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Air Peace 737-500 Air Peace (P4, Lagos) is acquiring four B777-200(ER)s as part of its international growth plans, airline Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Allen Onyema has disclosed. The quartet, the Nigerian carrier's first widebody aircraft, will be phased in between now and February 2018. Of the four, the first is an unspecified ex-Emirates (EK, Dubai Int'l) machine that came off lease in January this year and has been sold to Air Peace in a transaction arranged by Novus Aviation. As previously reported, Air Peace is planning to operate longhaul routes to Guangzhou (China), Dubai Int'l (United Arab Emirates), Mumbai Int'l (India), Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson (United States), Johannesburg O.R. Tambo (South Africa), and London Gatwick (United Kingdom) among other destinations. Source:https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/58195-nigerias-air-peace-to-acquire-four-b777-200ers

Startup team and Cessna Caravan deployed to Kananga Air Serv has deployed a start up team and Cessna Caravan to Kananga, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), to launch a new program in support of humanitarian organizations working in the region. July 10, 2017 saw the departure of the program’s first passenger flight. Kananga is located in the southwestern province of Kasai-Central, recently plagued by an extreme outbreak of violence and unrest. According to Medecins Sans Frontieres, it has become the center of one of the most serious humanitarian crises in the world. Following the completion of Air Serv’s Bunia program at the end of July, Kananga will become one of four programs in DRC. “Air Serv has a long history, over twenty years, serving the people of DRC,” says Air Serv CEO Stu Willcuts. “As long as the need exists, we will continue fulfilling the Air Serv mission of provid-ing logistical support for the humanitarian programs here and all around the world.” Wit...

ET B777-300ER The Ethiopian Government has announced plans to establish a new Aviation Holding Group to oversee the country's numerous aviation-related interests. In a statement, the government said the holding firm would oversee Ethiopian Airlines (ET, Addis Ababa), its Cargo and MRO units, the Ethiopian Aviation Academy, Ethiopian In-flight Catering Services, and Ethiopian Hotel and Tourism Services. The firm responsible for running the country's airports and aerodromes, the Ethiopian Airports Enterprise, has also been included. “The group's formation is a step forward to improve the competitiveness of the Ethiopian Airlines Hub by taking advantage of the proven record of fast and sustainable growth strategy," Tewodros Dawit, CEO Ethiopian Airports Enterprise, said. "The new structure will help the Ethiopian Airport Enterprise to formulate integrated strategy to provide global standard services to all users allowing Ethiopia to continue its aviation lea...

SAA Livery The South African government is investigating which of its state assets it can sell off as it comes to the aid of South African Airways (SA, Johannesburg O.R. Tambo) with a ZAR2.2 billion (USD166.5 million) loan, reports Business Day. The government made the decision to bail out the airline in early July, afraid that a default would trigger a call on the National Revenue Fund guarantee. "The government's decision to settle a debt owed by the airline to Standard Chartered Plc mustn't affect the balance of this year's budget," Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba said in a letter to parliament. Business Day identifies Telkom SA SOC Ltd as a potential asset up for disposal. The government currently holds a 39.8% direct stake worth about ZAR13.5 billion (USD1.04 billion) in the telecoms company, and an additional 10.9% through the state-owned Public Investment Corporation. As well as the Standard Chartered debt, South African Airways has other loans t...

Embraer 190-100 Airlink (South Africa) (4Z, Johannesburg O.R. Tambo) has signed a final agreement with the government of St Helena (SHG) for the provision of both regular and chartered passenger services to/from the island, a British Overseas Territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. Following a Request For Proposals issued late last year, Airlink was named preferred bidder for the provision of a scheduled commercial air service to St. Helena Airport last month. However, according to a statement issued on Friday, July 21, Airlink will provide not only scheduled commercial air services to St. Helena Island, but also a monthly charter service between St Helena and Georgetown Wideawake on Ascension Island, located 1,300 kilometres northwest of St. Helena. Subject to regulatory approvals, the flights to/from Johannesburg O.R. Tambo will operate weekly using Windhoek Int'l, Namibia, as a technical stop on either sector. Service is on-board ETOPS-certified EMB-190 equipm...

SSJ 100-95 Sukhoi Civil Aircraft (Ramenskoye) has signed contracts with customers in Zambia for the supply of five SSJ 100-95s, the president of Russia's United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), Yury Slyusar, has said. Speaking to Rossiya 24 television last week, Slyusar said the order entailed four SuperJets for a planned start-up carrier and a VIP-configured jet for use by Zambia's President Edgar Lungu. "The delivery of the aircraft to the African continent will take place as early as next year," he said. As previously reported, Sukhoi is also courting entities in Namibia, Nigeria, and Ghana over their purported interest in the aircraft. Source:https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/57998-zambia-to-acquire-five-superjets-from-sukhoi

Precision Air ATR 42-600 Precision Air (PW, Dar-es-Salaam) has announced that it will commence scheduled operations to Kahama in north-western Tanzania, starting September 5. The 3x weekly flights will likely be aboard ATR42-500 aircraft with which the airline carried out a test flight this week. "This will go a long way toward the creation of better connectivity throughout the republic, the growth of our hub at Dar es Salaam, and the economy of our country," said the airline's Corporate Affairs Manager Hillary Mremi. "It is our hope that this flight will be the basis of opening up Kahama to the world." Auric Air had previously announced it would start flights at Kahama back in 2015, but those never eventuated. The Kahama airstrip is located near the Buzwagi gold mine, which will cease operations in December 2017. Source:https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/57968-kahama-tanzania-to-see-scheduled-pax-ops-from-late-3q17

Air Namibia A330-200 Air Namibia (SW, Windhoek Int'l) has been informed by the Namibian government that it will not be receiving any subsidy in July 2017 due to a lack of funds, reports New Era. "The Ministry of Works and Transport would like to inform Air Namibia that due to a very limited ceiling (fund allocation) for July received from treasury, the ministry is unable to pay for your government subsidy allocation," Works and Transport permanent secretary Willem Goeiemann wrote in a letter to Air Namibia acting manager Mandi Samson. "The ministry therefore advises Air Namibia to kindly make other financial provisions to pay its leases, maintenance and fuel for July 2017." A spokesman for the airline told New Era that the missing subsidy could "potentially affect the operations of the airline." An anonymous source quoted in The Namibian says that the airline's monthly expenses are approximately NAD300 million (USD23.1 million), with the ...

Air Côte d'Ivoire A320-200 Air Côte d'Ivoire (HF, Abidjan) has announced it has taken delivery of its maiden new-build jet aircraft, an A320-200. TU-TSV (msn 7742) was ferried from Toulouse Blagnac to West Africa following a handing over ceremony on Tuesday, July 18. According to the ch-aviation aircraft database, Air Cote d'Ivoire operates five A319-100s (averaging 14 years of age), two A320-200s (averaging 27.9 years), and four Dash 8-400s (averaging 2.1 years of age). Aside from this delivered aircraft, the Ivorian carrier has one more A320-200, as well as three A320neo, on order from Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac). It currently serves 25 destinations throughout the Ivory Coast as well as West and Central Africa. Source:https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/57943-air-cte-divoire-adds-maiden-new-build-jet-an-a320

RwandAir A330-300 RwandAir (WB, Kigali) launched its Kigali - Brussels National flight aboard A330-300 9XR-WP on July 14, but has run into technical difficulties preventing it from operating the return service with revenue passengers. The flight is actually a modification of its London route, with a stop in Brussels on the outward sector, operating Kigali-Brussels-London Gatwick-Kigali, which poses a problem for African nationals transiting in the UK. "We will only operate one leg as we are still handling some administrative procedures for the return leg," the airline announced on social media. "Official launch will be announced in due course." Rwandan passengers are not able to transit through London on the return flight from Brussels without a United Kingdom Direct Airside Transit visa which comes at a cost of GBP34 (USD44.45), reports aviation website Luchtzak.be. Essentially, the aircraft will therefore not pick up passengers in Brussels for the return...

KQ B787 aka Dreamliner Kenya Airways (KQ, Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta) has unveiled details of its proposed revised shareholding structure given creditor banks' decision to commit to a debt-to-equity conversion plan. At present, the bulk of the Kenyan carrier's equity is in the hands of the country's government with a 29.8% stake followed by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines with 26.7%. The remainder is held by private investors. However, according to a filing to the Nairobi Stock Exchange lodged on July 16, under the airline's Optimization Plan aimed at reducing its current gross debt from KES242 billion (USD2.3 billion) to KES191 billion (USD1.8 billion), a consortium of eleven creditor banks, collectively the KQ Lenders Co., will convert KES22.5 billion worth of loans to a 35.69% stake. "Although conversion of debt to equity will mean a large equity capital increase and the issue of new shares to these stakeholders, the effect will be to bolster balance sheet ...

Westair Aviation Logo Namibian passenger charter/ACMI specialist Westair Aviation (Windhoek Eros) has acquired four ERJ-135s from Air France subsidiary HOP!-Régional (YS, Clermont-Ferrand), the first of the type to feature in its growing fleet inventory. According to The Namibian newspaper, the aircraft in question are those which Air Namibia (SW, Windhoek Int'l) had been leasing from the French regional operator namely msn 145243, 145335, 145347, and 145252. They collectively average almost 17 years of age and are used on flights from Windhoek Int'l to Luderitz, Oranjemund, and Walvis Bay domestically as well as Harare Int'l and Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and Lusaka in Zambia. They are also used on services from Walvis Bay to Cape Town and Johannesburg O.R. Tambo in South Africa as well as from Windhoek Eros to Mpacha, Ondangwa, and Rundu. As such, given the change in ownership, Westair Aviation has directed Air Namibia that henceforth its leasing payments are to...

Aero Contractors Logo Aero Contractors (NIG, Lagos) is set to acquire two new Dash 8-400s UK-based firm AJW Group has announced. No further details concerning the proposed purchase of the Bombardier (BBA, Montréal Trudeau) turboprops were disclosed. As part of the Nigerian carrier's restructuring plans, AJW Group has been tasked with overseeing the management of Aero Contractors’ assets, the disposal of Aero Contractors’ Pratt & Whitney Canada PW150 engines and to provide support. Aero Contractors operates two Dash 8-400s, one Dash 8-300, one Dash 8-200, two B737-500 (parked), and one B737-400 on scheduled passenger flights connecting Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt Omagwa, Asaba, Sokoto, and Warri. Source:https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/57904-nigerias-aero-contractors-to-acquire-two-q400s

EgyptAir B777-300ER EgyptAir (MS, Cairo Int'l) and Royal Air Maroc (AT, Casablanca Int'l) have announced that they will be exempted from the US ban on large electronic items in cabins, effective July 12 and July 13 respectively. "The ban on bringing laptops and other electronic devices into flight cabins on EgyptAir flights to New York will be lifted as of tomorrow and will remain in place for a year or until another emergency amendment is introduced," said EgyptAir Chairman Safwat Musallam. He added that the ban remained on flights to the United Kingdom. The lifting of restrictions will apply to Royal Air Maroc's 2x daily Casablanca Int'l-New York JFK and 3x weekly Casablanca-Washington Dulles flights, and Egytpair's 1x daily Cairo Int'l-New York JFK flight. Introduced in March 2017, the ban on large personal electronic devices (i.e. larger than a smartphone) was intended as a prevention strategy, as it was believed that terrorists could u...

Air Zimbabwe B767-200 Air Zimbabwe (UM, Harare Int'l) has announced that it has retrenched 200 of its 424 staff as it struggles to keep the airline in business. This is the fourth round of retrenchments in eight years, reports Reuters. "We were overstaffed by a lot and we are also trying to weed out people without the right qualifications," said the carrier's Chairwoman, Chipo Dyanda. "The retrenchment is meant to give space to the airline so that we can redeploy the money saved back into the company." According to Nehanda Radio, most of the employees affected were in administrative positions, and all employees have been placed on performance-based contracts. Staff will also be re-trained, "starting with the chief executive officer". No pilots were retrenched in the round. The restructuring program is also aiming to build Harare Int'l as a travel gateway."This restructuring exercise is coming on the backdrop of a strategic plan...

Niger Airlines Fokker 50 Niger Airlines (6N, Niamey) has revised its fleet renewal plans and now intends to retire its Fokker Aircraft by year-end replacing them with more modern Avions de Transport Régional equipment. Founded in 2014, Niger Airlines leases two thirty-year-old Fokker 50s from Palestinian Airlines (PNW, Gaza) for use on scheduled flights to the towns of Niamey, Zinder, and Agades. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Abdoul Aziz Larabou told African Aerospace the Nigerien carrier plans to acquire second-hand ATR72-500s which, should they prove suitable to Saharan conditions, could be upgraded to ATR72-600s. Once in place, the ATRs will be used to open up international routes to destinations that include Accra (Ghana), Bamako (Mali), Cotonou (Benin), Dakar (Senegal), Lomé (Togo), N'Djamena (Chad), and Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso. Thereafter, Niger Airlines plans to acquire a pair of A320-200s for expansion into Central Africa serving destinations such as Librev...

flyArt Logo flyART Aviation (T2, N'Djamena) is planning to tap into both the regional African market as well as the Chadian hajj charter market, senior manager Hervé Gueusquin has said. Speaking to African Aerospace, Gueusquin said that in terms of Hajj flights, flyART is looking at tapping into the pilgrimage market using either chartered B747s or B777s. The Central African state currently has a designation of 12,000 pilgrims which are primarily being ferried to Saudi Arabia via flynas (XY, Riyadh). In terms of scheduled regional services, Gueusquin said flyART is looking at wet-leasing in B737-300 equipment for scheduled flights from N'Djamena and Niamey, Niger, to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Alternatively, it is looking at partnering an established low-cost carrier, such as flydubai (FZ, Dubai Int'l), either through a codeshare on its own flights or through the sale of block seats on LCC-operated flights. Talks are currently underway, Gueusquin said although no fir...

Solenta Avaiton Logo Solenta Aviation (SET, Lanseria) has taken South African Express (XZ, Johannesburg O.R. Tambo) to court over ZAR87.3 million rand (USD6.5 million) in unpaid leasing debts. Citing papers filed with the Gauteng High Court, Business Day reports the claim relates to fees due on three ERJ-145s South African Express wet-leased from Solenta between October 2016 and June this year. Court documents indicate the original ACMI lease contract was for three aircraft covering the period June to December 2016. The agreement was then extended by mutual consent to January of this year and then again from February 1 to July 31. SA Express was to pay Solenta USD300,000 per month for 150 guaranteed block hours for the initial contract which was then reduced to USD270,000 under the revised agreement. For any hours over and above the alloted 150, SA Express was to pay Solenta a rate of USD1,200 per hour under the original contract growing to USD1,300 under the revised agreemen...

BAA Logo BAA Training, European standard aviation training centre, has announced gaining an approval to provide ATR 42/72 FFS services for Tanzanian aviation companies. After successful audit by Tanzanian Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA), ATR 42/72 type rating training and full flight simulator dry or wet lease is allowed to be provided at the training center in Vienna, Austria. Inspectors of TCAA audited the headquarters of BAA Training and ATR 42/72 full flight simulator in Austria. The infrastructure and network of instructors were tested to ensure the service alignment with aviation training standards. Representatives of the TCAA did not have any complaints regarding the detailed inspection. “TCAA approval helps to support the further development of Tanzanian airlines and pilots by providing easier access to advanced aviation training. This will allow pilots to receive critical training in Europe with the network of highly trusted instructors, reliable and cost-effective...

TAAG Angola Airlines B777-300ER Emirates (EK, Dubai Int'l) has terminated, effective immediately, a ten-year Management Concession Agreement with TAAG Angola Airlines (DT, Luanda). The agreement was signed in September 2014 and saw Emirates appointing several senior managers to the Angolan carrier's board in an effort to help it reach sustainable profitability through a leaner workforce and a more commercially-viable network. Emirates acquired no equity in TAAG despite the agreement. However, in a statement issued to the LUSA news agency on Monday, July 10, the Dubai-based carrier said it had decided to terminate its contract with TAAG following what it said were "the prolonged difficulties it has faced in the repatriation of revenues" from the sales of tickets in Angola. As an oil-dependent economy, Angola, like Nigeria, Sudan, and Venezuela, has suffered from chronic shortages of foreign currency given decreased revenue inflows from petroleum exports. ...

ET B737-800 Kaduna International Airport in northwestern Nigeria is set to see its first sustained international services after Ethiopian Airlines (ET, Addis Ababa) announced the start of a 3x weekly return service to Addis Ababa from August 1. Operations are on-board B737-800 equipment. As with many other operators serving the Nigerian capital, Ethiopian Airlines briefly served Kaduna during the temporary closure of Abuja earlier this year. “With this commitment, Ethiopian has been able to create a missing link; availing easy movement of Africans from one corner to the other," Ethiopian's CEO Tewolde Gebremariam said. "During the temporary closure of Abuja Airport for reconstruction four months ago, we were the first foreign carrier to land at Kaduna Airport, allowing our passengers to experience ultimate comfort on-board our B787-8 Dreamliner." Ethiopian already serves Abuja, Lagos, Kano, and Enugu in Nigeria.With Abuja now fully operational, Kaduna has...

Air Seychelles A320 The performance of the twice-weekly operation and its contribution to inbound tourism in the Seychelles did not meet company expectations. Air Seychelles to Suspend Operations Between Durban and Seychelles Roy Kinnear, Chief Executive Officer of Air Seychelles, said: “We have taken the tough decision to discontinue our Durban route as the volume of inbound traffic has fallen short of our expectations. “Since being launched, the route has relied on travellers connecting to our Mumbai flight on the way to India, while point-to-point traffic demand to the Seychelles has been lower than anticipated. “The competitive nature of the route and volume of alternative options paired with extremely low fares being charged on the Durban to India traffic flow unfortunately mean this is not a viable ongoing commercial operation for Air Seychelles. “Whilst being a hard and unfortunate decision to have to take, Durban will continue to be served in conjunction with ou...

Arik Air B737-800NG According to a statement by the airline, Arik Air’s flights between Abuja and Accra were suspended in March following the closure of Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja for runway repairs. The Abuja-Accra flight will operate daily with a 5:30 pm departure out of Abuja and 7:40 pm departure out of Accra. Speaking on the resumption of Abuja-Accra service, Arik Air’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Captain Roy Ilegbodu said:“The re-introduction of the Abuja-Accra operation is part of the management’s strategy to optimize flight schedule and respond to the needs of our valued customers. “Arik Air has been at the forefront of providing customer-centric services since our inception and we will continue to respond to the needs of our customers at all times”. Arik Air was taken over by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) at the start of 2017, deeming the airline as too big to fail. Since the takeover, all flights leaving Africa, along with...

Camair-Co B737-700 Cameroonian operator Camair-Co (QC, Douala) will launch flights to Bamenda, in the country's North West Region. A test flight was carried out this week using an MA-60 TJ-QDB (msn 901), and 3x weekly flights are due to commence on July 20. The airport with its main 2,500 metre runway currently has no scheduled services. The launch of the new flight is in line with the national carrier's recovery plan, which is focusing in the first instance on enhancing domestic connectivity. The plan, which was devised by Boeing Consulting last year, will then work to expand to more regional and then intercontinental routes. Camair-Co's current fleet comprises two B737-700s, one B767-300, and two MA-60s, which it deploys on flights to Bafoussem, Douala, Garoua, Maroua, N'Gaoundéré and Yaoundé Nsimalen domestically, and Cotonou in Benin, and N'Djamena in Chad. The airline has plans to acquire a B737-400(F), B737-800s, a B787-8s and two Dash 8-400s over ...

SAA A330-300 The government of South Africa has stepped in with a loan repayment on behalf of South African Airways (SA, Johannesburg O.R. Tambo) to prevent the airline from defaulting on a matured debt with Standard Chartered Bank. ZAR2.2 billion (166.5 million) has been drawn from the National Revenue Fund (NRF) to allow the airline to pay off the loan, according to a National Treasury statement. "A default by the airline would have triggered a call on the guarantee, leading to an outflow from the NRF and possibly resulting in elevated perceptions of risk related to the rest of SAA's guaranteed debt," the statement said. The debt-laden airline's other loans totaling approximately ZAR6.8 billion (USD512 million) have been renegotiated, supported by a government guarantee of ZAR19.1 billion (USD1.47 billion). South Africa's opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), has come out strongly against the loan. In a statement, the DA says that by callin...

FastJet A319-100 Fastjet plc, the London-listed co-parent of Fastjet Zimbabwe and Fastjet, has announced plans to acquire the rights to the fastjet brand from easyGroup Holdings for USD2.5 million. The firm said in a statement issued last week that the two parties have already entered into an agreement which, once finalized, will result in "savings" to fastjet over the next five years. “fastjet is a great brand in all its African markets, making it a highly valuable asset for the company," easyGroup founder and CEO, Stelios Haji-Ioannou, said. "I have accepted the view of the current board that the company should own its own brand rather than license it from me. I feel we have agreed on a fair price for its transfer - USD2.5 million – which is less than what the company would have had to pay over the next five years. I still hold shares worth about GBP1.3 million in the company and as such I will be a supportive shareholder, hoping to realize significant ups...