14 AIRLINER WORLD JUNE 2018News Review • Africa/Middle East
Qatar Lines Up
More 777Fs
QATAR AIRWAYS has signed a letter
of intent (LOI) for five Boeing 777
Freighters, valued at $1.7bn at list
prices. The LOI was signed during
a ceremony attended by Qatari
Minister of Finance and Qatar Airways
Chairman Ali Sharif Al Emadi, Qatar
Airways group chief executive Akbar
Al Baker and Boeing Commercial
Airplanes president and CEO Kevin
McAllister on April 10.
“The addition of five 777 Freighters is
a significant moment for our cargo
division,” said Al Baker. “As the
world’s third largest cargo operator,
Qatar Airways continues to invest in
fleet expansion. This transaction will
be a reinforcement of our confidencein Boeing to continue to deliver an
outstanding product that meets our
exacting standards. We expect no less
than perfection, and we are confident
Boeing will continue to deliver that.”
Qatar Airways currently operates 13
777Fs and recently added two 747-8Fs.
McAllister remarked: “We are proud
of our long-standing partnership with
Qatar Airways and we value their
business and the positive impact on
Boeing, our employees, suppliers
and communities. We are honoured
that one of the world’s leading inter-
national cargo carriers recognises
the unmatched capabilities of the 777
Freighter to continue to lift their grow-
ing freight operations.” (Photo Boeing)Zimbabwean St a r t-up
A HONG KONG-BASED investor looks
set to provide Sol Air with $100m, ena-
bling the carrier to launch domestic
and regional operations. The airline
signed an agreement with Yaya Sun
early last year for an investment of
$55m, but the deal stalled amid con-
cerns of US economic sanctions
against Zimbabwe and the country’s
shortage of foreign currency.
Sol Air managing director Nkosilathi
Sibanda told The Zimbabwe
Independent the project has been
revived and is expected to get under-
way once national elections havebeen held later this summer.
“We have been requested to review
our capital requirements from $55m
in-order to have enough working
capital. Our advisers have proposed
we seek $100m to be on the safe side
and our financiers have indicated their
willingness to invest that much and
a letter of intent has been issued,”
Sibanda said.
Sol Air is already in possession of an
Air Services Licence (ASL) from the
Zimbabwean Ministry of Transport and
is moving to secure an AOC from the
Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe.Turboprops for fastjet
TANZANIA’S FASTJET Group plans to
add three ATR 72-600s to its fleet after
securing a $12m loan from equity
partner Solenta Aviation Group.
The airline signed a letter of intent
(LOI) with ABRIC Leasing last
September to acquire the turboprops
under a 10-year operating lease, with
the option to purchase the aircraft. As
part of the LOI, fastjet is due to pay
an option deposit of around $11m to
ABRIC’s parent firm, ACIA Aero CapitalGroup of Companies (ACIA), to secure
the “economic rights” to the aircraft.
“We are excited by the expected entry
into service of turboprop aircraft dur-
ing June 2018,” fastjet CEO Nico
Bezuidenhout said. “Certain short-haul routes with shorter runways now
become accessible to fastjet, whilst
the fuel-efficient nature of the aircraft
will stand us in good stead in an
environment where fuel prices have
shown an upward trend.”MADAGASCAR-BASED
MADAGASIKARA Airways has acquired
an Embraer ERJ 145 on long-term
lease from PCC Aero. The 2001-
built jet, 5R-AMX (c/n 145461), was
previously operated by Republic
Airways as N288SK. It was delivered
to the carrier at Kingman Airline
Services’ facility at Myrtle Beach,
South Carolina on March 30.
Madagasikara Airways was launchedin 2015 using two EMB120 Brasilias
and a single Beechcraft Super
King Air 200. Based in the capital
Antananarivo, it provides domestic
scheduled and charter flights as well
as services to Saint-Pierre Pierrefonds
on the island of Réunion.
Skyworld Aviation provided support
to PCC during the execution of the
lease agreement.
(Photo Skyworld Aviation)Bahrain national carrier Gulf Air has unveiled a new corporate livery on its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, A9C-FA (c/n 39996). The aircraft, which is currently under flight-testing, was flown to the Gulf
state to perform a flypast at April’s Bahrain Formula 1 Grand Prix. AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/DIPANKAR BHAKTANew Gulf Air Livery
New ERJ Operator