BA (Comair) Flight Skidder Off Runway At Durban
Durban International Airport has been closed after a British Airways flight went off the runway in "extremely bad weather" upon landing on 18 June, the Airports Company of South Africa (Acsa) said. BA6203, operated by Comair, was arriving from Johannesburg with 87 passengers and six crew on board when the incident occurred. No major injuries were reported. Trauma counselling was provided to passengers at the scene.
Sudanese Airliner Clashed At Least 29 Dead
A Sudan Airways Airbus A310 coming from Amman and Damascus burst into flames after landing in Khartoum on Tuesday night, killing at least 29 of the roughly 214 people on board, officials and witnesses said on Wednesday.
At least 171 passengers were able to escape the burning Sudan Airways plane and survived, while 14 others were still missing, Civil Aviation Authority Spokesman Abdel Hafiz Abdel Rahim said.
Sudan's aviation authority said a 12-strong team was investigating the cause of the fire and would search for the "black box" flight data recorder of the Airbus A310. Airbus said it was sending a team of five experts from its Toulouse headquarters to Sudan and pledged to help the Sudanese authorities in the investigation.
SAA Restructuring Plan on Track
South African Airways (SAA)said its restructuring plan launched last year so far has saved a ZAR1 billion ($130 million) cost annually and the program is on track. It allow the carrier to begin achieving profitability by March 2009.
SAA has cut more than 1,800 management staff since the restructuring was launched. It also has grounded its 747-400 fleet. Three 747s have been returned to lessors, one has been wet-leased to TAAG Angola Airlines and the remaining two are in the process of being subleased through their owners.
The carrier also plans to modernize its fleet, which now comprises nine A340-600s, six A340-300s, six A340-200s, 11 A319s and 17 737-800s. It said that it will lease three wide- and three narrowbodies to be delivered in 2008 and 2009 and will conduct an aircraft supply competition for Airbus and Boeing as soon as possible this year for the replacement and the additional aircraft for delivery in 2010-14.
CEO Khaya Ngqula said that the soaring oil price has placed margins under pressure and could moderate the restructuring program's effectiveness.
Nile Air Decided to Buy 9 Airbus A321s
New Egyptian airline Nile Air has agreed to buy nine Airbus A321 aircraft. The privately owned regional carrier signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Airbus to base its future fleet on the A321 aircraft.
South African Airways Issued RFI to Airbus and Boeing For Fuel Efficient Aircraft
National carrier South African Airways (SAA) has issued a request for information (RFI) to Airbus and Boeing for a network-driven fleet plan up until 2020.
SAA could seek to initiate a competitive bidding process between Boeing and Airbus, probably built around Boeing's B-787 series and Airbus' A350s, later this year, both of which are viewed as considerably more energy efficient than the current operational fleet. However, SAA might also consider the purchase of Airbus' A-380 super carrier.
In the meantime, the organisation had also issued a firm RFP to aircraft manufacturers and leasing organisations for six aircraft to join its current Airbus-dominated fleet during the course of 2008/9.
Mango Flies into Profit
South African low-cost carrier “Fly Mango” reports profit but the figures is not releasing yet. The airline was launched in November 2006, had carried more than 1,6 million passengers last year, and consistently has load factors above 90%.
It’s CEO, Nico Bezuidenhout, who expected his airline to be profitable within two years before, said, “We have been turning a profit for a few months now. We have 30 flights a day using our four Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with each aircraft completing on average 7,5 flights a day. We cannot afford to let our aircraft stand idle.”
The surging fuel costs have climbed 65% last year. Operating modern, reliable and fuel efficient 737-800 aircraft helps the airline eased the pain, also helps the airline archived 99% reliability rate in dispatching flights last year.
Bezuidenhout revealed that the airline is willing to add one extra 737-800 aircraft to its feet, either buying or leasing.
Kulula Flight Scraped Tail While Take-off at Cape Town
A Kulula flight forced to return Cape Town International airport shortly after take-off on Saturday, 3 May. The tail of that aircraft had scraped the runway while take-off, the airline has confirmed.
But spokesperson of the airline, Glanda Zvenyika denied that the pilot had taken off too steeply, said environmental factors like a “gust of wind” during take-off could affect the ascent of an aircraft.
The flight was bound for Durban. Passengers were delay 12 hours while spare park flow from Johannesburg.
Zambian Airways Announce Service Between Johannesburg and Livingstone
Zambian Airways will connected both cities by direct flight four times a week. The flight will commance as of 2 June and will use a Boeing 737 jet. The route not only get passengers from point A to B, but will offer views of the immense Victoria Falls in the process.
Commercial Director of Zambian Airways Charlie Roberts says, ” This is a fantastic start to what will become a very successful route for Zambian Airways - we have already been able to help lots of disappointed Nationwide passengers, who have snapped up our “Rescue” fares, plus our new service is proving incredibly popular both with locals and the ever expanding number of tourists choosing to see the Falls from the Zambian side.”
South African Airways (SAA) New Lounge at London Heathrow.
South African Airways (SAA) has moved into its new lounge at London Heathrow Airport. The national carrier will now share its business class lounge with two fellow Star Alliance carriers - bmi and United Airlines.
By sharing a common platform the airlines say they can cut costs without compromising high standards of service for regular flyers. The new lounge is situated on the mezzanine level of the Arrivals concourse. It features a full range of business facilities, private showers and comprehensive catering services.
SAA spokesperson Nomvula Nkabinde commented: "We are confident our passengers will benefit from this move and we will ensure that all their needs are met to the best of our ability. We trust our customers will take full advantage of this facility which will help revitalise them after a long journey." Access to the lounge is granted to all of SAA's Business Class and Voyager Platinum members, as well as Star Gold and Silver card holders.
Taag Launches Flights to Dubai
Angolan national airline Taag is due to launch flights between Luanda and Dubai next Monday, Angolan news agency Angop reported Tuesday. Taag, which recently opened up routes to Douala (Cameroon) and other cities, will offer two flights per week between Luanda and Dubai, on Mondays and Fridays. The inaugural flight to Dubai will use a Boeing 777 aircraft.
Taag flies to the cities of Harare (Zimbabwe), Johannesburg (South Africa), Lusaka (Zambia), Brazzaville (Congo Brazzaville), Kinshasa (DR Congo), Sal (Cape Verde), Sao Tome and Principe, Windhoek (Namibia) and Rio de Janeiro (Brazil).
Nationwide Airline Ceases Operations
Nationwide Airline (CE) of South Africa announced today that it will be ceasing operations until further notice. “Our cash-flow has become critical and as a result we have decided to voluntarily cease all flight operations until further notice,” said chief executive Vernon Bricknell, “We apologize to our loyal customers for any and all inconveniences experienced.”
Nationwide’s troubles began in November of last year when an engine fell off a Boeing 737-200 on take-off from Cape Town International Airport. On November 30, the South African Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) grounded Nationwide when it suspended its approval of the airline’s aircraft maintenance organisation and the certificates of airworthiness of Nationwide’s fleet of aircraft. The airline resumed operations in December and January and started to gain a gradual recovery of business. However, in the months of March and April, the carrier faced a 30% increase in fuel costs and decreased passenger load factors.
Emirates Makes Maiden Flight to Cape Town
Trade and tourism ties between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and South Africa are expected to receive a further boost following the Emirates Airlines, one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing carriers, launched daily flights to Cape Town today.
It operates its Airbus A330-200 in a three-class configuration until 1 October when the larger capacity Boeing 777-200 will take over the route. Both aircraft are equipped with ergonomic seats, personal video screens, in-seat phones, and facilities to send and receive e-mail and SMS from each seat.
In total, the airline will introduce approximately 2000 seats and more than 100 tonnes of cargo capacity per week each direction to Cape Town.
Comair (South Africa) Reports Its 62nd Consecutive Yearly Profit
Comair (South Africa), a franchise of British Airways reported earnings of $7.7 million, a 14 percent increase, for the six months ending on December 31, 2007. This represents the 62nd consecutive yearly profit which is a tremendous achievement for any airline. The profit comes despite a pricing war in South Africa and escalating fuel costs (up 36 percent since June 2007).
Comair is also debating on whether it opens a new route to the United Kingdom using either the Comair brand or its low-cost Kulula.com subsidiary. British Airways (London) which flies the route and is a minority shareholder wants Comair naturally to expand more in Africa. Comair is planning to add Kampala (Uganda) later this year, and will also expand domestic and regional operations from Lanseria Airport which is located northwest of Johannesburg. It is also considering an alliance with Air Malawi.
South African, Nationwide Settle Out of Court
A legal battle between South African Airways and Nationwide Airlines has been quietly settled out of court. Nationwide had sued for an undisclosed amount, alleging that SAA’s incentive schemes for travel agents constituted an abuse of its dominant position and was designed to exclude or impede rivals in the domestic market. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
Kenya Airways Suspends Some Flights
Kenya Airways is cancelling two routes from Mombasa due to declining tourism in the country. The Johannesburg route from Mombasa has be dropped on 27 January. Mombasa-London will also be deleted on 1 February. The country has been hit hard by a tremendous drop in tourism related to the post-election violence that affected certain parts of country.
The Airline is also temporarily suspending its Nairobi-Paris flights as a result of travel advisories made by many Western countries. Following recent violence outbreaks in Kenya, several countries including Britain, the United States, Germany, France, Canada, Holland, Italy, and Belgium issued warnings against travel to the country to their citizens. A spokesman from Kenya Airways remains optimistic that the advisories will soon be lifted and flights will be resumed.
