Air Nigeria Increases Flights to Accra and Abidjan
Air Nigeria is to boost frequency on its flights to Ghana and the Ivory Coast from this month with the introduction of a new three times weekly service on the Lagos – Accra – Abidjan route. The airline will use a Boeing 737-300 on the link from November 16. The African carrier already serves both markets with an existing double daily service to the Ghanaian capital and two flights per week to Abidjan, via Cotonou. An estimated 248,000 O&D passengers travelled between Lagos and Accra in the last year with around 25,000 flying between the Nigerian city and Abidjan.
Qatar Airways Highlights African Opportunities
Qatar Airways’ entry into two African cities this week marks the first of potentially more route launches on the Continent as the airline’s Chief Executive Officer, Akbar Al Baker spelled out a commitment to grow its regional operations. The Libyan port city of Benghazi and Ugandan city of Entebbe have joined Doha-based Qatar Airways’ global network taking the carrier’s African portfolio to 16 destinations. In addition to the passenger flights to Uganda, Qatar Airways also commenced a twice-weekly dedicated freighter service to Entebbe. With the airline now serving more than 100 destinations globally, the African component represents a sizeable figure and is set to grow even further. Speaking to media at a press conference in the Ugandan capital Kampala, Al Baker said: “Two route launches within two days on this diverse Continent is significant as the last time we made a foray into Africa was four years ago when we began services to Tanzania’s capital city of Dar es Salaam.” He revealed that more destinations will follow but that it was “premature” to say where so as not to to give a heads up to the competition. “There are plenty of opportunities across Africa, which remains largely underserved by international airlines,” he noted. Al Baker stressed the importance of entering markets for the long-term, saying Qatar Airways was not in the business of moving into new territory and withdrawing, instead committing and offering convenient and efficient travel options for business and leisure passengers year-round. In addition, Qatar Airways Cargo, the airline’s freighter arm, now operates dedicated flights to Entebbe twice-weekly using an Airbus A300 aircraft, transporting a variety of goods, including produce and flowers to the Ugandan gateway. “Qatar Airways has been growing its cargo operations gradually, and launching a dedicated freighter route to coincide with the start of the airline’s commercial passenger service signals what promises to be a fruitful air link between Qatar and Uganda,” added Al Baker.
Comair Increases Lanseria Offering
South African carrier Comair is to introduce flights between Lanseria and George under its franchise partnership with British Airways (BA). The daily link will operate for a period of seven weeks from December 1 until January 18, 2012 and will be operated using an ATR 72 turboprop. Comair also serves Maputo from Lanseria, a route it is now serving ten times weekly, although it has now suspended its flight to Gaborone, a route that was only launched this summer.
European Low-Cost Carriers Add Flights to Tunis
European carriers Air One and Germanwings have both announced plans to expand their network into North Africa with flights to the Tunisian capital Tunis. Air One is to add links from Milan Maplensa, while Germanwings will introduce a twice weekly service from Cologne/Bonn from March 30, 2012. This will be only the second link into the region by Germanwings, adding to its existing seasonal service to Marrakech in Morocco.
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