Africa

Air Côte d’Ivoire, Ivory Coast’s flagship carrier based in Abidjan, has taken delivery of its first A320neo, becoming the first operator of the type in the West-African region.

Rolls-Royce has signed a TotalCare agreement with new customer Uganda Airlines for their two new Airbus A330neo aircraft powered exclusively by Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines. Uganda Airlines received their two A330neo, first in December 2020 and second in January 2021.

This week's TATV Newsround brings travels from West Africa to Mars via Bengaluru and Abu Dhabi – and all stations in between.

Gulfstream Aerospace has announced the Gulfstream G700TM flight-test programme has made significant progress, surpassing 1,100 hours of flying and completing new company test regimens, all within the program’s first year.

Astral Aviation has been selected by UNICEF for its humanitarian airfreight initiative.

Uganda Airlines has selected Geven’s Piuma AQ (Alta Quota) and Comoda AQ (Alta Quota) Premium Economy Class sustainable seats for its A330-800neo aircraft.

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) are conducting experiments with an antimicrobial surface coating designed to fight the spread of bacteria and viruses, including the Earth-bound SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for the current COVID-19 pandemic.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is undergoing changing leadership globally and regionally. Alan Peaford reports on developments that will affect Africa.

Nigeria’s NG Eagle has received its first two Boeing 737-700 aircraft. The aircraft, from the fleet of Arik Air, were delivered to Lagos airport from Addis Ababa.

King Mohammed VI has appointed Habiba Laklalech, CEO of Moroccan Airports Authority (ONDA).

Airlink will launch a new direct service between Cape Town and Walvis Bay, commencing on March 2, 2021.

Embraer delivered 71 jets in the fourth quarter of 2020, of which 28 were commercial aircraft and 43 were executive jets (23 light and 20 large), which represents a decrease of 10 aircraft in the quarter in comparison with 4Q19.

Air Namibia has announced on Twitter all flight operations will be suspended from February 11, 2021, this is following the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Gulfstream Aerospace has enhanced its aircraft redesign programme. In as little as 30 business days, any Gulfstream aircraft can be redesigned with the assistance of a dedicated designer.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is offering an online training course to help laid-off airline cabin crew members re-enter the job market.

Rolls-Royce has conducted the first tests of 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in a business jet engine, as part of its ambition to play a leading role in enabling the sectors in which we operate reach net zero carbon by 2050.

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi has confirmed the start of its route from Abu Dhabi to Alexandria, Egypt on 22 February 2021.

Ethiopia is the latest destination to be awarded the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Safe Travels Stamp – the world’s first-ever global safety and hygiene stamp.

RwandAir has suspended its services to Johannesburg, Cape Town, Lusaka and Harare effective February 8.

Airlink will resume scheduled air services between Johannesburg and Sishen in the Northern Cape from 15 February 2021.

Ethiopian Airlines transported the first COVID-19 vaccine shipment from Beijing to N'Djamena via Addis Ababa on 6th February 2021.

Addvalue Innovation has entered into an MoU with South African based Dragonfly Aerospace, a space engineering cum space mission company, for a joint marketing collaboration in cross promoting Dragonfly’s imaging payloads and satellites.

RwandAir will not lift passengers from Nigeria to Dubai until further notice.

The African aviation industry lost a great safety champion this week when George Amutete, the leading airport wildlife management expert in Africa, sadly died, reports the AviAssist Foundation.

The Agency for Air Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar, ASECNA, the Nigerian Communications Satellite Ltd, NIGCOMSAT and Thales Alenia Space - a joint venture between Thales (67 %) and Leonardo (33 %) - have announced the completion of five flight demos at Lomé International Airport, set to accelerate SBAS (Satellite-Based Augmentation System) development for aviation in Africa.