Air Zimbabwe 767-200 Flight from Harare International Airport (HRE) to Johannesburg OR Tambo (JNB)

Kenya Airways takes delivery of first of nine B787-8s

Kenya Airways has officially taken delivery of its first of nine B787-8s - 5Y-KZA (msn 35510) - from Boeing (BOE, Chicago O'Hare) at a ceremony held in the United States on April 1. The Dreamliner is expected in Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta on April 4. Its first scheduled services are expected to include Mombasa as well as Paris CDG and Johannesburg O.R. Tambo. In the long-term, the airline will also use the type to on flights to Beijing Capital.

The aircraft marks the start of the second phase of a USD1.9billion aircraft purchase transaction arranged by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) which also involves the acquisition of one B777-300(ER).

 

Source: ch-aviation

PICS: South African Airways Airbus A320 - New Interior

South African Airways Launches Travel Trade Website

 

South African Airways has launched a brand new trade website aimed at providing trade partners with up-to-date information on South African’s national airline. The site has been designed to serve as a useful one-stop-shop for the trade to use and includes details on SAA’s routes and fleet, plus SAA contact information, FAQs as well as the latest news from the airline. It also serves as a platform for trade to download the latest aircraft images and logos if needed, and features a Live Chat function to offer a new way to communicate with the SAA team.
 

Katie Edwards, Marketing & Comms Executive said, ‘We’re really excited about the launch of our first trade website and the opportunity it presents us to offer a new and engaging way to communicate with our trade partners. We hope it will play an important role in continuing to improve how we work more closely with the trade in the future.’ Gary Kershaw, Country Manager UK for SAA said, ‘We said that SAA needed to improve its relationships with the UK travel trade.  So alongside the new SAA team, the new trade website brings real time, digital news, information and support to our trade partners.’

SAA operates the first direct flight of the day from Heathrow to Johannesburg and has built an outstanding reputation for punctuality, winning the Flight Stats Award for the Most on Time Airline in the World twice during 2013. The airline, a Star Alliance member, operates double daily flights from Heathrow Terminal 1 to Johannesburg connecting to over 30 destinations within Southern Africa.

Source: IncentiveTravel

fastjet Passenger Statistics for February 2014 and extension of EFF

 

12 March 2014 - fastjet plc is pleased to announce its passenger statistics for the month of February 2014 and an extension of its existing EFF from £15 million to £25 million.

 

fastjet Tanzania:

 

fastjet operations in Tanzania carried a total of 35,100  passengers and achieved a load factor of 76 per cent.  The average yield per passenger was $82, compared to $47 in February 2013.  Total revenue for the month was $2.87m, a 135 per cent increase from February 2013.

 

Punctuality remained outstanding with 93 per cent of fastjet flights operating on time. ^{Note 5}

 

Fly 540:

 

As expected, the passenger numbers carried by the legacy 540 businesses, particularly in Angola, continued to fall year-on-year as those businesses undergo significant restructuring.

 

Extension of EFF

The Company also announces that it has agreed to extend its current Equity Finance Facility ('EFF') with Darwin Strategic Ltd. from £15 million to £25 million.  All other aspects of the initial EFF agreement announced on 14^th June 2013 remain unchanged.  fastjet is also in talks with a number of potential long term investors. Whilst these are concluded the agreement with Darwin to extend the EFF is a prudent measure, which provides the Company with the flexibility to raise finance in the short term as required.

 

Ed Winter, interim Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of fastjet, said: 

 

"Our February performance continues to demonstrate how well the low cost model is working, producing strong average yields whilst still providing plenty of low-fare seats for passengers booking their seats early.  The continued growth in passenger numbers and yields puts fastjet well on track to become cash generative as the route network and capacity increase."

 

 

All Operations Note 1
Month ending	Feb 2014	Feb 2013	Change
Passengers Note 2	79,715	77,829	2.4%
Rolling 12 months ending	Feb 2014	Feb 2013	Change
Passengers Note 2	985,565	758,970	29.9%
fastjet Operations Note 4
Month ending	Feb 2014	Feb 2013	Change
Passengers Note 2	35,100	25,987	35.1%
Load Factor Note 3	76%	80%	-4pp
Rolling 12 months ending	Feb 2014	Feb 2013	Change
Passengers Note 2	379,901	83,330	356%

 

Notes:

1.  "All Operations" includes statistics for fastjet Tanzania, Fly540 Kenya, Fly 540 Ghana and Fly540 Angola.
2. "Passengers" for 540 operations are flown passengers and for fastjet operations are sold seats flown, in both cases excluding infants.  Fastjet bookings are generally non-refundable whereas 540 bookings are in some circumstances refundable 
3. "Load Factor" is the number of 'passengers" as a percentage of the number of available seats flown.  
4.  "fastjet Operations" includes only statistics for Fastjet Tanzania operations which commenced on 29^th November 2012
5. "on time" - arrival earlier than or within 15 minutes of schedule.

Struggling South African Airlines begs for bailout

 

Fighting a low rand and high fuel costs with its ninth turnaround plan in 13 years, South African Airways urgently needs a cash injection. South African Airways' (SAA) executives are caught between their continental ambition and lack of cash. Technically insolvent, SAA is reliant on a R5bn ($443m) government guarantee to operate while discussions about a cash injection continue with the treasury. The size of the bailout required has not been disclosed, but an announcement is expected at the end of March.

 

Monwabisi Kalawe, who took over as chief executive in June 2013 following a purge of board members and executives in the latter half of 2012, says the board is investigating several countries in West Africa as a potential host as it tries to compete with Middle Eastern carriers. "They have been successful in absorbing air traffic to the Middle East and then distributing it. This is a risk for an airline situated at the bottom of Africa. Setting up a hub in West Africa is our attempt to mitigate that risk," Kalawe says. SAA has shortlisted Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal for its hub. It expects it will take a year or longer to finalise negotiations, but this will require an additional capital injection from the treasury.

 

Smoother Transit:

 

SAA is also lobbying to scrap transit visas, which would make Johannesburg more attractive to passengers travelling to other parts of the continent. "What we want to see is SAA being the flight of choice on the continent," Kalawe says. Most pressing, however, is stabilising SAA's finances. Its results for the financial year ended March 2013 were delayed by five months as talks continued over the bailout. Despite passenger numbers growing by 8% and the savings realised as a result of its 'Gaining Altitude' turnaround strategy, a 13% decline in the rand against the United States dollar contributed about R700m to its after-tax loss of R1.2bn.

 

The rand has declined by more than 30% since then, raising fears about the losses it will suffer in the current financial year. "The impact of the weakening rand is severe," says Wolf Meyer, SAA's chief financial officer. Increasing its technical operations on the continent will grow dollar-based revenue and act as a natural hedge, Meyer explains. Even without the challenge of a weakening rand, turning around the airline and reaching the break-even point by 2017/2018, as envisioned by the turnaround plan, will be no easy feat. Gaining Altitude is the ninth turnaround plan in 13 years. The company has not made detailed targets from the latest plan public, so it is impossible to gauge whether the plan is working.

 

Fuel Cost  Imperative:

 

Political interference has been rife. Crucial to the plan is upgrading the fleet to more fuel-efficient planes, yet public enterprises minister Malusi Gigaba forced the board to withdraw a July 2013 request for proposals for 23 new wide-body, long-haul planes. Gigaba said it lacked "crucial elements of industrialisation and localisation, which are vital to South Africa's policies". New planes will cut SAA's fuel costs, which are currently 35% of operating expenses.

 

Considering not a single SAA long-haul route is profitable and that plane purchases typically have a lead time of five years, finalising the contract speedily is of great importance. There is no date for finalising the new request. "We are grappling with this new requirement for industrialisation and benefiting South Africa," Kalawe explains. Gigaba also instructed the board that no job cuts will be allowed as part of SAA's plans, as the "social and political cost is very high".

Source: theafricanreport

Malawian Airlines Route Network as of 08MAR14

 

Malawian Airlines Route Network as of 08 March 2014. The airline currently serves the following destinations: Beira, Blantyre, Dar es Salaam, Harare, Johannesburg, Lilongwe, Lusaka, Tete.

Fastjet Zambia planning to serve Johannesburg Once Operational

 

Fastjet Zambia will operate from Lusaka to Johannesburg O.R. Tambo once the airline is launched Fastjet Chief Commercial Officer, Richard Bodin, has revealed. In an interview with iafrica.com, Mr Bodin said plans for their new Zambian subsidiary were progressing well. "We are still very keen to establish an operation in Johannesburg O.R. Tambo," he added. "What we are currently working towards is to link our destinations with Johannesburg. Once we have established our base in Zambia, which we expect could be within the next three to six months, the very first route launched will be Johannesburg."

As previously reported, Fastjet Zambia is currently in the process of acquiring its Air Operators Certificate. "Zambia was chosen because obviously the market there offers great opportunities but also because the authorities there were very welcoming and keen. It is inevitable that countries with the most forward-thinking mentality are going to be the ones that attract us. And South Africa is certainly going to be a cornerstone," he added.

Bodin added that Fastjet was currently in talks with several countries over the possibility of their establishing a Fastjet franchise.

 

Source: ch-aviation

Trip Support Group - United Aviation Services (UAS) Plants Roots in Africa

 

Trip support group UAS is boosting its ability to help operators across Africa with the opening of a new headquarters for the continent located in Johannesburg, South Africa. The new facility will be managed by Wynand Meyers, the Dubai-based group’s newly appointed director of business development for Africa. He joined UAS from Boeing’s flight-planning subsidiary, Jeppesen, where he oversaw its ground handling network for Africa, the Middle East and India.

 

The new African headquarters is part of a major investment that UAS is making in Africa, where business aviation traffic is growing quickly. To that end, the company plans to open other new offices and facilities across the continent. UAS is also training local employees to be equipped to meet the needs of aircraft operators. This preparation will include the International Air Transport Association’s ground handling management course, and the company has created a scholarship program to fund training in countries such as Ethiopia.

 

To mark the opening of the Johannesburg headquarters, UAS is hosting a gala dinner on March 13 in association with IATA and the African Business Aviation Association.

 

Source: ainonline

Fastjet still has eyes on South African Market

 

A domestic operation in South Africa is still on the cards for Tanzanian-based low-cost airline, Fastjet, with several more regional hubs being considered to grow intra-African routes. Capacity on the airline’s new Dar es Salaam – Lusaka service, launched last month, has been doubled with Chief Commercial Officer, Richard Bodin, commenting that plans to establish an independent base in Zambia have progressed well. "We are still very keen to establish an operation in Johannesburg," he added. "What we are currently working towards is to link our destinations with Johannesburg. Once we have established our base in Zambia, which we expect could be within the next three to six months, the very first route launched will be Johannesburg."

 

The long-term plan is to see different Fastjet-branded companies established across Africa. Ownership could be almost entirely locally-owned but "it is part of our quest to democratise air travel in Africa," Mr. Bodin maintained. He said the airline had no plans to syndicate its brand beyond the continent. And while new routes and hubs will be established in places of least resistance, a South African operation remains a priority. "We are in discussions with a few governments and companies which have seen the impact that affordable airfares have had.

 

"Zambia was chosen because obviously the market there offers great opportunities but also because the authorities there were very welcoming and keen. It is inevitable that countries with the most forward-thinking mentality are going to be the ones that attract us. And South Africa is certainly going to be a cornerstone," he added.

 

Source: iafrica

TAAG Angola Increases South Africa Routes from May 2014

 

TAAG Angola from May 2014 is increasing capacity to South Africa, with additional weekly service to Johannesburg, as well as switching to larger aircraft on selected Cape Town service.

 

Luanda – Cape Town eff 07MAY14 1 of 3 weekly service operates with 777-200ER, instead of 737-700

• DT579 LAD0650 – 1205CPT 73G 15
• DT579 LAD0650 – 1205CPT 772 3
• DT580 CPT1305 – 1625LAD 73G 15
• DT580 CPT1305 – 1625LAD 772 3

Luanda – Johannesburg eff 08MAY14 5th weekly service being added, on board 777-200ER

•  DT577 LAD0810 – 1230JNB 772 x46
• DT578 JNB1410 – 1630LAD 772 x46

Source: airlineroute.net

South African Airways (SAA) returning to its roots

 

Cape Town - In a well-meaning attempt to drum up more business for our successful aerospace companies, SAA recently cancelled plans to order new wide-bodied planes for its long-haul routes until it included reciprocal orders for parts to be made in this country. But it became clear this week that to stem huge losses on all its international and some domestic routes, our national carrier cannot afford to lose time in acquiring the new aircraft. The high cost of jet fuel combined with the need to reduce pollution has caused competitors on international routes and Comair on domestic routes to replace their older gas-guzzling planes with more economical ones.

 

SAA explained this situation to the parliamentary portfolio committee on public enterprises , together with the fact that the fall in the rand is a further handicap as many of its expenses have to be paid in US dollars. Without this factor, it would have made a small profit this year. One of its disadvantages, as a state-owned airline, is that it is compelled to retain some of its worst loss-making routes, such as that to Beijing, for political reasons. Many Cape Town business people, for instance, fly to China or India with Emirates by way of Dubai – because of the greater comfort and convenience of travelling in the newest aircraft – rather than with SAA in an older plane by way of Johannesburg. SAA is also asking Airbus to speed up delivery of its new regional fleet of A 320s. Two have arrived, with 18 more to come.

 

Back to its roots:

 

SAA is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year and is returning to its roots by planning to enlarge its route network in Africa. Increasing prosperity and political stability in a number of countries have created an environment for business travel, and there are also signs that leisure travel is starting to grow. In the early days, SAA only flew domestic routes but in 1937 it started its first regional service between Joburg and Lusaka, with stops at Pietersburg (now Polokwane), Bulawayo and Livingstone. This was later extended to Nairobi and Kisumu. When World War II broke out in 1939, a section of SAA became a defence wing controlled by the Department of Defence, which took over its fleet of Junkers used on domestic flights and 22 percent of its staff.

 

In May 1940 the entire airline became a military unit, with all commercial flights suspended. But in December that year two commercial flights were reintroduced to neighbouring countries. It became a commercial operation again at the end of 1944 and started its first intercontinental route – to Bournemouth in the UK – in November 1945. The flights started in Palmietfontein and were routed by way of Nairobi, Khartoum, Cairo and Castel-Benito. SAA was one of the 44 founding members of the International Air Transport Association in 1945.

 

Five years later, when a domestic route network was more developed, it introduced Douglas DC4 aircraft into its fleet and operated a service between Joburg, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town, with stops in Kimberley, Bloemfontein and George. Jan Smuts Airport (now OR Tambo International) opened in April 1952 and in October of the following year, SAA became the first non-British airline to operate a jet aircraft from Joburg to London. In 1976, the first step towards making flights between London and Joburg accessible to the mass market – leading to the demise of the weekly mailship service between Southampton and Cape Town – was taken with the introduction of Boeing 747s on the route.

 

Between the early 1960s and the coming to power of South Africa’s first democratically elected government, many African countries denied SAA the right to enter or fly over their air space. This forced its aircraft to make a long detour over the sea, to avoid flying over the bulge of West Africa, but it flew to many European countries. Since then, though, it has withdrawn from most of its former European destinations, partly because the new government did not recapitalise it to renew its ageing fleet, so making its services uncompetitive.

 

Although SAA has been bailed out on several occasions, this was mainly to rescue it from difficulties caused by bad business decisions. It still flies from Joburg to the US, London, Germany and its partners in the BRICS (Brazil, India, China, Russia) group but, apart from this, SAA is gradually increasing the number of its destinations in sub-Saharan Africa. This region is attracting additional airlines, and more business and leisure travel, as it becomes more prosperous.

 

Source: ioltravel

Zimbabwean LCC startup, flyafrica.com, set to get first Czech B737-500

 

 

flyafrica.com (FZW, Harare Int'l) is set to take delivery of its first of five ex-CSA Czech Airlines (OK, Prague) B737-500s Skyliner Aviation has reported. The Zimbabwean start-up's first twinjet, T7-FAA (msn 26539), was recently spotted in an all-white livery prior to its handing over to flyafrica.

Research shows the airline has acquired the Air Operators Certificate granted to defunct Zimbabwean Low Cost Carrier, Fresh Air (Zimbabwe) (Z7, Harare Int'l). Initial destinations are believed to include Harare Int'l, Victoria Falls and Johannesburg O.R. Tambo.

Source: ch-aviation

VIDEO: Fastjet now ready to Capitalise and Expand the Company

Proflight Zambia Flies Around The World Every Week

 

Lusaka-based regional airline Proflight Zambia flew the equivalent distance of travelling around the world every week last year. The airline flew a total of 2,275,204 kilometres during 2013, enough to fly the 40,075 kilometres circumference of the globe 56 times, or more than once round the earth every week. “For the first time in Proflight Zambia’s 23 year history we broke through the 2 million kilometre mark last year, demonstrating that our strategy of slow, steady growth is starting to pay off,” said Proflight Director of Government and Industry Affairs Capt. Philip Lemba.

 

“These latest figures also show that Proflight is starting to achieve the size and critical mass necessary to run an efficient and credible regional airline with Lusaka as its hub,” he added. Flying passengers more than 2 million kilometres meant 8,830 hours of time in the air. Some 136,206 passenger journeys were made during the year on Proflight – again a record for the airline, which increased its domestic route network to ten with the addition of its Mongu service in November, and added its first two international routes during the year, from Lusaka to Lilongwe in Malawi, and to Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania.

 

In total some 9,490 “sectors” – from one airport to the next - were flown during the year. On a quirkier note, the Proflight passengers consumed 21,842 muffins during their flights as part of the airline’s complimentary on-board catering services. That’s 2.184 tonnes of muffins: 18 times the weight of Douglas the baby hippo – which Proflight helped fly to safety in March after he was abandoned by his mother in the Lower Zambezi. Douglas weighed 120kg when Proflight airlifted him, but will be up to 3.6 tonnes when fully grown.

 

While 2013 was a record year for Proflight Zambia, the airline is not resting on its laurels and plans further expansion during 2014, new regional routes from Lusaka to Johannesburg, Lubumbashi, Harare and Tete being evaluated. Meanwhile, according to a recent article by Routes Online website, Proflight was the largest operator in Zambia for the year to November 31, 2013, flying 23.4 percent of the passengers arriving or departing from Lusaka’s Kenneth Kaunda International Airport.

SA Airlink Flight Attendant Vacancies

 

SA Airlink invites applications from all population groups for looking for Flight Attendant vacancies in Johannesburg. SA CM licence and unlicenced candidates are welcome to apply. SA Airlink Ltd is an airline based in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is privately owned and has developed into South Africa’s first feeder network aimed at linking the smaller towns, regional centers and hubs throughout South Africa.

Requirements:

Applications are invited from dynamic candidates who:

• Are able to work on their own and without supervision, are physically fit
• Are well groomed, have weight proportional to height, minimum of 1.55m and not taller than 1.68m, are in possession of a Matric/Grade 12 Certificate
• Have good customer care and communication in English skills, are able to undergo an extremely intensive training programme of approximately six weeks, a series of assessments, interviews, security check, a medical examination, psychometric and psychological evaluation, have the ability to swim
• Are South African nationals and holders of valid South African identity documents
• Reside within a reasonable distance of the airport, have transport
• Are between 21 and 28 years of age

Your ONE-PAGE CV must clearly state and include the following:

• A clear full length photograph
• Certified copy of Matric /Grade 12 or equivalent qualification.
• Any additional qualification
• A minimum pass in English on the Higher Grade D or Standard Grade C
• Direct telephone contact details and e-mail address
• A brief employment history and letter of motivation

 

How to apply: 

 

Interested candidates who meet the above requirements should forward their CV’s by post (only postal CV’s will be accepted) to:
The Cabin Services Manager

PO Box 7495

Bonaero Park

1622 (Reference no: FA- JNB – 0214)

Closing Date: 19 February 2014.

Please take note: Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. Applicants who have not received a letter of acknowledgement within three months of the closing date, can assume that they were not short listed for an interview and are hereby thanked for their application. E-mails, faxes or hand deliveries will not be accepted.

British Airways-Comair withdraws Maputo Route

British Airways (operated by Comair) has advised that it will no longer be operating flights between OR Tambo International Airport and Maputo International Airport from February 8. Since launching in May 2013, the route has proved to be commercially unviable for the airline. Iain Meaker, Commercial Distribution Executive for Comair, says: “After much consideration and review we have decided to withdraw the Maputo route to ensure the airline remains sustainable.” Passengers already booked with BA Comair will be re-accommodated by the airline on SAA at no additional cost. Un-ticketed bookings will be cancelled.

Air Zimbabwe A320's grounded in South Africa

 

 

Air Zimbabwe's two A320 Airbuses have been grounded at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, in the last four months amid disclosures that the planes were unserviceable. Grounding of the Airbuses adds to the woes of the national carrier that now has only two planes in the air servicing the Harare-Johannesburg route and the domestic market. The two are a Boeing 737 and the leased Embraer jet. The third functional plane is a Boeing 767 which is usually used when the 737 is down or when President Robert Mugabe is travelling outside the country. Three MA60's acquired from China a couple of years ago have also remained in the hangars as their potential to get back to the skies has been ruled out.

An insider reported that: "The Airbuses have been at OR Tambo for the last four months and are incurring storage charges which are rising by the day as they remain unfixed. They were taken to South Africa for C-Checks." C-Check refers to the comprehensive overhaul of aircraft after a certain amount of time or usage. The source added: "When one of the Airbuses was flying, the airline used to cannibalise the parked one for parts. One of the planes needs its landing gear replaced." Contacted for comment last night, Airzim spokesperson Shingai Taruvinga confirmed the Airbuses were grounded in SA, but could not give more details.

A senior official at the airline also confirmed that the Airbuses had been grounded, but could not give further details. "It's true that they (Airbuses) are in South Africa since we don't have the capacity to service them here. One of the planes has a landing gear problem and the lessor is looking at replacing it soonest," the official said. The senior official also confirmed that the airline was conducting C-Checks on two Boeings locally and these will be completed soon. "We need about $1,5 million to complete the C-Checks on the Boeing 767 and Boeing 737 at our workshops and I suppose that should be done within the next three weeks," the official added.

Source: Bulawayo24

Update: Kenya Airways Boeing 787 Routes

Note: New schedule includes Johannesburg

As of 03FEB14

eff 18APR14 Nairobi – Johannesburg 3 weekly (until 01JUN14)
KQ762 NBO0830 – 1145JNB 788 567
KQ763 JNB1415 – 1925NBO 788 567
On Nairobi – Paris CDG route, where Boeing 787 aircraft scheduled to enter operations from 01JUN14, the airline’s planned 787 operation (departure days from NBO) as follow:
01JUN14 – 06JUL14 Day x1
07JUL14 – 04AUG14 Daily
05AUG14 – 10SEP14 Day x7 (Day 7 operated by 767-300ER)
11SEP14 – 25OCT14 Day x13
Planned Boeing 787 operation on following routes remain unchanged:
Nairobi – Mombasa 14APR14 – 29MAY14 4 weekly
KQ900 NBO0730 – 0830MBA 788 13
KQ904 NBO1430 – 1530MBA 788 13
KQ901 MBA1100 – 1200NBO 788 13
KQ905 MBA1800 – 1900NBO 788 13
Nairobi – Dar es Salaam 15APR14 – 30MAY14 4 weekly
KQ910 NBO0900 – 1025DAR 788 24
KQ912 NBO1655 – 1820DAR 788 24
KQ911 DAR1255 – 1420NBO 788 24
KQ913 DAR2050 – 2215NBO 788 24

Source: AirlineRoute

SA Express Apply for Bulawayo Route

SA Express have officially applied for 3 weekly flights on the Johannesburg (OR Tambo) - Bulawayo (Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo) route. The application was submitted and the end of 2013 and if SAX is granted rights on this route, it will join SA Airlink and Air Zimbabwe which both operate daily flights between the two cities. A recent article stated that the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) and Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) have teamed up in-order to market the airport amid fears the facility could become a white elephant. We will be keeping you up-to-date regarding developments on this possible route.