Tag Archives: Johannesburg

Air Seychelles to fly again to Europe, will add an Airbus A319

Air Seychelles (Mahe), the national airline of the Republic of Seychelles, has announced, subject to regulatory approval, it will launch flights to Paris-Orly as part of a significant expansion to its international schedule.

The island carrier use to operate an extensive nonstop Boeing 767 nonstop network to Europe before its new partnership with Etihad Airways (Abu Dhabi).

Starting in February 2014, Air Seychelles will operate two roundtrip services per week between Seychelles and Paris-Orly via Abu Dhabi with its Airbus A330-200 aircraft, configured with 18 flat-bed Business Class seats and 236 Economy seats.

The new Paris-Orly services complements Etihad Airways’ existing double-daily services to Paris-Charles De Gaulle.

Currently, the island carrier code shares on 14 flights per week to Paris-Charles De Gaulle with equity partner Etihad Airways, offering a daily service between the archipelago and the French capital. The new flights will increase the connections to 18 per week.

The airline also unveiled a new regional network plan, subject to approvals, which will see significant expansion of its operations in the Indian Ocean in the fourth quarter of 2014, following the delivery of an Airbus A319.

Highlights of the plan include:

• The launch of regional services to Antananarivo, Reunion and Mumbai
• An increase in services to Abu Dhabi from seven to eleven per week, offering a double daily service with equity partner Etihad Airways
• A network designed to maximise connectivity through the Seychelles, with two way connectivity throughout the region with Mumbai and Abu Dhabi and beyond.

The new regional schedule will see Air Seychelles operate three roundtrip flights per week to Mauritius and Mumbai, two roundtrip flights per week to Antananarivo and Reunion, and 11 return flights per week to Abu Dhabi.

The airline will also offer three return flights per week to Hong Kong, three return flights per week to Johannesburg, and two flights per week to Paris-Orly.

Altogether, the airline will see its weekly international services nearly double from 16 to 29 flights per week.

Copyright Photo: Rainer Bexten/AirlinersGallery.com. The pictured Airbus A330-243 A6-EYY (msn 751) is actually leased from partner Etihad Airways.

Air Seychelles:

Current Route Map:

Cargolux to launch cargo flights to Bamako, Mali

Cargolux Airlines International S.A. (Luxembourg) has announced the launch of a weekly service to Bamako, the capital of Mali, from December 5, 2013. The flights are operated with the airline’s Boeing 747 freighters which offer main deck capacity for the transport of airfreight supplies that support the local industries in the areas of natural resources, telecommunications, healthcare and pharmaceutical products, perishables and general appliances.

In 2010, Bamako Airport inaugurated a new cargo terminal with a yearly capacity of 10,000 tons and extended the runway to 3,180 meters, enabling the operation of large aircraft, such as Cargolux’s 747 freighters.

Flight CV 7124 is operated every Thursday on the routing Luxembourg – Bamako – Lagos – Libreville – Nairobi – Manston – Luxembourg. Departure in Luxembourg is scheduled for 16.30 GMT with arrival in Bamako at 21:40 GMT. With this service, Cargolux connects another African destination to its worldwide network and offers shippers fast and reliable airfreight solutions to a market with growing importance.

Cargolux’s African network now covers 13 destinations that show promising export potential with strong shipments for the oil and gas industry. Cargolux also offers direct services between the United States and Africa.

Previously the cargo carrier started weekly service to Buenos Aires via Campinas (Viracopas) near Sao Paulo on November 13.

Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 747-4R7F LX-VCV (msn 34235) approaches Johannesburg for landing.

Cargolux:

LAM Embraer 190 crashes in Bwabwata National Park in Namibia, 34 dead

LAM’s (Linhas Aereas de Mocambique) (Luanda) Embraer ERJ 190-100 IGW C9-EMC (msn 19000581) yesterday (November 29) was operating flight TM 470 from Maputo, Mozambique to the Luanda, Angola with 28 passengers and six crew members. The airliner never arrived. The weather in the area was reported to be stormy with low visibility. Today rescuers located the burned out wreckage in the Bwabwata National Park according to Reuters. There were no survivors. The airliner was only a little over one year old, having been delivered on November 8, 2012.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Paul Denton/AirlinersGallery.com. The pictured sister ship ERJ 190-100 IGW C9-EMA (msn 19000301) was the first E190 to arrive on August 6, 2009.

LAM:

Video: LAM’s 33 years of flying:

Map:

Fastjet launches its first international route to Johannesburg

Fastjet (Dar es Salaam) on October 18 launched its first international route to Johannesburg. The new route will be operated three days a week initially.

Updated Route Map:

Qatar Airways is coming to Miami

Qatar Airways (Doha), not surprisingly, given its expanding relationship with American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth), is coming to Miami. The fast-growing carrier will add the Doha-Miami nonstop route on June 1, 2014 with Boeing 777-200 LRs. The route will operate initially four days a week according to the Miami Herald. This will open a lot of Asian one stop connections via Doha’s new Hamad International Airport for South Florida passengers.

The Doha route will be the longest passenger route from MIA at 6,6667 nautical miles, making it one of the longest air routes in the world.

Qatar Airways will join the Oneworld alliance on October 30, 2013.

Read the full article: CLICK HERE

Update: Qatar Airways made the news official on Monday, October 21 with this announcement:

Qatar Airways, the national carrier for Qatar, has announced Miami (IATA code: MIA) to be its sixth destination to the U.S. beginning on June 10, 2014. The airline will offer nonstop flights from its hub in Doha four-times per week aboard a Boeing 777.

Qatar Airways currently operates to Chicago (O’Hare), Houston (Bush Intercontinental), New York (JFK), and Washington D.C. (Dulles), in the U.S. and will add Philadelphia in April 2014. The airline will operate a Boeing 777-200 LR to Miami with a two-class configuration with 42 seats in Business and 217 seats in Economy.

Qatar Airways will begin operations to and from Miami (MIA) as per below schedule effective June 10, 2014:

Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday

QR777 Departs DOH 08:40 hrs Arrives MIA 17:20 hrs Travel time: 15:40

Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday

QR778 Departs MIA 21:15 hrs Arrives DOH 18:20 hrs +1 day Travel time: 14:20

Qatar Airways has seen rapid growth in just 16 years of operations, currently flying a modern fleet of 129 aircraft to 131 key business and leisure destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and The Americas.

In 2013, Qatar Airways has launched ten destinations to date – Gassim (Saudi Arabia), Najaf (Iraq), Phnom Penh (Cambodia), Chicago (USA), Salalah (Oman), Basra (Iraq), Sulaymaniyah (Iraq), Chengdu (China), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), and most recently Ta’if (Saudi Arabia).

Over the next few weeks and months, the network will grow further with Clark Manila International Airport, Philippines (October 28) and Philadelphia, USA (April 2, 2014).

Copyright Photo: Paul Denton/AirlinersGallery.com. Qatar Airways Boeing 777-2DZ LR A7-BBG (msn 36101) prepares to land at Johannesburg.

Qatar Airways:

Safair to get into the scheduled airline business as FlySafair starting on October 17 (now delayed)

Safair (Johannesburg) has been operating for other carriers and as a charter airline since March 18, 1970. Now the company is venturing into the tough scheduled airline business under the FlySafair banner. The low-fare airline will start flying 165-seat Boeing 737-400s on October 17 between Johannesburg and Cape Town (see below for an update).

The airline issued this statement about FlySafair:

Although FlySafair is a brand new low-cost passenger airline or, as we prefer to say “a high value airline”, it already boasts a proud heritage.

Founded by Safair, probably South Africa’s best known air logistics and specialized air services company, FlySafair was born from a company that already has 48 years of experience. We like to think of ourselves as South Africa’s oldest newest airline.

During that time, we have reliably and successfully transported medical supplies and food relief into inaccessible territories for the United Nations, the World Food Program (WFP) and a host of other international aid agencies.

It’s all in a days work for us to transport aid to Angola, adventurers to Antarctica, parachutists to Phalaborwa, rhinos to remote bushveld runways and sharks to Singapore (the Hammerhead variety).

We’ve carried freight around the world, flown in teams of people wherever and whenever they were needed and supplied back-up passenger and freight airplanes to commercial airlines on a regular basis.

You could say we’re a company of adventurers. We prefer to think that we exist for the sheer love of flying.

Because we’ve been around for over four and a half decades, we’ve got a certain old-world quality you won’t find on other low cost airlines.

We think the kind of person who will fly with us at FlySafair is someone who appreciates quality, good old fashioned values and attention to detail.

But most of all, we believe the people who come with us are the kind of people who still love flying.

So please, if you’re looking for an efficient, professional, reliable, low cost high value airline offering exceptional rates and good service welcome aboard FlySafair.

We guarantee it will be a breath of fresh air for you.

The airline is also holding a “Your Name on a Plane” contest:

“Normally airlines name their planes after historical events, natural wonders, or famous people. We thought we’d name our planes after someone really important. You.”

Update: On October 8, the North Gauteng High Court issued a court interdict preventing the airline from launching operations between Johannesburg and Cape Town. The interdict was a result of a complaint by Comair (British Airways) which challenged the ability of Safair to operate scheduled service. The court also order Comair to honor the FlySafair tickets.

CEO Dave Andrew of FlySafair stated the new airline will shelve all plans until the issue is settled in court and issue refunds.

Here is the full statement:

Dear Passengers,

Thank you once again for your continued patience during this temporary
setback. Your messages of support have been greatly appreciated and we value
the time you have taken to communicate with us in such a positive manner.

As part of our commitment to communicating with you openly and honestly,
allow me to update you on what is happening at the moment.

As per the court interdict granted on Tuesday, FlySafair will be refunding all
tickets purchased. In fact, we have already completed and credited all credit card
transactions through our payment gateway. We are also in conversation with all
the major banks to ensure that these payments reflect timeously in our
passengers’ accounts.

We are steadily making our way through the EFT refunds for the remaining
passengers. Some of those payments are still outstanding as we’re waiting for
confirmation from a few passengers regarding their banking details. If you are
waiting for an EFT refund, please ensure that you have shared your details with
us either via our Central Reservations on 087 135 1351 or email
info@flysafair.co.za.

As per the court order, the process from here is that Comair must accommodate
FlySafair’s passengers, honouring the ticket prices and dates of travel as agreed
to with FlySafair. Passengers are requested to contact Comair’s call centre on on
010 492 2230 or email reaccommodations@comair.co.za and they will assist.

We trust this letter provides further clarity on the situation FlySafair is currently
faced with. We appreciate your support and look forward to taking to the South
African skies in the near future.

Should you have any questions not relating to rebooking or refund procedures,
you are, as always, welcome to contact me at dave@safair.co.za.

Sincerely,

Dave Andrew
CEO – FlySafair

FlySafair:

South African Airways takes delivery of two new Airbus A320s

South African Airways (SAA) (Johannesburg) has taken delivery of its first two new Airbus A320s out of a total of 20 A320 Family aircraft ordered from Airbus in 2010. The development is set to deliver cost efficiencies and allow SAA to expand its Sub-Sahara regional route network and boost revenue in the rapidly growing market.

The airline’s A320s, powered by IAE-V2500 engines, feature a two class cabin layout, seating 24 passengers in business class and 114 in economy. The A320s will replace its present fleet of 737-800s and will augment the A319s it already has in service and mark the latest phase of SAA’s fleet modernization plan.

Copyright Photo: Paul Denton/AirlinersGallery.com. SAA currently already operates 2 Airbus A320s and 13 Boeing 737-800s. Airbus A320-232 ZS-SZZ (msn 4990) arrives at the Johannesburg hub.

South African Airways:

Malawi Airlines Limited is launched in partnership with Ethiopian Airlines to replace Air Malawi

Malawi Airlines Limited (Blantyre) was launched on July 2 as the replacement flag carrier of Malawi replacing defunct Air Malawi (Blantyre). The new airline will be operated in partnership with investor Ethiopian Airlines (Addis Ababa). Malawi will have a 51 percent share in the new carrier and Ethiopian Airlines will hold the other 49 percent according to this report by Nyasa Times.

Ethiopian Airlines will supply two aircraft for the new venture.

Read the full report: CLICK HERE

Air Malawi was placed into liquidation in November 2012. One grounded Boeing 737-300, one 737-500 and one ATR 42-300 are for sale by the receiver.

Copyright Photo: Rainer Bexten/AirlinersGallery.com. Air Malawi was one of the last passenger operators of the Boeing 737-200. 737-2K9 7Q-YKX (msn 23405) is pictured arriving at Johannesburg.

Air Malawi:

Former routes of Air Malawi:

Air Seychelles and South African Airways sign a code-share agreement

Air Seychelles (Mahé), the national airline of the Republic of Seychelles, on April 25 announced that it has entered into a code-share agreement with South African Airways (SAA) (Johannesburg), the national airline of the Republic of South Africa.

The first phase of the agreement will see South African Airways place its “SA” code on Air Seychelles’ non-stop flights between Johannesburg and Seychelles. South African Airways will also place its code on flights between the two largest islands of Seychelles, Mahé and Praslin, subject to approvals.

Subsequent to the launch of the partnership between Air Seychelles and SAA, the airlines will look into expanding the agreement to include Air Seychelles placing its ‘HM’ code on South African Airways’ non-stop flights between Johannesburg and destinations across South Africa.

Ticket sales are set to open on April 29, for travel from April 30.

The deal follows a strategic move by Air Seychelles to increase its connectivity throughout South Africa and continental Africa.

In March 2013, Air Seychelles introduced an enhanced schedule and additional weekly service on its Johannesburg route, bringing the flights to three return services per week with daytime departures and arrivals. The new schedule greatly enhances leisure and business travelers’ ability to connect seamlessly on both airlines across Africa and South Africa, particularly to Cape Town and Durban.

Top Copyright Photo: Rainer Bexten. Airbus A330-243 A6-EYY (msn 751) arrives at Johannesburg. The aircraft is wet leased from strategic partner Etihad Airways.

Air Seychelles:

South African Airways:

Bottom Copyright Photo: Terry Wade. South African is planning to retire its last Airbus A340-200 in late May. The SAA A340s are some of the oldest A340s flying. The pictured A340-212 ZS-SLB (msn 011) arrives at London (Heathrow).

Air Cargo Germany suspends operations

Air Cargo Germany-ACG (Hahn) suspended its flight operations as of April 18, 2013. According to the cargo airline, “the interruption occurred all of a sudden and was not predictable. Air Cargo Germany assures a continuous availability for its customers and works on sustainable solutions to recommence the service as soon as possible.”