http://www.airlinerworld.com 15News Review • Africa/Middle East
The Government of Swaziland is making
its newly delivered VIP-configured Airbus
A340-313 3DC-SDF (c/n 406) available for
charter. The jet, previously in service with
China Airlines as B-18802, was delivered
to Swaziland on April 13 after the interior
was fitted at Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg.
The aircraft will be operated by Royal
Swazi Airways and, when not flying for
King Mswati III, will be offered on the
international charter market. “As with its
predecessor, Siyinqaba [McDonnell Douglas
MD-87 3DC-SWZ (c/n 53041)], the State
aircraft will, when not in use by our head
of state, be available for private leasing,”
Acting Prime Minister Paul Dlamini told the
Swazi Observer.Dar es Salaam-based Air Tanzania
has taken delivery of its third and
final Bombardier Dash 8-Q400,
5H-TCE (c/n 4559). The aircraft arrived
in the country on April 2 and has been
leased from the state-owned Tanzanian
Government Flight. The turboprop was
due to be delivered last August but was
seized by Stirling Civil Engineering over an
unsettled debt of $38.7m. The International
Court of Arbitration awarded the money
to Stirling in 2010 because the Tanzanian
government cancelled the $25m civil
engineering contract.Kwacha Airlines has been awarded an Air
Services Licence by the Malawian Ministry
of Transport and Public Works. The start-
up carrier intends to operate both domestic
and international passenger and cargo
flights using Boeing 737-700s. It plans
to finalise its certification and launch on
September 1.Emirates is introducing a second daily flight
between Dubai and Prague, starting on
July 1. The service will be operated by
a three-class Boeing 777-300ER, offering
eight private suites in first class, 42 lie-
flat seats in business and 310 seats in
economy. Emirates flight EK137 leaves
Dubai at 3.30pm and arrives in Prague at
7.55pm. The return flight, EK138, departs
Prague at 9.35pm, arriving back in Dubai at
5.30am the following day. (Photo Emirates)Etihad Airways has boosted services to
Morocco from its Abu Dhabi base. Since May
1, a three-class Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner has
plied the daily service to Casablanca. A
third weekly service has been added to
the UAE national carrier’s connection to the
Moroccan capital, Rabat. The extra rotation
will operate on Saturdays until May 12 and
again between June 30 and September 29
to meet peak demand. The route will be
flown using a three-class Airbus A330-300.Kano-based Azman Air has returned its sole
widebody aircraft, Airbus A330-200 SU-ALC
(c/n 392), to Air Leisure after failing to put
the aircraft into service, reports Swiss airline
intelligence provider ch-aviation.in brief
Etihad Celebrates
ETIHAD AIRWAYS has applied spe-
cial liveries to a Boeing 777 Freighter
and Airbus A380 celebrating the Year
of Zayed. Throughout this year, the
United Arab Emirates is commemo-
rating the hundredth birthday of its
founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed
bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive
Officer of Etihad Aviation Group, said:
“More than half a century ago, Sheikh
Zayed envisioned Abu Dhabi having
a world class aviation industry and
infrastructure that is on a par with
the major cities of the world. Etihad
Aviation Group is especially honoured,
on the occasion of 100 years since thebirth of Sheikh Zayed, to pay tribute to
his vision by promoting the values he
embodied and showcasing the impact
he has had on the UAE as a whole, and
in the aviation industry in particular.”
Etihad’s specially painted freight-
er, A6-DDE (c/n 62745), will conduct
humanitarian flights for charitable
organisations throughout the year, the
first of which launches in May.
The airline is working with Emirates
Red Crescent, Khalifa Foundation, and
His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa
Al Nahyan Humanitarian & Scientific
Foundation to conduct the philan-
thropic missions around the world.
(Photo Etihad Airways)Zimbabwe
Airways
Receives First
777
ZIMBABWE AIRWAYS took delivery
of its first aircraft, Boeing 777-2H6ER
Z-RGM (c/n 28421), on April 11.
The former Malaysia Airlines wide-
body is one of two acquired by the
state via its Zimbabwe Aviation
Leasing Company SPV.
A government statement revealed Air
Zimbabwe had approached the State
Procurement Board in October 2016,
seeking approval to take on four for-
mer Malaysia Airlines 777s, a move
approved in November of that year.
Funds for two of the aircraft, plus a
single Embraer ERJ, were secured by
the Ministry of Finance and Economic
Development.
“Government also took the decision
to lease the ’planes to third parties
up to such a time as Air Zimbabwe
develops a credible business plan to
run the planes on a sustainable, prof-
itable basis,” the statement said.
“Accordingly, government decided
to lease the ’planes to a new aircraft
firm called Zimbabwe Airways which
has already put in place credible
plans for said ’planes.”
Zimbabwe Airways has yet to secure
its AOC from the Civil Aviation
Authority of Zimbabwe.BHN Expands Fixed-wing Services
BRISTOW HELICOPTERS Nigeria
(BHN) has signed a memorandum
of understanding (MOU) with the
Bayelsa State Government for dedi-
cated passenger charter flights. The
deal will see BHN operate services
from the state capital, Yenagoa, to
various destinations across Nigeria.Flights to Lagos and Port Harcourt
are expected to start during Q1 2019,
once all the paperwork has been
completed. BHN will serve the routes
using Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
turboprops.
“These flights are the foundation for
connecting Bayelsa to other parts ofNigeria by air,” Bristow Area Manager
(Africa), Dapo Oyeleke, said in a state-
ment. “There is a great deal of inter-
est in this service, and this agreement
gives us an advantage in the market.
We look forward to serving the state
of Bayelsa and the country of Nigeria
with these flights.”Iranian Naft Airlines has changed its name to Karun Airlines and introduced a new livery. The airline operates four Fokker 100s, including EP-OPI (c/n
11509) and five Fokker 50s. AIRTEAMIMAGES.COM/MEHRAD WATSON
Naft Rebranded