africanflyer

South African Express has placed an order for two 74-seat Dash-8-Q400s from Bombardier to join its regional fleet made up of older Dash-8s and the CRJ, all manufactured by the same company. This order effectively makes the airline the first customer for the type in Africa.

Afriqiyah will start services to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia effective the end of March 2006. Flights will be operated twice per week on Wednesdays and Thursdays using A320s.

8U420 TIP - JED: 815 - 1320
8U421 JED - TIP: 1420 - 1725

Afriqiyah Airways is to start serving Cairo, Egypt from Tripoli, Libya effective mid-June 2006 with 2 flights per week using its A320. Flights will be operated on Mondays and Saturdsays. Afriqiyah becomes the third airline to serve this route, joining EgyptAir and Libyan Arab Airlines.

8U430 TIP - CAI: 920 - 1305
8U431 CAI - TIP: 1415 - 1615

Kenya Airways will increase its frequencies between Nairobi and Lagos, Nigeria to 5x per week effective the last week of March 2006. The new flight, operated on Saturdays, will follow the existing schedule of flights operated on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Kenya Airways will start serving Asmara, Eritrea effective the end of April 2006. The flights, operated 2x per week on Wednesdays and Saturdays via Djibouti using its B733s, increase services between Nairobi and Djibouti from the current 2x per week (via Addis Ababa) to 4x per week. The airline will also be carrying passengers between Djibouti and Asmara.

KQ404 NBO - JIB: 740 - 1030
KQ404 JIB - ASM: 1110 - 1230
KQ405 ASM - JIB: 1325 - 1445
KQ405 JIB - NBO: 1850 - 1735

Eritrean Airlines will double its frequency between Asmara and Rome Fiumicino as well as Frankfurt effective June 2006 from the current weekly flight to 2x per week. The added flight will be operated on Saturdays and will maintain the same schedule as the existing Sunday frequency. The flight, operated with a B763, follows the ASM-FCO-FRA routing.

Flights to Amsterdam and Milan will also increase from the current weekly to 2x per week, operated as a triangle route covering AMS-ASM-MXP-AMS on Mondays and Thursdays.

B8110/140 ASM - AMS: 100 - 710
B8111/141 AMS - MXP: 1130 - 1250
B8111/141 MXP - ASM: 1350 - 2030

Tunisair will start services between Tunis and Oran, Algeria effective the end of March. Flights will be operated on Tuesdays and Fridays with a mix of B735s and A319s.

TU708 TUN - ORN: 1535 - 1725 Tuesdays
TU709 ORN - TUN: 1825 - 2005

TU708 TUN - ORN: 1435 - 1625 Fridays
TU709 ORN - TUN: 1725 - 1905

Qatar Airways will increase its existing 3x per week flights to Tunis and Algiers from Doha to 4x per week, up from the current 3x per week. The additional flight, which will be operated on Mondays, will follow the existing Sunday schedule while also being operated using the A300.

Tunisair is set to increase frequencies on routes from Tunis to Nouakchott, Dakar, Marseille, Tripoli and Geneva with its upcoming summer schedule. While flights to Dakar, Nouakchott and Geneva will be increased from 3x to 4x per week, Marseille will see an increase to 9x per week, up from the current daily, and Tripoli will see an increase to 6x per week up from the current five. The new flights to Dakar, Nouakchott, Tripoli and Geneva will be served with the A320, while Marseille will see the B735. The Tripoli service will maintain the existing Wednesdays schedule.

Nouakchott, Dakar:
TU611 TUN - NKC: 1650 - 2055
TU611 NKC - DKR: 2145 - 2245
TU612 DKR - NKC: 2345 - 535

Geneva:
TU700 TUN - GNV: 1505 - 1800 Fridays
TU701 GNV - TUN: 1850 - 1940

Marseille:
TU346 TUN - MRS: 1620 - 1900 Fridays
TU347 MRS - TUN: 1950 - 2030

TU346 TUN - MRS: 1530 - 1810 Sundays
TU347 MRS - TUN: 1900 - 1940

Additionally, Tunisair will increase frequency between Monastir and Amsterdam to 2x per week with the introduction of a nonstop flight on Saturdays using a B736. Monastir to Nice will also see an increase from a single weekly flight to 3x per week.

Amsterdam:
TU636 MIR - AMS: 650 - 1100 Saturdays
TU637 AMS - MIR: 1150 - 1355

Nice:
TU250 MIR - NCE: 625 - 905 Tuesdays, Thursdays
TU251 NCE - MIR: 955 - 1035

TU250 MIR - NCE: 700 - 950 Mondays
TU251 NCE - MIR: 1040 - 1125

EgyptAir is set to increase frequencies between Cairo and New York JFK to 6x per week as of the begining of its summer schedule. Flights will be operated daily except on Mondays with the B772.

Additionally, service to London’s Heathrow airport will increase by one weekly flight operated on Wednesdays, bringing the total to 8x per week. The new flight will have the following schedule:

MS779 CAI - LHR: 1810 - 2115 Wednesdays
MS780 LHR - CAI: 2230 - 515

Finally, services to Johannesburg, South Africa will be increased to 3x per week from the existing two flights. The new flight will maintain the existing schedule, operated with an A332.

Precision Air is expanding its domestic routes within Tanzania with the introduction of services to Lindi and Mtwara, cities located in the southermost part of the country. The airline will operate Dar es Salaam-Lindi-Mtwara-Dar es Salaam on Wednesdays and Sundays, and a Mtwara-only service from Dar on Fridays. Flights will be operated using an ATR-42 effective the first week of February.

PW400 DAR - LDI: 945 - 1045 Wednesdays, Sundays
PW400 LDI - MYW: 1105 - 1130
PW400 MYW - DAR: 1150 - 1300

PW401 DAR - MYW: 945 - 1055 Fridays
PW402 MYW - DAR: 1115 - 1225

Photographer © Raimund Stehmann

MyAviation.net

Ethiopian Airlines has leased two B752s to supplement its existing fleet of B763s, B752s and B73Ws. Both aircraft were originally delievered to TWA in 1997 and 1999.

Kulula.com has announced that it will be pulling the Johannesburg - East London route effective the end of this month, citing low demand. The airline said it would deploye its aircraft in other routes that are fare more successful than this city pair.

1Time, another low fare airline in South Africa, will take on passengers originally booked on Kulula after the interruption of the latter’s services, with no additional cost to the passengers.

Zambian Airways has announced that it will start low-fare flights between the capital of Zambia and the commercial centre of South Africa. Flights between Lusaka and Johannesburg are set to begin in March initially with daily flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, with ambitions to serve the city pair twice per day. The airline will lease an MD82 from South Africa, and already has signed a sales agreement with kulula.com.

Zambian Airways currently serves regional and domestic cities of Lusaka, Chipata, Harare, Lilongwe, Livingstone, Lubumbashi, Mfuwe and N’dola.

Bellview Airlines has added a B733 to its fleet, joining its B732s and B762s. The aircraft comes from JAT Airlines along with 22 expatriate crew and maintenance personnel. The airline has indicated that it plans to add another three B733s to its fleet.

The Tanzanian government is seeking to remove South African Airways from the management of Air Tanzania following consecutive losses by the airline, which are attributed to a failure to expand the network as quickly and extensively as originally planned. It also accused SAA of not meeting a large part of the management agreement.

It is to be recalled that South African Airways bought a 75 percent stake of Air Tanzania for $20 Million.

Virgin Atlantic Airways will gradually increase its frequency from London, UK to Cape Town, South Africa from the current 2 per week to daily by March 25.

Royal Air Maroc has been selected by the government of Gabon to become the strategic airline partner of the country’s flag carrier, Air Gabon. Under the agreement, Royal Air Maroc will hold 51% of the airline, while the government will maintain 49%.

Royal Air Maroc is also holding talks with the government of Mauritania to take a stake in that country’s airline, Air Mauritanie.

Emirates Skycargo will introduce a weekly freighter service between Dubai, UAE and Lilongwe, Malawi effective January 13. Flights will be operated on Fridays using the airline’s A310F.