UAE national carrier, Etihad Airways, has revealed plans to launch its first passenger flights to Algiers, Edinburgh, Entebbe, Hong Kong, Kolkata and Madrid in the first half of 2015, while Brisbane will get its first non-stop flights using the carrier's new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners.
VIDEO: You find out more about the challenges of operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo in our video interview with Christophe Allard, CEO of Korongo Airlines, in which he also highlights the carrier’s strategy to develop more regional partnerships across Africa.
South African carrier Comair has been operating for over 70 years and has shown over the past two decades that you can successfully operate both a full service and budget operation in Africa, albeit under two very separate brands.
VIDEO: After fastjet’s announcement at Routes Africa that it will introduce flights between Dar es Salaam and Harare, David Chawota, chief executive officer of the Zimbabwe CAA is confident more air services will follow.
Despite confirming its intention to establish a new Kenyan budget airline business following the disposal of Fly540 Kenya, fastjet remains quiet over its plans for the venture and simply confirms that further information on the airline’s conception will be announced in due course.
Alongside targeting the large diasporas that left the country almost a decade ago and its strongest markets of Europe and North America, Zimbabwe’s growth strategy will be underpinned by forays into markets such as China and India.
Equatorial Congo Airlines, which operates under the brand ECAir, is set to add to its medium- and long-haul network from 2015 as it prepares for the arrival of its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner in the final quarter of next year.
The annual Routes awards are highly regarded as the most prestigious awards in the industry as they are voted for and judged by the airline network planning community.
The Zimbabwe operation of flyafrica will commence flights from July 16, 2014 initially offering a three times weekly offering on the Victoria Falls – Johannesburg.
The flight activities of Air Uganda and all other international air carriers in Uganda have been hit by the unprecedented move by Uganda’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to suspend the operating licences of all carriers flying outside of the country following an International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) audit.
The Spanish capital city will be linked to its Addis Ababa Bole International Airport hub through Rome using a Boeing 767-300ER and will increase Ethiopian’s international network to 83 destinations covering five continents.
Speaking to The HUB Daily on the sidelines of this year’s Routes Africa forum in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, Peter Mukarkate, the airline’s general manager passenger and cargo confirmed that the airline has recently concluded a detailed analysis of its markets and identified the capacity niches which would best fit demand on its network.
If it gains all approvals Just Fly will initially serve two domestic markets on a scheduled basis offering around three flights per week. These comprise links from Harare to Chiriedzi and Beit Bridge, both destinations which have not been regularly served from Harare on a scheduled basis in recent years.
Are we entering a New Dawn in the Aviation Market in Africa, or is it a False Dawn? That is the question Aidan Mooney, vice president consulting at ASM, the world route development consultants highlighted when he spoke to The HUB just days ahead of travelling out to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe for this year’s Routes Africa forum.
