Africa

CANSO, the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation, said that Africa now has a unique opportunity to modernise air navigation infrastructure across the continent.

Ethiopian Airlines has announced that it has finalised preparations to start flights to Dublin and Los Angeles starting from June 2015.

For the 2014-15 winter season (from 26 October 2014 to 28 March 2015), Air France-KLM Group capacity is scheduled to increase by 0.7%, with an increase of 0.1% for passenger operations (Air France, KLM and HOP!) and 13.3% for low-cost leisure operations (Transavia in France and the Netherlands).

The new link will provide the first regular link between East Africa and Dublin and will mark the return of flights between the Irish capital and Los Angeles, a market last served by Aer Lingus in November 2008. This will strengthen Ireland’s connectivity to the west coast of the United States, with California a major market for Irish tourism.

Proflight Zambia has begun flights on its new 50-seater jet aircraft, introduced to mark Zambia's Golden Jubilee.

DHL Express SSA has been certified as a Top Employer in Africa for its outstanding employee offerings across the region.

Today, Emirates fleet investment in Africa tops $7 billion with operating costs of over $2 billion and it currently operates to 22 passenger and six dedicated freighter destinations in Africa perating over 160 flights across the continent each week, connecting African economies and markets with Dubai and beyond to a global network of over 140 major cities.

The Algerian Space Agency (ASAL) and Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) have signed a contract to build the Alsat-1B Earth Observation satellite in combination with a comprehensive training and development programme.

The Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO) Africa Office Chairman and ATNS CEO, Thabani Mthiyane said delegates attending the CANSO Africa Conference - currently underway in Zambia - have realised the importance of increasing collaboration and cooperation among member states, thereby accelerating progress towards a safer, more efficient and cost-effective Air Traffic Management (ATM) system in the Africa Region.

Emirates is placing a strategic focus on Africa in the coming decade by increasing operations by over 40%, said Sir Tim Clark speaking last week at the Africa Global Business Forum 2014.

Air Algerie has ordered three Airbus A330-200s according to the latest numbers released by the European manufacturer.

Proflight Zambia is launching its new route to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on October 16, 2014, enabling business people and traders to travel easily between the mining centres of Ndola and Lubumbashi.

Ethiopian Airlines has announced that it has received its 10th B787 Dreamliner dubbed "Niagara Falls" on 2 October 2014.

The Middle East and Africa Helicopter Association (MEAHA) has endorsed the forthcoming Dubai Helishow scheduled for November 4-6, 2014.

The African Business Aviation Association held its second AfBAA Regional Symposium 2014 in Johannesburg 14 -15 September and welcomed leading international industry figures from the full spectrum of the Business Aviation sector.

Bahrain, which is located in the Arabian Gulf, has a history of aviation that dates back to the early 1920's. Historically it has acted as a gateway between the East and West providing a natural transit destination for early trade routes and a strategic hub for the Northern Gulf.

Air France has announced a codeshare partnership with kulula.com*, South Africa's largest low-fare airline.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced August 2014 data for global airfreight markets showing continued robust growth in air cargo volumes with African airlines reporting the strongest growth of air cargo demand with a 9.2% year-on-year expansion.

The HUB spoke to MEC Michael Mabuyakhulu during this year’s World Routes in Chicago to learn more about next year’s World Routes when he described the event as the aviation equivalent of the Football World Cup, which was hosted by South Africa in 2010. In terms of hosting the event, he added: “Durban is ready, KwaZulu-Natal is ready and Africa is ready.”

Arik Air has launched a frequent flyer programme, aligning its offering with the industry's foremost airlines in the process.

Yahsat is offering a free satellite modem and dish for new YahClick subscribers to selected service plans as part of its commitment to deliver affordable, reliable and high speed internet connectivity in Kenya. The offer is available via the local YahClick service providers Skynet and SimbaNET.

Dubai-based flydubai's inaugural flights to Entebbe and Bujumbura landed today and were welcomed with traditional water cannon salutes and official delegations.

The international arm of the UK's civil aviation authority developed a bespoke safety management workshop to support the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority's (GCAA) vision to become a world-class regulator.

Angola's national carrier TAAG is to work with Dubai-based Emirates airline to develop a "world class" carrier to compete with major African and international carriers

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued on 30 September 2014 the type certificate of the Airbus A350-900. Airbus demonstrated that the aircraft complies with the regulatory safety and environment requirements defined by EASA for the European Union.