's freaking stupid. If you look at Ethiopian Airlines and Kenya Airways, they both focus on the African market FIRST. Their flights to Europe or Asia are not the focus, their sole aim is to connect European and Asian passengers to their extensive continental network.
If you look at other airlines, they have something like 10 destinations, and 5 are European. So tell me, after that passenger comes to your country, exactly how does he connect to go elsewhere?? When they do this, they are only getting the passengers whose final destinations are the airline's homebase.
For instance, when a Frenchman boards Ethiopian Airlines in Paris, his final destination is most likely not Addis, but one of the 40-something other African cities in the EAL network.
When an English guy boards Air Malawi in London, he's going to Malawi, period.
This is the weakness of these airlines. Their strategies are very much flawed. There are dozens of airlines doing the Europe-Africa link and who are doing it well. However, very few do the African routes and that's where the biggest growth will be, not to mention the cash.
That's why Ethiopian Airlines is so profitable. In fact, the new West African airline in which EAL acquired a stake is already profitable, and EAL is planning on establishing several regional subsidiaries all over the continent. They understand that there is a huge underserved market there, and they are moving in for the kill, while the national airlines in those regions are blindly dreaming of London and Paris passengers.

But European routes are extremely lucrative and the reality is that's where the demand for most African travel. Ethiopia and Kenya have done a great job to service themselves as a transfer airline between Africa and Asia and within Africa partly due to geographic location. Much the same way as Copa Airlines pretty in Panama does the same in Latin America as a cheaper alternative of travelling to the U.S. But if all African airlines had the same strategy as Kenya or Ethiopia many would simply go bankrupt because the demand isn't there.

The problem is really down to lack of funds, chronic mismanagement and poor maintanance of African airlines that leads to E.U blacklists which essentially doom these companies.

paddylo

July 14th, 2010, 06:11 PM

^^
How come there are no flights to Cameroon and Cote d'Ivoire?

Perhaps there is not much demand. . .Remember Nigeria is English speaking
so its more likely Nigerians will mostly fly to English speaking countries(gambia,Sierra leone,Ghana )

Alex Roney

July 14th, 2010, 08:31 PM

^^
How come there are no flights to Cameroon and Cote d'Ivoire?

Kinda goes to my previous point Abesha even Nigeria's main carrier to a country of over 150 million people they don't have a very extensive West African network. It's mostly due to lack of demand, so they've bought larger aircraft and opted to increase service to London (their most profitable market) and expand to New York. I agree with you that it is sad, but unfortunately it's a reflection of Africa's general economic system that looks to the West (and now Asia) over regional trading.

However I would add though that not having service to Cameroon a major African country that borders Nigeria is shameful and lacks foresight.

paddylo

July 14th, 2010, 10:30 PM

Kinda goes to my previous point Abesha even Nigeria's main carrier to a country of over 150 million people they don't have a very extensive West African network. It's mostly due to lack of demand, so they've bought larger aircraft and opted to increase service to London (their most profitable market) and expand to New York. I agree with you that it is sad, but unfortunately it's a reflection of Africa's general economic system that looks to the West (and now Asia) over regional trading.

However I would add though that not having service to Cameroon a major African country that borders Nigeria is shameful and lacks foresight.

The airlines industries business model should not be based on sentiment or charity

but rather a solid business plan. . .
Nigeria a country of 150million as u rightly quoted has enough domestic demand(as u can see above from flights to the 20 or so airports within the country) . . .if there is no effective demand for flight btw Nigeria and cameroon. . i dont see whats so shameful about it. . .

Most Nigerians/cameroonians that travel to cameroon and vice versa are usually small time traders that go by road through eastern Nigeria

and Nigeria has a huge diaspora in europe and USA,fueling demand to those routes

Why spend a couple of hundred million dollars buying an airplane,only for u to put it on a loss making route. .
u are only going to ensure your early demise,like so many airlines across the world. . .so i dont get your point

abesha

July 15th, 2010, 01:34 PM

Double post

abesha

July 15th, 2010, 01:34 PM

Alex, the thing is, the demand IS there, but just not as big as the demand for links to Europe.
The problem is that a brand new airline, instead of starting small and regional, wants to immediately head towards Europe.
There is no acceptable reason that a Western African traveler has to go through Addis or Nairobi to be linked to a Central African country.
I was reading about a guy who traveled through Addis to go from Cameroon to Gabon!!!
There may be small demand between Nigeria and Cameroon, but how about Cameroon-Cote d'Ivoire? How about Cote d'Ivoire-Senegal? I'm willing to bet there's money to be made on those routes.
They can do Douala (or Yaounde) - Lagos - Abidjan; or Dakar - Abidjan -Lagos, etc, and do something like a fortnightly flight with a small aircraft to test the waters, then increase accordingly.

As I mentioned earlier, the new airline established by Ethiopian Airlines as a west African subsidiary (ASKY) is only something like 9 months old and it's already profitable. They are also planning to eventually have several subregional subsidiaries.

There's plenty of room for growth within the region, but no vision.

Here's the network of ASKY Airlines - which started flying in January 2010 if I remember correctly.

http://www.flyasky.com/images/destinations.jpg

Alex Roney

July 15th, 2010, 04:57 PM

The airlines industries business model should not be based on sentiment or charity

but rather a solid business plan. . .
Nigeria a country of 150million as u rightly quoted has enough domestic demand(as u can see above from flights to the 20 or so airports within the country) . . .if there is no effective demand for flight btw Nigeria and cameroon. . i dont see whats so shameful about it. . .

Most Nigerians/cameroonians that travel to cameroon and vice versa are usually small time traders that go by road through eastern Nigeria

and Nigeria has a huge diaspora in europe and USA,fueling demand to those routes

Why spend a couple of hundred million dollars buying an airplane,only for u to put it on a loss making route. .
u are only going to ensure your early demise,like so many airlines across the world. . .so i dont get your point

Their is definitely demand of air travel from Cameroon to Nigeria a country of 150 million people. It might not be huge but surely enough to fill a small jet once a day.

Also Nigeria is big enough and well placed to become a transit point, much the same way as Ethiopia has become. To me Air Arik's strategy is a bit to one dimensional serving 3 longhaul routes one to London, N.Y and Joburg while then having a modest West African network. Their not maximizing their profits I can assure you.

Alex Roney

July 15th, 2010, 04:58 PM

agostinho

July 15th, 2010, 08:02 PM

Remember Nigeria is English speaking
so its more likely Nigerians will mostly fly to English speaking countries(gambia,Sierra leone,Ghana )What kind of statement :ohno:.
There are many weekly flights from Luanda to Johannesburg, Cape town, Kinshasa, Brazzaville, Windhoek and so on, most of these cities belong to french and english speaking countries and we are Portuguese one. You also have to be luck to book for an early flight, because they are always full. I agree when you say the lack of demand might be the reason and with the points of Abesha.

GregPz

July 15th, 2010, 08:21 PM

Can you tell us the top 20 or 30 airports?

Here's the top 20

1 Johannesburg 17,445,271 -5.7%
2 Cairo 14,382,042 0.2%
3 Cape Town 7,725,214 -4.4%
4 Sharm el Sheikh 7,430,940 -4.2%
5 Hurghada 6,730,087 -0.2%
6 Casablanca 6,393,000 3.0%
7 Lagos 5,654,122 9.1%
8 Nairobi 5,077,968 7.0%
9 Algiers 4,474,970 8.4%
10 Durban 4,304,740 -3.5%
11 Monastir 4,262,574 -1.2%
12 Tunis 4,257,455 0.8%
13 Addis Ababa 3,497,874 13.1%
14 Abuja 3,196,438 17.1%
15 Tripoli 3,070,200 (2008)
16 Marrakech 2,982,000 -3.8%
17 Djerba 2,626,742 (2008)
18 Mauritius 2,381,810 -8.7%
19 Dakar 2,205,000 (2008)
20 Luxor 1,872,070 -13.7%

abesha

July 15th, 2010, 08:49 PM

How come Tripoli has such high numbers? Is Air Libya really that big? That's half their population lol.

paddylo

July 16th, 2010, 02:52 AM

C-check: 2 Arik Air’s aircraft return

Thursday, July 15, 2010
LAGOS—Arik Air has taken delivery of two of its four aircraft sent out on mandatory C-check and structural repairs in Southend, London and Malta, respectively.

Boeing 737-700 NG, with registration number 5N-MJD, which had a lightning strike 28 June 2010 and was sent to Malta on 5 July 2010, arrived Arik Air’s hangar at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, weekend.

Boeing 737-700, marked 5N-MJK, which was sent out for the mandatory C-check in Southend, London arrived in Lagos, Monday.

Arik Air’s Deputy Executive Vice President, Mr. Chris Ndulue, who disclosed these in Lagos yesterday, said two other Boeing 737-700 aircraft, currently undergoing similar checks in Malta and London would arrive the country before end of the month.

According to him, Arik Air’s operations will get a further boost with the coming of the aircraft from their various checks.

“We have had a couple of disruptions to our operations in the last few days because we don’t have the full complement of our fleet. With our over 120 daily flights, it will be difficult not to feel the impact of the absence of four aircraft at a time.

http://odili.net/news/source/2010/jul/15/319.html

paddylo

July 16th, 2010, 02:55 AM

Their is definitely demand of air travel from Cameroon to Nigeria a country of 150 million people. It might not be huge but surely enough to fill a small jet once a day.

Also Nigeria is big enough and well placed to become a transit point, much the same way as Ethiopia has become. To me Air Arik's strategy is a bit to one dimensional serving 3 longhaul routes one to London, N.Y and Joburg while then having a modest West African network. Their not maximizing their profits I can assure you.

U are forgetting the capital required to invest in such expansion. . .
The margins in the airlines business is very thin. . .

Thats why in the USA,airlines are always going in and out of bankruptcy. . .

Arik cannot be faulted for being prudent. . .maybe when they list on the stock exchange
and have a more flexible mix of capital(debt and equity),then more routes can be added

ufookoro

July 17th, 2010, 12:10 AM

We Are Planning to Become Leading Airline - Air Nigeria Boss

Lagos — In a bid to reposition the airline, the Chief Executive Officer of Air Nigeria, Mr. Kinfe Kahssaye, has said that the airline is committed to becoming the leading commercial airline in the country

He stated this while taking delivery of another Boeing 737-300 aircraft to increase the size of the airline's fleet to six aircraft recently in Lagos.

According to him, "We are committed to our ambition of becoming a dominant airline by increasing our fleet size significantly in order to be able to bring travel convenience to our teeming passengers. The arrival of this additional aircraft to our fleet is a demonstration of the commitment of our chairman, Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim, to build a credible airline for Nigerians".

He noted that that Air Nigeria fully appreciates growing customer demands for it to open more domestic and regional routes, reiterating that the airline is committed to maintaining global best practices in the aviation industry as well as passenger safety and comfort.

The aircraft with registration number 5N-VNF, the CEO said, had undergone major maintenance in France before its re-acquisition by Air Nigeria.

The aircraft returned painted in the new Air Nigeria livery.

Kahssaye said that the arrival of the aircraft will boost Air Nigeria's capacity on both domestic and the regional routes especially as additional new routes are being introduced to expand our network coverage.

Daily Independent recalled that following the recent acquisition of the airline by Ibrahim, Air Nigeria, formerly known as Virgin Nigeria, has been positively turned around and has been meeting its financial obligations to both creditors and vendors.

The delivery of the Boeing aircraft is coming barely one week after the airline resumed flight operations to Benin City with promise by the airline to reintroduce flight to Owerri in July, just as it is planning to open up additional regional and domestic routes on its network.

Mwafrika

July 19th, 2010, 01:39 PM

To launch Kenya Airways new route Nairobi - Luanda (Angola) on August 17th ...........they are offering flights from $50 US return.....

I think its my chance to visit Angola :banana:

http://www.kenya-airways.com/home/

hakz2007

July 20th, 2010, 08:27 AM

DEBT-RIDDEN GHANA INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES SHUTS OFFICES
ACCRA, July 20 (NNN-GNA0 -- Ghana International Airlines (GIA) is just waiting for its landlord to close its offices in Accra since management of the company has been saddled with a huge rent.

The telephone lines of the company have been severed recently and the internet service could also be cut anytime soon. Aggrieved workers of the airline who spoke to CITI & BUSINESS GUIDE said the company was just hanging onto the last straw.

The Ghana government has decided not to fund its operations rendering management of the airline unable to pay salaries owed to its staff for about three months.

A more worrying aspect of this treatment meted out to the airline is that investors who expressed interest in helping the airline have been stopped from investing in its operations. Government’s release of funding to GIA in tranches has grossly affected its operations.

“GIA initially needed an original business start-up of $55 million, but Government provided $4.9 million while minority shareholders provided $2.1 million. Summarily, money invested into the business stood at $7 million, leaving a wide difference of $48 million.”

Management of the airline recently told the media there had been a significant cash flow challenge ever since the airline was started in 2005 and as a result of the manner in which the support to the airline was released; it has found it very difficult to execute the company’s business plan.

According to Sylvia Lawson, a management member of the airline, the previous government invested an amount of $46.7 million between January 2006 and December 2008, noting that $16 million was obtained from the Social Security & National Insurance Trust (SSNIT).

In the case of the incumbent administration, she said it provided $16.6 million between January 2009 and April 2010, stressing that government had provided a total amount of $63.3 million to GIA.

She also revealed that GIA had a greater part of its market in the Ghanaian community in the UK and therefore such a development did not bode well for the airline and the Ghanaian economy.

Aircraft owners and fuel providers have often seized the properties of the airline as a result of huge debts. http://namnewsnetwork.org/v2/read.php?id=127472

ufookoro

July 24th, 2010, 12:43 PM

Air Nigeria Expands Regional Route Network to Congo Brazzaville

Air Nigeria has concluded plans to start direct flight operations to Congo Brazzaville, as part of its regional route expansion programme.

Chief Executive Officer of the airline, Mr. Kinfe Kahssaye, who disclosed this in Lagos Thursday, said the operations to the Central African country would commence 8th August 2010.

The Brazzaville Congo operation brings to nine the number of regional routes the airline had embarked upon.

Kahssaye explained that the proposed launch of the Brazzaville route was in line with the new vision of the airline to build strong economic ties amongst African nations through expanding trade frontiers.

According to him, Air Nigeria will start daily operations on the route, from Lagos to Maya-Maya Airport in Brazzaville, with an introductory fare of $500.

"Our regional operation is hinged on fostering and promoting existing economic and socio-cultural ties in Africa, especially by providing world class airline travel experience for passengers," Kahssaye said.

He promised that the airline would offer passengers' value-for-money as it will continually deliver superior customer service at par with globally acceptable standards.

Chairman of Air Nigeria, Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim, in a message of goodwill, said the airline had, with the proposed operation, taken a step to create a new era of air travel in the country.

Her said: : "The proposed entry of Air Nigeria to Congo Brazzaville on the regional route as well as the re-launch of its flight services to both Benin and Owerri, is a momentous first step towards achieving the airline's goal of creating a new era of air travel in Nigeria and indeed the entire African continent and beyond."

egypt69

July 28th, 2010, 07:08 PM

EgyptAir eyes more presence in Africa

Egypt Air is seeking to extend its network in Africa and is looking for partners in the central or western regions of the continent with which it can cooperate, Chairman and CEO Hussein Massoud told ATW.

MS is evaluating several options, including potentially basing aircraft together with Star Alliance partner South African Airways and even starting a new airline. The new airline or joint aircraft base could be ready for operation as early as next year, Massoud said.

He believes it is possible for MS to open one or two new destinations in Africa every year (ATW Daily News, Oct. 16, 2009). It currently serves 16 destinations in Africa (excluding Egypt) and will add Lusaka this fall.

Massoud confirmed that the MS fleet is expected to grow from 66 to 72 aircraft by the end of 2013 or early 2014. The carrier is already planning its future fleet through 2020. “Early next year it will be clear" which type of aircraft it will purchase for its future fleet, he said, declining to give details on how many aircraft will comprise a new order.

http://atwonline.com/airline-finance-data/news/egyptair-eyes-more-presence-africa-0721

Egyptair to fly to Juba, eyes African expansion

CAIRO July 27 (Reuters) - Egyptair, the country's flagship carrier and one of Africa's largest airlines, will begin flying twice a week to south Sudan next month as Egypt seeks improved ties ahead of a planned 2011 referendum on secession.
The state-owned airline's flights to the southern capital Juba, will start on August 6, the company said on Tuesday, adding to its 26 flights a week to Khartoum.

"Expanding in Africa comes in line with a strategy to offer more services and investments in this continent, one of the fastest growing markets in the world," Hussein Massoud, chairman and chief executive officer of the Egyptair holding company, said in an emailed statement.

Egyptair, a member of the Star Alliance network, has also recently started flights to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and Abuja in Nigeria.

"We have ambitious expansion plans and we will continue to seek new destinations in Africa and increase the frequency of flights," said Captain Alaa Ashour, chairman of the airline.

Egypt has been looking to improve ties with south Sudan ahead of a planned 2011 referendum that would determine whether the largely Christian and animist south can secede from the Muslim north.

The referendum was promised in a 2005 peace deal that ended Africa's longest civil war -- a decades-long conflict between north and south Sudan in which an estimated 2 million people were killed and 4 million forced to flee their homes.

Egypt said in July it would give the government of south Sudan a non-refundable grant of $300 million for water and electricity projects as it seeks to build goodwill among Nile Basin countries, the source of almost all its water.

http://af.reuters.com/article/egyptNews/idAFLDE66P0ZO20100727

egypt69

August 5th, 2010, 04:15 PM

Ethiopian Airlines to launch 777-200LR service to Washington Dec 2010

As per 05AUG10 GDS timetable display, Ethiopian Airlines is introducing NEW 321-seater Boeing 777-200LR aircraft to its fleet this Winter season. Per display, Boeing 777-200LR is to enter service on 15DEC10 to Washington.

Schedule details and configurations below:

Service operates via Rome on westbound flight will continue, but eastbound flight will operate as nonstop, eliminating Rome stopover (saves overall travel time by 2hrs 35mins). Also, overall frequency increases from 6 weekly to Daily.

With the increase in frequency and capacity, capacity to Washington is to be increased by roughly 770 – 820 seats per week, round trip basis.

ET500 ADD2215 – 0235+1FCO0320+1 – 0735+1IAD 77L D
ET501 IAD1200 – 0825+1ADD 77L D

Ethiopian 777-200LR Configuration
Cloud Nine Class 34 Seats
Row 1-5
Layout AC – DFH – JL
Exception Row 1 AC – DH – JL
“Premium Seat” Row 1DH

Economy Class 287 Seats
Row 11 – 43
Layout ABC – DFH – JKL
Exception Row
29 DFH
42 AC – DFH – JL
43 AC – DFH – JL

Exit Row 30
“Premium Seat”
Row 11 ABC – DFH – JKL
Row 16-18 C D H J
Row 30 ABC – DH – JKL

http://airlineroute.net/2010/08/05/et-iad-77l/

ufookoro

August 6th, 2010, 08:39 PM

Lagos — As Nigeria completes the eight critical elements, safety requirements set by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) towards achieving Category 1 (Cat 1) status, which will allow all Nigerian carriers to fly into the U.S. airspace, the U.S.-based aviation safety regulatory body has down graded Mexico from cat 1 to 2.

The downgrade of Mexico is coming at a time when Nigeria, through the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has also conducted a mock audit on the Nigerian aviation.

The downgrade of Mexico may not be on connected with its inability comply with mandatory international air carrier safety standards.

Speaking to Daily Independent on the downgrading of Mexico by FAA, the Director General of NCAA, Dr. Harold Demuren, said that some countries do lose the cat 1 status because they cannot sustain it, just as he reiterated that Nigeria will get the status.

Demuren explained that in pursuit of category 1 status, it became imperative as part of the safety reform agenda of the Federal Government after the spate of crashes that bedeviled the aviation sector between 2005 and 2006 for there to be a new Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulation (NCAR)

The eight critical elements, which are mandatory for the Nigerian civil aviation include legislation, regulation, CAA structure and oversight functions, qualified technical personnel, technical guidance, licensing and certification, surveillance obligations and resolution of safety concerns.

Already Arik Air, a Nigerian carrier, having passed the new NCARs has been given Airline Operator Certificate (AOC) by NCAA and has since started flight operations to New York.

The downgrading of Mexico is coming on the heels of the hope expressed by the NCAA boss that Nigeria may achieve Cat 1 before the October 2010.

According to Demuren, "On category 1 status, I am happy to inform that we are now squarely on course. My prayer is that before October 1, 2010 we should have the certification. We want to have it before Independence Day. September is a big date for us. The officials are coming this week; it will be the last inspection. After that it is going to be a mock audit and then the final".

Demuren had severally said that getting Cat 1 is not the issue for now but how to sustain it, adding that many countries have lost the status because they could not sustain it, adding that the U.S. will not hesitate to withdraw the status if the country concerned.

With the new development, FAA has effectively restricted its airlines from partnering with American carriers or expanding service between the two countries.

FAA said that the drop in Mexico safety ranking means it cannot open new air routes to the United States.

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According to FAA, "While Mexico has been responsive to the FAA's findings and has made significant improvements in recent months; it was unable to fully comply with all of the international safety standards".

The new category means "Mexican air carriers cannot establish new service to the United States, although they are allowed to maintain existing service.

"We committed to working closely with the Mexican government and providing technical assistance to help Mexico regain its Category 1 rating." FAA said.

Downgraded from Category 1 to Category 2 rating, Mexico "either lacks laws or regulations" to ensure air carriers comply with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards or its civil aviation authority is "deficient" in some areas.

In 2009, U.S. citizens made more than 5.2 million air trips to Mexico, down 10.6 per cent from 2008, a drop in travel attributed to swine-flu concerns.

ufookoro

August 20th, 2010, 08:55 AM

Arik Air Gets U.S. Govt's Recognition

Kenneth Ehigiator18 August 2010
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Lagos — United States Government has granted its recognition of Arik Airlines as one of Africa's leading carriers, crowning it with an invitation to the Chairman, Sir Joseph Arumemi Ikhide, to make a presentation at the just concluded eighth African Growth and Opportunities Act, AGOA, Forum in Washington DC.

Vanguard learnt that Arik Air was invited to the Forum, which held August 2 to 3, 2010, for facilitating trade between the U.S. and Africa, especially in view of the volume of investment it had put into aircraft acquisition, mainly from Boeing Corporation.

Speaking at the Forum, which had in attendance U.S. Trade Representative, Ron Kirk, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, William Fitzgerald; President of United States' Export_Import (EXIM) Bank, Mr. Fred Hochberg, acknowledged Arik Air's contributions to the growth of aviation in Africa and trade relations with the U.S.

Hochberg noted that Arik Air had significant trade major with U.S. companies, stressing that the airline had the largest fleet of Boeing aircraft in Africa, and had invested over $4.57 billion in Boeing aircraft acquisition, including orders.

He said the airline had also done $220 million worth of transactions with US EXIM Bank; purchased about $1 million explosive and narcotic trace devices from General Electric, GE; and $3 million screening machines from Rapiscan, among others.

Hochberg particularly referred to the commitment of the airline to develop the air transport sector in West and Central Africa.

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Arik Air Chairman, Sir Arumemi Ikhide who was invited to speak on facilitating trade through investment and infrastructure showcased achievements of Arik Air as a model for all of Africa and its strides at making Nigeria a hub for travel to the continent.

In his presentation at the Forum, which also had in attendance ministers of trade and commerce from several African countries, Sir Arumemi_Ikhide, also made allusions to the current and planned fleet acquisition (new orders from Boeing and Airbus), route structure, unique training programme, first class maintenance support from Lufthansa Technik, and plan to build a first class maintenance facility in Africa, OCC.

He also listed the recent AOC re-certification by Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, as part of efforts at attaining United States' Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, Category 1.

Matthias Offodile

August 28th, 2010, 12:18 PM

Air France to open a new non-stop route between Paris and Gabon.

It will add Port Gentil - Paris (non-stop service) to its already existing Libreville - Paris non-stop route...hopefully, Gabon Airlines will follow suit as Port Gentil is being developped into a new international airport

Gabon : Air France veut desservir Port-Gentil

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/About/General/2009/6/1/1243859585912/An-Air-France-Airbus-A330-001.jpg

Air France veut ouvrir de nouvelles lignes. La compagnie aérienne prévoit notamment augmenter ses capacités de 2 à 3% cet hiver par rapport à la même période de l'année dernière et ambitionne desservir Port-Gentil au Gabon.

Dans le cadre de la présentation en septembre de son programme pour la saison d'hiver (de fin octobre 2010 à fin mars 2011), la compagnie aérienne Air France prévoit augmenter ses capacités, mesurées en sièges kilomètres offerts, de 2 à 3% par rapport à la même période de l’année 2009 et compte ouvrir de nouvelles lignes à l'international, notamment vers l'Afrique.

Parmi les nouvelles destinations envisagées, Port-Gentil au Gabon , apparait en bonne place. La compagnie n'a pas souhaité faire de commentaire dans l'immédiat. Cette progression se veut modérée afin de maintenir la tendance haussière des prix. Il s'agit par ailleurs de la première croissance positive depuis deux ans alors que le groupe avait réduit ses capacités de plus 4% pour faire face à la chute du trafic et des prix pendant la crise.

Le groupe Air France-KLM a en effet a connu la pire année de son histoire pour son exercice 2009/2010. Il a enregistré une perte nette record de 1,55 milliard d'euros et le chiffre d'affaires a chuté de 15%, à 20,9 milliards d'euros. L’ouverte de nouvelles lignes et une augmentation des fréquences de vols en Afrique vise également à lutter contre l'offensive de son concurrent Lufthansa qui se développe sur le continent.

Publié le 27-08-2010

ufookoro

August 29th, 2010, 02:53 AM

Air Nigeria takes delivery of 7th aircraft …three more to join fleet soon.

Air Nigeria has taken delivery of another Boeing 737-300 aircraft to further consolidate and expand its dominance on the regional and domestic routes. With the delivery of the aircraft, Air Nigeria current fleet size of seven aircraft now consists of five young Boeing 737-300 and two state of the art Embraer E-190 aircraft.

The Boeing 737-300 aircraft marked 5N-VNJ arrived Lagos from Dublin Tuesday 24th August, where it had been painted in the Airline’s livery as well as undergone comprehensive restoration in preparatory for its immediate entry into service which is expected to give Air Nigeria an edge in offering seamless services and increased market share.

While taking delivery of the aircraft in Lagos, Chief Executive Officer of Air Nigeria, Mr. Kinfe Kahssaye said that the turn around of the Airline has been progressing faster than anticipated and with the coming of the 7th aircraft we are now better poised to offer better on time performance and schedule integrity.

Mr. Kahssaye further said: “We are progressively doubling our fleet size over the next few months and the route network is being rationalized for effective deployment of the fleet to service both existing and newly introduced routes”.

“Our vision is to continually bring convenience to the doorsteps of our numerous customers by acquiring modern aircraft to open up access to every major city in Nigeria and connect same to our regional routes and beyond Africa”, said Mr. Kahssaye while also noting that Air Nigeria is expecting delivery of additional three aircraft to bring its fleet size to ten before the end of the year.

Mr. Kahssaye further noted that with the expected deliveries of more aircraft, Air Nigeria is set to realize its short term vision of commencing flights to many more destinations cut across both domestic and in the West and Central African region as well as offering outstanding value to passengers.

It will be noted that Air Nigeria just recently re-commenced flights to Benin City and Owerri on the domestic route while it also launched flights to Congo Brazzaville via Cotonou & Douala on the regional route.

It will be noted that following the recent acquisition of the airline by Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim, Air Nigeria has received a new lease of life, enabling it to embark on several turn-around initiatives to position it to effectively meet and exceed the expectations of the Nigerian, African and International travel market, as well as make full payments of debts owed to financial institutions. Recent expansions to new domestic and regional destinations, and increased flexibility of timing and frequency on existing routes is also owed to this new burst of life.

From its operational base at the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos, Air Nigeria currently operates to Benin City, Owerri, Port Harcourt, Abuja and Sokoto on the domestic routes while it also operates to Brazzaville, Accra, Douala, Dakar, Monrovia, Cotonou, Banjul, Libreville and Abidjan with further plans to extend services to additional West and Central African destinations, Europe, Asia, America and Latin America.:cheers:

Matthias Offodile

August 29th, 2010, 11:49 AM

Brazil’s Puma Air authorised to fly to Angola :cheers:

[ 2010-08-25 ]

Brasilia, Brazil, 25 Aug – Brazilian regional airline Puma Air has been authorised to provide four flights per week between Brazil and Angola, the Brazilian National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac) said Monday in Brasilia.

Puma Air some time ago announced it planned to launch scheduled flights between Brazil and Angola, with links between Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Luanda currently only provided by Angolan state airline Taag.

According to recent statements from Jorge Vianna, vice-president of Puma Air, the operation to Angola is justified because of the steadily growing number of Brazilians now living in Angola - around 70,000 people – and by the increasing presence of Brazilian companies in the Angolan market.

The company, which has its headquarters in Belém, the capital of Pará state, currently operates with a single Boeing aircraft carrying out daily flights between the cities of Belém and Macapá, in northern Brazil, to Sao Paulo, in the southeast of the country.

Muttie

August 29th, 2010, 12:30 PM

Morocco’s airports handle record 1.6 million passengers in July; passenger numbers up 15% in first seven months

TAP Portugal has taken advantage of the growing Moroccan market and launched a route between Lisbon and Marrakech in June. The strongest growth has, however, been recorded in Fez, Nador and Tangier where Ryanair and Spanair have launched routes this spring.

Being on the periphery of Europe appears to be an advantage at the moment, at least when it comes to generating air travel (just look at Turkey). Morocco, in no small part thanks to its ‘open-skies’ deal with the European Union, is continuing to report impressive passenger traffic growth across its airports in 2010. In each of the last three months (May, June and July), traffic has grown by between 15% and 20%. Even in ‘volcanic April’, passenger numbers were up almost 8%.

Casablanca remains the country’s dominant airport, accounting for just over 49% of all air passenger traffic in the first seven months of 2010. Passenger numbers have grown by 14.6% to just over four million. Overall, year-to-date growth across all airports is also, coincidentally, 14.6%. The fastest growing airports are Fez (39.2%), Nador (37.3%) and Tangier (21.8%), while the relative laggards are Agadir (+8.3%) and Rabat (-2.4%). New scheduled routes started this year include London Stansted to Fez (Ryanair since 4 May), Pisa to Fez (Ryanair since 7 April); Barcelona to Nador (Spanair since 18 April), and Brussels Charleroi to Nador (Ryanair since 9 April).

July demand reaches all-time high
Last month, Morocco’s airports handled a record 1,587,234 passengers up almost 20% on last July, and beating the previous record set last August of under 1.4 million.

Normally there would be more of a spike in April, but the repercussions of the Icelandic volcano resulted in a curtailing of passenger flows as many flights were cancelled.

Some year on year stats:

http://www.anna.aero/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/seasonality.png

kgl

August 31st, 2010, 10:25 AM

Air Algerie could be blacklisted, because they don't respect safety standards.

They must improve our standads before november 5th 2010.

L’Union Européenne a donné jusqu’au 5 novembre à la compagnie aérienne Air Algérie pour se conformer à toutes les règlementations en vigueur sur la sécurité, sans quoi elle sera interdite de vol dans l’espace aérien européen.

Les autorités européennes enquêtent depuis janvier 2009 sur Air Algérie, avec des inspections au sol régulières de ses appareils, et elles ont constaté de nombreux » manquements à la sécurité du transport de marchandises, de la navigabilité et de l’exploitation des appareils, et des licences du personnel navigant ». Un bulletin du Journal officiel de l’Union Européenne détaille tous ces points, et engage la compagnie nationale algérienne à y remédier d’ici le 5 novembre.

Plusieurs réunions ont eu lieu entre les deux parties, les autorités européennes encourageant la compagnie à redoubler d’efforts avant l’échéance de novembre. Air Algérie s’est engagé à fournir aux autorités de la sécurité aérienne un plan détaillé de mesures pour remédier à ces manquements, accompagné d’un calendrier de mise en œuvre. L’Europe a exigé des rapports mensuels, et continue l’inspection au sol régulière des avions.

Mais une épée de Damoclès oscille bien au dessus d’Air Algérie, qui pourrait se retrouver dans la même situation que de nombreuses compagnies mises sur la « liste noire », et plonger les communautés algériennes des rives méditerranéennes dans le chaos.

Souce : Air journal

tanzan

August 31st, 2010, 05:17 PM

Arrives at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam yesterday.Another one will arrive next month.
http://i970.photobucket.com/albums/ae190/tanzan_2010/p1.jpg

egypt69

September 1st, 2010, 05:27 AM

EgyptAir becomes first airline in Africa to introduce Wi-Fi and Mobile Roaming on its aircraft, receives new A330-300

EgyptAir received its first of 5, brand new, Airbus A330-300s at 14:00 Cairo Local Time on Saturday the 28th of August.

Capt Alaa Ashour the Chairman and CEO of EgyptAir airlines flew the plane himself from Tolouse to Cairo!

This aircraft will operate the daily non-stop morning flight between Cairo and London Heathrow, as MS 777/778. From October 31st to December 31st, EgyptAir will delpoy another A330-300 to Dubai (DXB) as MS 910/911.

The new A330-300 will be the first EgyptAir aircraft, as well as the first Airline in Africa to feature onboard communications technology, enabling passengers to benefit from in flight mobile phone services and WI-FI internet access.

EGYPTAIR Receives Its First Airbus 330-300

http://www.ftnnews.com/images/stories/other/2010/egyptair-1st-a330-300.jpg

EGYPTAIR has received its first Airbus 330-300 arriving Cairo yesterday (Saturday) at 14:00.

EGYPTAIR HOLDING CHAIRMAN and CEO, Eng Hussien Massoud with a number of Egyptian Civil Aviation and EGYPTAIR officials were in reception of the new aircraft. The aircraft delivery ceremony was held in Airbus HQ in Toulouse with the attendance of Capt Alaa Ashour, EGYPTAIR AIRLINES CHAIRMAN and CEO, and Mr. Fouad El- Attar, Airbus Middle East Vice Chairman.

With the arrival of this aircraft, Eng Hussien Massoud announced "The delivery of this aircraft, which is the first of 5 A330-300 transaction, comes in line with the continuous strategic development of the Egyptian Civil Aviation Sector under the leadership of HE Ahmed Shafiq, the Egyptian Minister of Civil aviation, also comes within EGYPTAIR's ambitious plan to expand and modernize the fleet and the continuous development of EGYPTAIR's services."

Capt Alaa Ashour the Chairman and CEO of EGYPTAIR Airlines, who flies the A330-300 back to Cairo himself, expressed his happiness with the new aircraft saying "This aircraft is a good leap of EGYPTAIR as it provides the on board Wireless internet and mobile services facilities to be the first aircraft in Africa from this type. Moreover, this aircraft will operate the daily non-stop morning flight between Cairo and London."

This aircraft embraces a number of the latest technologies; like using the wireless internet and personal mobile on board, besides using the GSM, SMS and GPRS services. The passengers flying onboard the new A330-300 will be able to make phone calls through their personal mobiles with the same international calls rate of their service providers, in addition to the ability of sending SMS and using the mobile internet service. Moreover, the customers will enjoy using the WI-FI service throughout their flight.

With these innovative services, EGYPTAIR will enable its customers from keeping in touch with their business, families and friends throughout all their relaxing flight.

The new A330-300 accommodates 301 seats, of which 36 in business class and 265 in economy class. All EGYPTAIR customers flying onboard the aircraft will be able to recharge their personal devices while relaxing on their elegant seats and they will be also able to sleep on their 160ْ Flat Beds, or they will indulge themselves in hundreds of entertainment options with personal entertainment system screened on the 15.4" screens.

Further, EGYPTAIR's newest A330-300 economy seats provide wider and more relaxing seats with personal entertainment system displayed on the back of every sear to enable the customers and their families from selecting from the best entertainment programs; this is in addition to providing electricity plug in every seat.

http://www.ftnnews.com/content/view/10199/27/

Egyptair receives first Airbus A330-300

http://www.ftnnews.com/images/stories/airlines/egyptair-a330-300.jpg

Egyptair has received its first Airbus A330-300 aircraft from the Airbus facility in Toulouse, France. Powered by Rolls Royce Trent 700 engines, the aircraft seats 301 passengers with 265 in Economy Class, and 36 in Business Class.

Joining Egyptair's existing Airbus fleet of 17 A320 family aircraft, seven A330-200s and three A340-200s, the new A330-300 will be the first Egyptair aircraft to feature onboard communications technology, enabling passengers to benefit from in flight mobile phone services and WI-FI internet access.

"This delivery is an important milestone in the history of Egyptair .We will continue to bring the latest to our customers who deserve this premium and highly competitive product" stated Eng. Hussein Massoud , Chairman and CEO of Egyptair Holding Company. He added "We are determined on the ambitious plan for fleet expansion and modernization"

Captain Alaa Ashour, the Chairman and CEO of Egyptair Airlines, who flew the new aircraft himself to Cairo said that "the delivery of the first Airbus 330-300 will add value to our customer and launches new services for the first time in Egyptair."

"We are proud to be partnering with Egyptair as they launch their new onboard communications offering on the A330."

said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer, Customers.

"Passengers can now use these innovative services from the unparalleled comfort of the A330 cabin whilst the airline will benefit from the excellent reliability and economics offered by the aircraft."

Airbus aircraft share a unique cockpit and operational commonality, allowing airlines to use the same pool of pilots, cabin crews and maintenance engineers, bringing operational flexibility and resulting in significant cost savings.

"In the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA), Airbus has sold around 1000 aircraft and has a backlog of over 500. More than 500 Airbus aircraft are flying with 48 MENA operators, representing around 40% of the fleet in service in the region."

The A330 is one of the most widely used widebody aircraft in service today. To date, Airbus has won more than 1,000 firm orders for the various versions of the aircraft. Over 700 A330s have already been delivered and the aircraft is currently flying with over 80 operators worldwide.

http://www.ameinfo.com/241051.html

Also:

http://atwonline.com/aircraft-engines-components/news/egyptair-orders-two-q400s-new-venture-takes-delivery-first-a330-300

Amazing video report, in English this time, focusing on the interiors:

xfGa220raEM

Such a beauty! :drool: I'm talking about the plane, not the reporter lol

The Chairman and CEO was recently interviewed on a popular Egyptian TV Show,of to discuss the delivery of the A330-300 and EgyptAir developments.

In the first part, fastforward to 2:40 to see footage of the delivery ceremony, interior of the aircraft and cockpit:

iItI1fjXjSc

Here are parts 2 and 3 of the interview for those who are interested, however they are in Arabic:

oM7bebQ9PNM

Q578BSpaWP8

Photos of the new bird from the Airliners.net database:

http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/middle/1/4/4/1767441.jpg

http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/middle/2/3/6/1764632.jpg

:cheers:

I think this is an important milestone for EgyptAir, and the delivery of the A330-300s, along with the continuous deliveries of the B777-300ERs (Which have the same comfortable, and modern interiors) will allow EgyptAir to develop a competitive long-hual product with World-Class standards. EgyptAir is certainly is going forward ;)

kgl

September 1st, 2010, 01:49 PM

Nice pix TANZAN.

Such a beauty! I'm talking about the plane, not the reporter lol

:lol:

Egypt69, in this article (see the link below), they say that EgyptAir is studying the possibilty to fly to Kigali. Do you have more info about that ?? Thanks

http://www.mfa.gov.eg/MFA_Portal/en-GB/Foreign_Policy/International_Relations/Egypt_Africa/rwanda10122009.htm

egypt69

September 1st, 2010, 04:48 PM

:D

Hi kgl,

Im sure its in the planning, but nothing official has been announced yet. I would consider it a possibility though, EgyptAir has rapid expansion plans for Africa, as it aims to be Star Alliance's Gateway to Africa, benefiting from its Geographic location as its like a center between Europe, Asia, and N.America.

"We have ambitious expansion plans and we will continue to seek new destinations in Africa and increase the frequency of flights," Captain Alaa Ashour, chairman of the airline said.

For example, EgyptAir is launching flights to Juba (South Sudan) and Lusakka (Zambia). It also has a dynamic African Network: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EgyptAir_destinations#Africa Accra, Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Jo'burg, Entebbe, Dar Es Salam, Nairobi, Addis Ababa, Asmara, Khartoum, to name a few. See the list for complete destinations.

Also, read these articles:

http://af.reuters.com/article/egyptNews/idAFLDE66P0ZO20100727

http://www.ameinfo.com/238926.html

http://www.african-aviation.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=415:egyptair-is-positive-about-its-business-growth-and-africas-aviation-sector&catid=16:africa

mwanamwiwa

September 1st, 2010, 05:16 PM

Kenya Airways commences flights to Luanda, Angola

Nairobi August 17 2010…

Leading African airline Kenya Airways today commenced the much awaited flights to Luanda, the Angolan capital city - giving Kenyans and other regional and international travelers from all over the world, direct access to the oil-rich nation.

Kenya Airways will operate the route on a code share agreement with Angolan Airlines (TAAG) twice a week every Tuesday and Friday.
To celebrate the launch of the new destination, Kenya Airways has priced the inaugural flight at USD 50, a special fare incentive that has generated excitement in the aviation marketplace.

As a developing country, Angola’s economy is being driven largely by its nascent oil and tourism industries and has been referred to as the ‘Brazil of Africa’.

The commencement of flights by Kenya Airways to Angola also marks the milestone addition of the national carrier’s 50th destination globally and 41st in Africa, further expanding the airline’s route network which has been growing over the years – as part of the company’s strategic initiative to link up major African cities with the rest of the world.
According Dr Titus Naikuni, the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Angola is an important destination for the airline because of its rising economic importance as a trading partner for several African and European countries.

Naikuni added that Kenya Airways will use the new route to serve business and leisure travelers within Africa and from outside the continent desirous of shorter connection time to rest of Africa, the Middle East, Europe and the Far East through its hub at the JKIA in Nairobi.

Apart from its economic potential, Dr. Naikuni noted that Angola had proved itself as one of Africa’s foremost promoters of Sport by successfully hosting the African Cup of Nations early this year,
He reiterated that Kenya Airways would relentlessly pursue its growth objective this year by adding new routes to its network and improving its the efficiency on existing ones.
“We are doing this by adding new aircraft and establishing additional frequencies on the high traffic routes to ensure we offer more alternative flights to our customers. We expect that by the end of the year, we will have taken delivery of two long-range Embraer 190LRs to serve our regional routes,” he explained.
Dr Naikuni added that the airline was helping passengers with processing Visas to Angola in view of the fact that Kenya does not have an Angolan embassy.

He expressed confidence that the two countries would set up missions to enhance diplomatic ties by establishing representation in their respective capitals to promote bilateral relations.

kgl

September 4th, 2010, 12:42 PM

Ok thanks Egypt69

Matthias Offodile

September 4th, 2010, 07:08 PM

Senegal flies to Dakar and wants to see Senegal as its West african Hub

Emirates to fly to Dakar amid plans for regional hub

by Bloomberg Thursday, 29 July 2010

Emirates, the biggest Arab airline, said it will begin flights to the Senegalese capital of Dakar on Sept 1, amid plans to develop the West African country as a regional transport hub.

The Dubai based carrier is opening the route to service Middle East and Asia bound passengers transferring from regional flights, Nigel Page, senior vice president for Africa and the Americas, said in an interview today in Dakar.

The introduction of flights comes as Senegal Airlines, a closely held carrier, plans to start flying to West African capitals by the end of this year, said Ibrahima Diong, Senegal’s managing director of air transport.

Page said: “What we’re hoping is that Senegal Airlines will provide a feeder market for us through Dakar to connect with various markets like Conakry, Nouakchott, Bamako and places like that."

Dakar’s main airport, situated on the western tip of Africa, handles 2.5 million passenger seats annually, 43 percent more than its nearest competitor in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, the World Bank said in a July 23 report.

Senegal is building a $460 million, 30 gate airport 60 kilometers (37 miles) outside of Dakar, according to the project’s website.

When finished, the Blaise Diagne International Airport will handle an initial 3 million passenger seats per year, with a goal of reaching 5 million by 2025, according to the website.

At a ceremony to mark the publication of the World Bank report last week, Clemencia de Mastle, an infrastructural diagnosis coordinator, said: “Senegal is an emerging hub for air transportation in West Africa, with great international connectivity, better quality standards and a higher volume of international traffic."

She added: “There, however, is a potential for an inter regional market that has yet to be fully developed.”

Senegal Airlines is being reconstituted from state owned Air Senegal International, which collapsed last year. To develop the regional market, the carrier intends to sign accords with other airlines in the region, Diong said.

Page said: “The collapse of the previous national carrier has left a bit of hole here, and hopefully a new airline will help fill that hole."

Emirates Airlines, which Diong said is the only carrier connecting Dakar and the Middle East, shares the hub with airlines including Atlanta based Delta Air Lines and Johannesburg based South African Airways.

http://www.arabianbusiness.com/593686-emirates-to-fly-to-dakar-amid-senegal-plans-for-regional-hub

Matthias Offodile

September 7th, 2010, 12:31 AM

Delta launches new flight from Liberia to US

Posted at 05:23 AM on Monday, Sep. 06, 2010
By JONATHAN PAYE-LAYLEH - Associated Press Writer

MONROVIA, Liberia -- Delta Air Lines Inc. has launched a new flight from the U.S. to Liberia, becoming the first American carrier to serve the West African nation that is recovering from more than a decade of civil war.

A statement issued Sunday by Delta says flights will operate weekly between Monrovia and Delta's hub in Atlanta with a stop in Accra, Ghana.

Before the outbreak of the conflict, major airlines like Pan American World Airways, Air France and even the Concorde flew directly to Liberia. The country was shattered during 11 years of on-and-off fighting starting with a 1989 coup led by warlord Charles Taylor, who is now on trial at the Hague.

Taylor was forced out of the country in 2003 and a peace deal brought an end to the fighting. Elections held two years later marked the start of a turnaround under the leadership of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a Harvard graduate and former World Bank economist.

Sirleaf walked out onto the runway Sunday to welcome the maiden flight.

"It goes without saying therefore that maintaining direct links with the United States is not only an economic necessity but for many Liberians it is also of psychological significance," she said.

The flight is also symbolic of Liberia's close ties with the U.S., which date back to the early 19th century when freed American slaves first began settling the small country along Africa's western coast. Liberia's constitution as well as its flag are modeled on America's.

"Delta Airlines' inaugural direct from Monrovia to the United States opens the skies over Liberia for business, for commerce for tourism, and for travel," Sirleaf said upon the arrival of the flight.

http://www.fresnobee.com/2010/09/06/2067693/delta-launches-direct-to-us-flight.html

ufookoro

September 9th, 2010, 03:38 PM

Arik Air sees significant rise in passenger figures for August

September 9th, 2010

Airline reaches milestone carrying 5 millionth passenger during summer period

Arik Air, Nigeria’s leading commercial airline, has finished the summer season by registering a growth in uplift of 10.3% for the three month period ending 31 August 2010 compared to the same period last year. Arik carried nearly 60,000 more passengers during this period comparable to 2009, with August (2010) realizing a 11.9% year on year increase in passenger numbers.

During August, and only eight months on from lifting its four millionth passenger, the airline reached another landmark when it carried its five millionth passenger on 6 August on the Johannesburg to Lagos route. Reaching the milestone of five million passengers is particularly impressive given that Arik flew on its first scheduled flight (Lagos to Abuja) on 30 October 2006 and is yet to celebrate its fourth anniversary.

The launch of its first international route was between Lagos-London, commencing operations on 15 December 2008. Since then, Arik has added Lagos-Johannesburg (Jun 09), Abuja-London (Nov 09) and Lagos-New York (Nov 09) to its long haul operations as well as opening regional routes from hubs in Lagos and Abuja to Dakar (Senegal), Accra (Ghana), Freetown (Sierra Leone), Cotonou (Benin), Banjul (The Gambia) and, most recently, Monrovia (Liberia).

Dr Michael Arumemi-Ikhide, Group Chief Executive Officer of Arik Air, commented; “The figures for the period just ended are very encouraging and reflect the steady growth that we have been experiencing since launching the first long-haul route in December 2008. Additional long-haul routes that we have added towards the end of last year have undoubtedly complemented the significant increase in passenger numbers for this quarter and we’re confident that we will build on this demand domestically and internationally. Arik Air underwent a rapid expansion in 2009 and this year the focus has been on consolidating in these new markets – from introducing our truly unique service and offering on new and under utilized routes, the aim has been to maintain those standards that set us apart from our competitors; I feel we have achieved this and the figures speak for themselves.

“Carrying our 5 millionth guest during this period has also been an incredible accomplishment given we are short of four full years into scheduled operations. To think that we have carried over one million passengers since January of this year is quite remarkable and something that everyone at Arik Air is very proud of.”

Back to Previous Page

Yoniii

September 9th, 2010, 09:44 PM

Ethiopian airlines will be the first African airline to operate the Boeing 777-200LR, the worlds most technologically advanced and longest range airplane.

ETV News (in English):

PX1Q6ef-3dw

Yoniii

September 13th, 2010, 11:44 AM

Ethiopian Airlines to begin daily non-stop flight to Ethiopia from Washington

nazret.com - According to published route schedules, Ethiopian Airlines will commence daily non-stop flight from Washington Dulles (IAD) to Addis Ababa (ADD), Ethiopia aboard the soon to be acquired Boeing 777-200 LR. The daily non-stop service from Washington to Addis will commence on December 16, 2010.

The flight from Washington Dulles departs at 12:00 noon local time and arrives in Addis Ababa the next morning at 08:28, local time. Total flight time duration is 12 hours and 25 minutes, which slashes overall travel time by 2hrs and 35mins.

The return trip from Addis Ababa to Washington Dulles will continue to make a stop in Rome.

Ethiopian airlines currently flies the Boeing 767 on its IAD-ADD flight and this will be replaced by the Boeing 777-200LR starting in December.

Ethiopian will be the first African carrier to operate the Boeing 777-200LR.

The Boeing 777-200LR is the Long Range version of the wide-body twin-engine jet airliner family, it holds the world record for the longest nonstop flight by a commercial airliner.

Ethiopian airlines has five Boeing 777-200LR in order and expected to receive its first aircraft in November of this year. Ethiopian’s 777-200LRs are configured to carry a total of 321 passengers, 34 in Business Class, and 287 in Economy.
:cheers:

egypt69

September 15th, 2010, 06:37 AM

^^ Thats impressive, especially starting a route like Washington with Daily Service. Well done ET.

EGYPTAIR W10 Operation Changes as of 13SEP10

As per 13SEP10 GDS timetable display, EGYPTAIR’s latest changes to planned 2010/11 Winter season operation, as follows. This includes a new destination to Lusaka in Zambia, from January 2011.

Service to Almaty in Kazakhstan, is canceled.

Details:

Almaty
2 weekly Cairo – Almaty service canceled from 02NOV10. It is continuing service to Almaty through existing codeshare service with Turkish Airlines

Bangkok/Guangzhou
Airbus A330-200 replace Boeing 777-200ER on following periods:
11DEC10 – 25DEC10
05FEB11 – 23FEB11

Lusaka - New 4 weekly service eff 16JAN11.
Service operates as Cairo – Dar es Salaam – Lusaka, which affects operational schedule on DAR to CAI sector

till 15JAN11
MS841 CAI2210 – 0500+1DAR 320 x135
MS842 DAR0600 – 1045CAI 320 x246

eff 16JAN11
MS841 CAI2230 – 0520+1DAR0620+1 – 0750+1LUN 320 x135
MS842 LUN2150 – 0120+1DAR0215+1 – 0700+1CAI 320 x246

Departure from DAR to CAI is Day x357

http://airlineroute.net/2010/09/13/ms-w10-update8/

a_bondima

September 16th, 2010, 08:22 AM

First CamairCo Flight to Paris Scheduled on March 28, 2011

George Mbella
14 September 2010
The General Manager also announced during a press briefing Tuesday September 14 in Yaounde that the company will start with 420 staff to provide a modern airline service at very competitive prices.

The General Manager of the Cameroon Airlines Company, Camairco, Alex Van Elk, told journalists in Yaounde, on Tuesday September 14, 2010, that the first flight to Paris is scheduled for March 28, 2011. He also disclosed that CamairCo will start with the Boeing 767 aircraft "The Dja" before the arrival of three more aircrafts to make a total fleet of two Boeing 767s and two Boeing 737s. The acquisition through lease agreements of the new modern aircraft, he said, will be in line with CamairCo's mission to provide a new generation airline with the highest quality product offering, supported by a high performing organisation excelling in safety, customer service and financial management. "We want aircraft with maximum 10 years of age, glass cockpits and modern technology to meet up with international flight safety standards. We will operate a very modern fleet of aircraft that will be equipped with winglets to help save fuel and increase load capacity with 3000 kilograms," he said.

In addition to the Paris destination that will have six flights a week, Nairobi, Dubai and Johannesburg are likely to receive CamairCo flights within the first year of operations. Daily domestic flight schedules will include Yaounde, Douala, Maroua and Garoua, for a start while other destinations like Brazzaville, Libreville, Malabo, Cotonou, Abidjan, Bamako and Dakar will be served with the extension of the flight network during first year of operation.

Relevant Links
Central Africa
Cameroon
Travel
Europe and Africa
Concerning staff, Alex Van Elk said that the recruitment is ongoing and invited more skilled Cameroonians to apply through the company's website for lots of quality staff will be needed to meet the ambitions of the company. "We will start with 420 staff and this number will grow in future. We need between 80 to 120 staff members per aircraft. We know that there are 25 licensed pilots in Cameroon and we are determined to get them although our need for cockpit crew will stand at 60, so we will have to hire more from the rest of the world until more Cameroonians are trained to take up the positions," he said.

The pressmen also learned that CamairCo will count on a better service, competitive prices, more space and free flights to faithful clients, to beat competition.

The disclosure of the company's new colours and logos will be officially made soon while the company is now going through different procedures in Cameroon and abroad to obtain the necessary certifications from the International Air Transport Association, IATA. The Press briefing was attended, among others, by the company's top executives and representatives from government ministries involved in the company's Board of Directors

kgl

September 17th, 2010, 02:37 PM

eff 16JAN11
MS841 CAI2230 – 0520+1DAR0620+1 – 0750+1LUN 320 x135
MS842 LUN2150 – 0120+1DAR0215+1 – 0700+1CAI 320 x246

It's seems that the plane spends the day at LUN.

First CamairCo Flight to Paris Scheduled on March 28, 2011

Flights have been always postponed, i m not very optimistic.

egypt69

September 22nd, 2010, 03:33 AM

EgyptAir Has Big Plans for Tanzanian Market

Dar Es Salaam — EgyptAir was the first African airline to land on Tanzanian soil after Mwalimu Julius Nyerere declared independence in the 1960s.

Since then the airline continued its operations with one weekly flight until 2004, says the airline's country manager, Mr Wael Eldemerdash "In 2004 the airline had two choices, either to increase flights to four on weekly basis or to temporary stop operationas due to the small fleet size at that time," he says.

However, he says that the airline resumed operations and that was exactly what happened in 2009 when there was a tremendous growth in the airline operations and also had doubled its fleet size.

"So we had a very good plan during 2008 on how to resume our operations and it was then decided that we resume with four weekly flights to Dar es Salaam in 2009 so as to cover the growing Tanzanian market and to enhance our deep rooted relations between the two countries," he emphasized.

"As Country Manager, I arrived on February 1, 2009, five months before starting the major operations of planning in the Tanzania market", he adds. According to him, there was a very good support extended by all stakeholders in the market and government as well.

He says that the support boosted the airline's operations which made it continue to give passengers in the sector 'our best services."

"Now after one year we can see our flights are doing well with an average load of 70 per cent which is according to the plan and more is coming to give out the best services to the Tanzania market," he points out.

He says that the company's target is to improve the airline competitive stance regionally and internationally. Among the strategies being charted out, he says, is upgrading Cairo International Airport as a major hub, as well as enhance image, thus making it the customer's first choice.

Other targets include increasing share in different markets in coherence to the country's national concept and achieve the best results in the national economy during crisis. Also the plans is to use the latest technology to comply with the global trends and to open new markets.

Further, he says, other corporate strategies include generating revenue and achieving profitability, reducing costs without compromising quality and change staff culture to reflect the Egyptian customer oriented spirit in performance.

Talking about the company's image in Egypt, the manager had this to say: "It is not a secret that a boom line in the airline's operations is to diversify the tourism market in Egypt.

Growing investment in aviation and tourism infrastructure in Egypt has also added strength and opportunities for the airline." Recently, Egyptair joined the Star Alliance, while utilizing Cairo Airport as an international hub for the airline and other Star Alliance carriers.

In a move to strengthen its aircraft fleet, the Country Manager said that the company has

acquired the first Boeing 777-300 ER commercial jetliner from leasing company GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) in order to strengthen its fleet of aircrafts.

The leased aircaft was delivered recently and this adds to a fleet of five Boeing 777-200 ERs, five 737-500s and 12 737-800s, with another eight 737-800s on order directly from Boeing.

He says that the airline expects to take additional five 777-300 ERs on lease through the second quarter of next year to continue upgrading its longhaul services.

"The 777-200 ER has aldue ways been one of the strongest performers in our fleet for fuel efficiency and reliability. The 777-300 ER's additional improvements in fuel efficiency and seatmile costs will directly benefit our bottom line," said EgyptAir Chairman, Capt Alaa Ashour.

The new 777-300 ER has 346-seat capacity, including 49 lie-flat beds with a 78-inch seat pitch as well as an in-seat entertainment system throughout the cabin. A member of Star Alliance, EgyptAir, will operate the 777-300 ERs on the London, Tokyo and North America routes.

"While in ancient times, only gods could look down upon the land from on high, visitors to Egypt today can soar over an incredible landscape of deserts that stretches away from the fertile Nile Valley", he says.

He says that compared to the past which took weeks to travel from one end of the country to the other, EgyptAir reaches most domestic destinations in an hour or less from Cairo.

The manager says that there is something special about flying to any country on its national carrier - it's a feeling of already being in the country as one converses with cabin staff who know their own country.

"EgyptAir is no exception. Its scheduled services now reach out from Cairo to about 70 major cities on five continents, including far-flung Los Angeles and Sydney", he adds.

EgyptAir history dates back to 1932 as only the seventh carrier in the world and the fourth to become a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Further, he says that the airline's stated underlying philosophy has been "to provide the latest in aircraft technology to its passengers coupled with the traditional Egyptian hospitality."

http://allafrica.com/stories/201009210627.html

tanzan

September 22nd, 2010, 04:02 PM

FLY540 to launch Dar es Salaam, Nairobi direct flights

FLY540 Tanzania will on Monday launch direct flights between Nairobi and Dar es Salaam with a 50 seater CRJ 100 jet aircraft.

There will be seven flights a week - two flights a day on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, plus one flight on Sunday.

Fly540 Tanzania General Manager, Brown Francis said that apart from these direct flights between Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, Five Forty Aviation has been operating between Nairobi and Kilimanjaro for the past two years.

He said that Fly540 Tanzania's aim at delivering value for money without compromising on safety and quality.

Tight control over operating costs allows the company to provide cheaper fare so that travel becomes affordable for more people and ensure that air travel is not just for the elite, he said.

He said that the company is offering a special introduction fare of USD 299 (inclusive of taxes) between Dar es Salaam and Nairobi, which will be valid until the end of next month and that the offer is a return ticket.

He said that morning flight departs Dar es Salaam at 11am and the evening flight departs at 6.30pm, adding that on Sundays there will be one departure in the evening.

He said that the company recently signed a contract with Galileo by Travelport, a global distribution company to provide travel agents with its schedules and fares on their reservations system.

The company also has a partnership with Air Arabia, another low cost carrier to connect passengers from Nairobi to Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates and into many destinations in India and the Middle East.

"We believe there's a gap to be filled in the Dar es Salaam-Nairobi market for a budget airline offering low fares and a convenient reliable schedule," said Mr Francis.

He said that the company expects the market to react favourably to our product and hope that we will be able to increase flights not only on this route, but to other cities within Tanzania in the near future.

We know that there are established carriers on the Nairobi route, but we shall be focusing on meeting the needs of low budget passengers without compromising on comfort and safety

kgl

September 24th, 2010, 08:37 PM

IR Zimbabwe will take delivery of two new Airbus A340-200 aircraft before the end of the year after the government paid out US$400 million.

The first of the planes will be delivered as early as next month, with a second expected to follow in November, aviation sources said on Sunday.
The new aircraft will service Air Zimbabwe’s long-haul routes – mainly China and the United Kingdom.

News of the planes’ acquisition comes as a strike by the state-owned carrier’s pilots and cabin staff enters a third week with no resolution in sight.
Air Zimbabwe’s management has been pressing the government to replenish its ageing fleet to give it a competitive edge.

The airline currently flies two Boeing B767-200s, three B737-200s and three Chinese Xian MA 60 turboprops.

Aviation sources told New Zimbabwe.com the government had originally intended to buy two Boeing 767s, but the company refused to sell to Zimbabwe for political reasons.

The government then turned to the France-based Airbus which agreed to supply the aircraft, each with a capacity of 300 passengers.

Air Zimbabwe chairman Jonathan Kadzura said the acquisition of new aircraft was “a matter for the shareholder”, adding: “I have also heard about it (new planes), but to be frank, I am not aware of it.”

abesha

September 29th, 2010, 05:06 PM

Ethopian airlines joins Star Alliance

The Star Alliance has announced that it has approved an application by Ethiopian Airlines to join it, making the airline the third carrier in Africa to join the club. It will join Egyptair and South African Airways.

“On behalf of the Chief Executive Board, it gives me great pleasure to invite Ethiopian Airlines to join the Star Alliance network. Ethiopian’s extensive intra-African network will provide more choice for our travellers and bring the Star Alliance benefits to new markets. Moreover, we will in future have three main hubs in Africa – Addis Ababa, Cairo and Johannesburg – allowing for an ideal access to the continent from either the North, Centre-East or South”, said Jaan Albrecht, CEO Star Alliance.

“We are happy and honoured to be invited to the big family of airlines. Ethiopian will definitely enhance Star Alliance’s global network. Our long experience in the Africa market, coupled with our strategic hub Addis Ababa, and the recently created Lomé hub will allow Star Alliance members to access many new markets in Africa. Together, we can offer our passengers more convenient flight schedules, greater flight frequencies, a larger network and more on-line connections. All these features improve the quality of the service available to our customers”, said Mr. Girma Wake CEO Ethiopian Airlines.

The acceptance of Ethiopian Airlines is an integral part of Star Alliance’s Africa strategy. Market studies, conducted by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) as well as by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), show that Africa is forecast to have the second highest growth rate in air traffic over the coming years. Demand will mainly stem from economic growth made possible by increasing political stability and creating better business climate on the continent.

Through its future membership in Star Alliance, Ethiopian Airlines will gain access to the many markets across the globe. By the same token, more business travellers from Ethiopia and across Africa will in future benefit from the Star Alliance customer proposition: world-wide reach via the extensive network, seamless travel and status recognition through the frequent flyer programmes.

The integration teams of Ethiopian Airlines, mentoring carrier Lufthansa and Star Alliance will begin their work shortly, with the aim of completing the membership process within the next 12 months.

Ethiopian Airlines will add five new countries (Chad, Congo, Djibouti, Mali, and Niger) and 24 African destinations to the Star Alliance network, which will then encompass a total of 29 carriers, offering a choice of more than 21,380 daily flights to 1,196 destinations in 186 countries.

The Star Alliance network was established in 1997. The member airlines include Adria Airways, Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Blue1, bmi, Brussels Airlines, Continental Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways. Air India and Ethiopian Airlines have been announced as a future member. Overall, the Star Alliance network offers over 21,200 daily flights to 1,172 airports in 181 countries.

Ethiopian Airlines, one of the largest and fastest growing airlines in Africa, made its maiden flight to Cairo in 1946. With the recent addition of flight services to Pointe Noire, Ethiopian provides dependable services to 37 cities in Africa and a total of 58 international destinations spanning throughout four continents.

http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9811:ethopian-airlines-joins-star-alliance&catid=35:Aerospace&Itemid=107

:banana:

Yoniii

September 29th, 2010, 05:14 PM

Yeeeeha! :D

egypt69

September 30th, 2010, 04:05 AM

Welcome to the team :cheers1:

Ethiopian really deserves it.

South African Airways, EgyptAir and now Ethiopian representing the continent in the World's Biggest Alliance. Star Alliance.

Yoniii

September 30th, 2010, 10:30 AM

South African Airways, the biggest airline in Africa, is in talks with Ethiopian Airlines and Egypt Air about starting a new carrier on the continent, Sake24 reported, citing SAA Chief Executive Siza Mzimela.

The state-owned company is expected to announce the new airline “within months,” the Johannesburg-based news agency said. The airline will operate in central and West Africa, according to Sake24.

SAA, Egypt Air and Ethiopian Airlines will all likely own minority stakes in the new venture and provide technical and managerial services, the news agency reported.

Central African countries in which the new airline is likely to operate include Gabon, Cameroon, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, São Tomé & Principe and the Central African Republic, Sake24 said. - Source (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-30/south-africa-egypt-ethiopia-in-talks-about-a-new-airline-sake24-reports.html)

Thanks egypt69, look's like the co-operation starts immediately! :cheers:

egypt69

September 30th, 2010, 11:50 PM

:lol: Immediately indeed, wow!

This is a very intereseting development

xAbd0o

October 1st, 2010, 12:18 AM

Let wait for West Africa to Join the club :D

abesha

October 1st, 2010, 02:29 AM

^^ That's the kind of cooperation I want to see on the continent.

West Africa does not have a strong local carrier so this is a huge opportunity. Air France and the like have too much free reign there so good to see African airlines making a move.
It's unfortunate that Nigeria, Ghana or others don't have a strong national airline.

Samuel107

October 1st, 2010, 02:39 AM

abesha

October 1st, 2010, 02:57 AM

True, but are they really focusing on capturing the West African market? I've posted on this thread before about this. The focus seems to be towards Europe or the States while ignoring neighboring countries.
That's where SAA/Ethiopian/EgyptAir will be focusing.

Alex Roney

October 1st, 2010, 03:44 AM

Well done Ethiopian Airlines is one of the best run airline companies, their connectivity around Africa is an example to all those other airlines that operate with a neo colonial mindset.

I believe this will make Ethiopian Airlines the 4th African airline to being part of a global alliance. SAA and Egyptair are in Star Alliance while Kenya Airways is part of Skyteam.

No doubt Star is the best alliance to join it's the largest and best connected one.

Alex Roney

October 1st, 2010, 03:45 AM

Nigeria has great local carriers, Air Nigeria and Arik Air. They're just private.

For a country with 150 million people Nigeria's airline companies are ridiculously small. Arik Air is the largest and only has a fleet of 26 airplanes and 9 international destinations.

BUTEMBO21

October 1st, 2010, 04:19 AM

Probably those Nigerian carriers just focus on Nigerian market.

Samuel107

October 1st, 2010, 04:38 AM

Arik only came on stream in 2006. Though still under achieving, Nigerian airlines simply dominate the west african airways, with the best quality.

egypt69

October 1st, 2010, 05:22 AM

Maybe in West Africa, but on a continental and global level, Nigerian airlines seem to be very weak, with few destinations, and limited fleet size. One would expect it to be the opposite, with Nigeria's massive population, and its geographical location as a potential West African Hub.

Samuel107

October 1st, 2010, 08:31 AM

You're right. Give it 5years.

egypt69

October 2nd, 2010, 01:11 AM

Indeed, I just looked over Arik Air's Wikipedia page, noticed they have a couple of 787s and 777s on order. This will certainly fuel growth.

Carver02

October 3rd, 2010, 06:48 AM

Smael

October 3rd, 2010, 08:41 PM

Compagnie Africaine d'Aviation A320

http://i52.tinypic.com/15iaf6v.jpg

airliners.net

ufookoro

October 4th, 2010, 01:32 AM

For a country with 150 million people Nigeria's airline companies are ridiculously small. Arik Air is the largest and only has a fleet of 26 airplanes and 9 international destinations.

It is fairly large for a company which started a few years ago. Again airline size is again dictated by the demand. Arik will grow organically unlike some other airlines which had to ground many aircraft due to the fact that flying to some destinations were uneconomic.
These days national airlines are not they way forward. Private run airlines are the way foward

mwanamwiwa

October 4th, 2010, 05:05 AM

http://www.crossed-flag-pins.com/Friendship-Pins/Kenya/Flag-Pins-Kenya-Angola.jpg

Kenya Airways connects to Angola

BFU4kztM9F8

Business Opportunities In Luanda

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abesha

October 4th, 2010, 05:37 AM

ONE BLN BIRR AIRPORT EXPANSION PROJECT TO TAKE OFF

Six local contractors bidding to clinch lucrative contract

By Hayal Alemayehu

The Ethiopian Airports Enterprise is set to launch what will become a one-billion birr project involving the expansion of the existing aircraft parking area. According to Shiferaw Alemu, general manager of the enterprise, the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport will accommodate additional 25 planes after the expansion.

The apron currently handles 19 planes of various sizes and types.
Projected to cost about one billion birr, the expansion project incorporates maintaining the existing runway of the airport and optimizing the new passenger terminal officially inaugurated in 2006, according to Shiferaw.

The newly-built passenger terminal facility gave the airport a spacious passenger terminal, a 3,800-m runaway with associated taxiways, a new control tower and safety equipment to bring the hub into line with international standards. The terminal building has been operational since 2003.

Funding for the project came from the African Development Bank, the Kuwait Fund, Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, the European Investment Bank, the Nordic Development Fund and the Ethiopian government. As a result of the expansion, the annual capacity of the airport has increased from 500,000 passengers in 2001 to several million people.

However, with the number of passengers and airlines operating to and from the airport increasing by the day, the enterprise has been forced to expand the aircraft parking area and optimize the passenger terminal to accommodate more people. In the near future, the enterprise will expand the passenger terminal itself, too, according to Shiferaw.

The expansion project will be carried out in two phases in a bid not to interrupt the operations of the airport, Shiferaw said.

Six local companies are currently bidding to clinch the billion birr project which is expected to commence in the months to come.

The enterprise is expected to announce the winning company which will carry out the construction of the expansion project at the end of next week.http://ethiopianreporter.com/english/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1170:one-bln-birr-airport-expansion-project-to-take-off&catid=98:news&Itemid=511

tanzan

October 9th, 2010, 01:53 PM

British Airways expands route offering to Dar Es Salaam

COMAIR FURTHER EXPANDS ITS AFRICAN NETWORK

Johannesburg; 27 July 2010: Comair Limited, operator of British Airways in South Africa and kulula.com is again expanding its African route network, and from 2 November 2010 will offer five return flights per week between Johannesburg and Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.

British Airways will be operating the new route and the flights will also be integrated and sold through the kulula.com distribution network.

“We look forward to including Dar es Salaam in our growing regional network,” said Stuart Cochrane, Executive Manager for Network Development at Comair. The growth of this network is part of our ongoing commitment to the South African government’s airlift strategy, which aims to improve access to and from South Africa for both business and tourism.”

Comair will commence with five return flights per week, the full allocation granted to it by the International Air Services Licensing Council. However Cochrane said Comair’s intention would be to grow this route to a daily service as soon as possible.

“The introduction of additional flights to Dar es Salaam will bring a much needed alternative service - and competitive pricing - to a market that is currently only serviced by one airline operator. Tanzania is a beautiful country and is rapidly becoming a desirable business and tourist destination. We are looking forward to developing this route as a successful addition to our network,” concluded Cochrane.

Bookings for the new Dar es Salaam route will go on sale from 1 August 2010 via the British Airways Call Centre on 0860 I FLY BA (0860 4 359 22) or online reservations at www.ba.com or www.kulula.com, or from local travel agents.

.

egypt69

October 10th, 2010, 08:25 PM

Ethiopian Airlines' First 772LR Spotted

Ethiopian Airlines ET-ANN at the fuel dock October 9, 2010 at Paine Field.

Credit to KPAE Paine Field.

http://paineairport.com/images/kpae6323.png

http://paineairport.com/images/kpae6324.png

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Beautiful Bird :cheers:

UAE_isthebest

October 12th, 2010, 09:18 PM

Beautiful indeed! I wished EgyptAir had some 777-200LR's on order they would be a great replacement for those old 777-200's :)

kgl

October 13th, 2010, 03:06 AM

Beautiful, i can't wait for RwandAir's B737-800:)

egypt69

October 19th, 2010, 05:04 AM

Today (18th of October), EgyptAir deploys its 777-300ER on the Cairo-New Yok JFK Route, replacing the older B777-200 which used to operate this route :banana:

EgyptAir takes delivery of 4th B777-300 for New York service

http://www.arabianaerospace.aero/media/images/stories/EgyptAir-777300-lr.jpg

EgyptAir received its fourth new Boeing 777-300ER - and the 69th aircraft in its fleet - earlier today.

Captain Alaa Ashour, EgyptAir Chairman and CEO, accompanied by Abdel Aziz Fadel, the chairman of EgyptAir engineering and other top officials welcomed the new aircraft when it landed at Cairo International airport.

Captain Alaa Ashour expressed his happiness with the arrival of the new aircraft saying, “With the arrival of this aircraft we our customers will be able to enjoy the luxury, comfort and exclusivity on our daily non-stop service to New York JFK.”

Hussein Massoud, the Chairman and CEO of EgyptAir Holding Company stated that “Today is another milestone in the process of continuous modernization of our fleet which goes in harmony with the overall modernization strategy of the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The target of this strategy is to provide optimum travel services to and from Egypt” .

http://www.arabianaerospace.aero/article.php?section=air-transport&article=egyptair-takes-delivery-of-4th-b777-300-for-new-york-service

The EgyptAir 777-300ER product:

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abesha

October 19th, 2010, 06:06 AM

Nice!

Yoniii

October 19th, 2010, 03:19 PM

Very nice!

egypt69

October 20th, 2010, 03:37 AM

Abesha, Yonii, if you're interested, I recently uploaded my first Flight Simulator Video :)

Here's me landing an EgyptAir Boeing 777-300ER (The EXACT same plane in the article above) on an ILS approach to Cairo International Aiport runway 5R, after a 4 hour and a half flight from London Heathrow as MS 778.

ILS Approach Runway 5R at CAI. For those interested in the specs, Runway 5R's ILS frequency is 109.9 and Course HDG is 047.

During the approach into CAI, you can see the Pyramids, Sphinx, the Nile, and Several famous Cairo Towers and Hotels in the video, which you can easily identify.

If you want to skip all that and witness the actual landing, i.e. the plane touching down, fastforward to 6:15.

Also, the voice in the video is me talking to the ATC (Air Traffic Control), it may sound weird, because I was sick at the time :tongue2: :

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Nothing feels better than bringing her down at her home base in Cairo, after a long flight :cheers:

So, What do you guys think? Would you feel safe flying with me? :tongue2:

abesha

October 20th, 2010, 03:58 AM

That is SO cool!!! How did you do that??

Ahadu

October 20th, 2010, 05:48 AM

Would you feel safe flying with me?
^^
No way man!!:) .... You are controlling the aircraft with a computer mouse - I can see that on the dashboard......so, pass - no flight for me with captain egypt69 - I will take a walk to Cairo.

Simfan34

October 20th, 2010, 05:56 AM

FSX = the best thing ever.

egypt69

October 20th, 2010, 06:32 AM

That is SO cool!!! How did you do that??

:)

Years of practice, and hundreds of Tutorials and Lessons.

It's a program called Microsoft Flight Simulator X. An exact, real life simulation of Aviation on your computer. Just like in real life. Its not a game.

I've been on Microsoft Flight Simulator since I was 11, obviously, back then, I would play around with the gliders, and crash them within seconds of lift off :tongue2:

But after several lessons (some with real pilots), I now pull off Airline Routes with Jets. As you can see in the video, that was a landing after a 4.5 hour London-Cairo flight.

I'm currently planning doing an exploration of Africa with an EgyptAir B737-800. Something along the lines of Cairo-Khartoum-AddisAbaba-Nairobi-Kinshasa-Johannesburg-Luanda-Lagos-Casablanca-Algiers-Tripoli-Cairo.

^^
No way man!!:) .... You are controlling the aircraft with a computer mouse - I can see that on the dashboard......so, pass - no flight for me with captain egypt69 - I will take a walk to Cairo.

:lol:

Im definitely not controlling it with the mouse. I have my own JoyStick with a throttle, and buttons for Flaps, Trim, Landing Gear etc, even seat belt signs! It looks something like this:

For that particular video, I was flying with this exact Joystick:

http://www.itreviews.co.uk/graphics/normal/hardware/h1155.jpg

^^
Obviously, you cant fit the hundreds of buttons of the cockpit on that, so for some of the buttons (such as the HDG, Altitude, knobs, lights etc) you click on the buttons in the cockpit with your mouse.

But the actual flying, and the main functions, I use the Joystick.

Besides, how could I do a 4.5 hour flight from London to Cairo with a mouse? :crazy:

I used to have this set, but it broke :( :

http://www2.0zz0.com/2009/11/05/10/571145021.jpg

My life would be complete if I had this set:

http://www.flightsimulation.ch/images/simpit10.jpg

:drool:

tanzan

October 20th, 2010, 08:09 AM

this is so cool. Oh! man I would spend the whole day in that simulator.

@egypt69...you should also make Dar es Salaam on your African Tour. I just saw egyptair airbus 320 took off for Cairo today early morning.

Simfan34

October 21st, 2010, 05:32 AM

I... just use a joystick. :lol: You want to be a pilot?

Yoniii

November 2nd, 2010, 04:04 AM

So, What do you guys think? Would you feel safe flying with me? :tongue2:
I must say that you sounded professional, I am impressed!

egypt69

November 2nd, 2010, 04:06 AM

:cheers1:

Simfan34

November 2nd, 2010, 05:07 AM

:cheers1:
Well I've flown London-Paris! And Addis to Cairo in a turboprop...

egypt69

November 2nd, 2010, 05:12 AM

That must've taken forever!

Wait, which turbo-prop?

Just flew Toronto-Buffalo the other day in a Beech Baron. Thats about the longest I'd go with a turbo prop.

egypt69

November 4th, 2010, 07:24 AM

Ethiopian wants to grow revenue sixfold in 15 years

Addis Ababa, November 3 (WIC) – The Aviation Weekly said Ethiopian Airlines has ambitious plans to grow sixfold in the next 15 years and create new subsidiaries in other parts of Africa, together with Star Alliance members South African Airways and Egyptair.

The airline was invited to become Star Alliance’s third member in Africa at an event here last month. Following the integration process, Ethiopian is expected to join the group in mid-2011.

If Ethiopian comes close to implementing its growth plans across the continent, then Star will have such a big advantage over the other two alliances that it will be almost impossible for them to catch up.

The Addis Ababa-based carrier would also become a more serious competitor to Emirates, which has been focusing on connecting West Africa to its Dubai hub.

Ethiopian’s goals are based on its Vision 2025 plan. Since the carrier exceeded the targets of its Vision 2010 strategy, the airline leadership decided to devise formal strategic guidance and firm targets over a longer period of time.

Ethiopian had 1.3 billion USD in annual revenues in its fiscal 2010 (ended June 30) and a 118-million USD profit. Its fleet of 32 jets plus turboprops serves 59 international destinations.

Within the next 15 years, Ethiopian aims to reach 10 billion USD in annual revenues and 950 million USD in profits and grow its fleet to more than 100 aircraft.

Today, Ethiopian has 37 aircraft on firm order, among them 10 Boeing 787s, five 777-200LRs, 10 737-800s and 12 Airbus A350-900s.

Ethiopian has been growing 20 per cent on average in the past five years and has been profitable in the last 10 years.

http://www.waltainfo.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=24013&Itemid=134