SUDAN: Air Serv Begins Flights In Sudan

Air Serv has deployed an aircraft to Khartoum, Sudan to support efforts assisting displaced people who have been forced from their homes due to drought and conflict.

In addition to surges in violence, affected populations are also threatened by crisis level food insecurity.

While aid worker access to communities has improved since the lifting of U.S. sanctions last October, it still remains significantly restricted and is further hindered by limited road travel outside of Khartoum.

The Grand Caravan departed on June 7 from Entebbe for Khartoum, where it will be based along with a crew of two pilots, an engineer, and a base manager.

Providing transport for relief agencies working in the region, the Khartoum operation is a short term program with a likelihood of extension.

Needs will be reevaluated in approximately two months to determine whether continued service will be required.

Of the newest addition to Air Serv’s operations, CEO Stu Willcuts says: As long as our services are needed, we will continue working and responding to challenging situations in difficult places.

With a fleet of six Cessna Caravans, Air Serv specializes in last mile air transportation in support of humanitarian programs.

In addition to charter, facilities, maintenance, and consulting services, Air Serv is dedicated to providing response capabilities for organizations operating in disaster areas.


Tourism Observer

MOROCCO: Royal Air Maroc To Fly To 5 East African Nations, Signs Codeshare With Alitalia

Royal Air Maroc RAM has signed a code sharing agreement with Alitalia to boost air links between Morocco and Italy.

Under the deal, they will increase air links between Morocco and Italy to 29 from 7, RAM said in a statement on Wednesday.

Royal Air Maroc (RAM) the national carrier for Morocco announced plans to launch flights to five other East African cities.

Royal Air Maroc already has flights from Casablanca to Nairobi.

Royal Air Maroc Country manager in Kenya, Othman Baba says the move, caused by their gainful experience on the Nairobi route.

Royal Air Maroc which joined the 23-member single African air transport market (SAAM) last year, has said it will ride on the continental aviation framework, to speed up regulatory approvals.

It is so far the only North African airline that runs a direct Nairobi—Ndjamena (Chad) flight.

We will be extending operations in East Africa in in the short-term with new destinations like Dar es Salaam, Harare, Kigali, Maputo and Khartoum,he said.

With more than 30 destinations in West Africa, it is imperative that Royal Air Maroc has decided to spread into East Africa to share on the lucrative East African market.

Royal Air Maroc started with two weekly flights to Nairobi in 2016, but has since increased frequency to three fights a week.

Royal Air Maroc, Kenya Airways, Ethiopian, South African and Egypt Air are Africa’s largest flying Airlines.

Air Maroc says its key success point remains its low ticket prices.

Royal Air Maroc maintains strict control over its costs structure and processes, resulting in lower ticket price and cargo tariffs.


Tourism Observer

TANZANIA: Etihad To Fly From Dar Es Salaam To Abu Dhabi

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, yesterday widened its presence in East Africa with the launch of new services between Dar es Salaam, the Tanzanian commercial capital and Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

On touching down at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam, the inaugural flight was welcomed with a traditional water-cannon salute and guets, when disembarking were greeted by a troupe of traditional Tanzanian dancers.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to mark the auspicious occasion, which was attended by:

- Dr Shaaban Mwinjaka, Permanent Secretary, Tanzanian Ministry of Transport,

- Dr Adelhelm James Meru, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Tourism and Natural Resources,

- H.E. Mbarouk Nassor Mbarouk, Tanzanian Ambassador to the UAE,

- H.E. Abdullah Ibrahim Al Suwaidi, UAE Ambassador to Tanzania, and

- Daniel Barranger, Etihad Airways’ Senior Vice President - Global Sales,

- Engineer Thomas Haule, Director, ‎Julius Nyerere International Airport

Dar es Salaam is Etihad Airways’ third destination in East Africa, along with Nairobi and Entebbe, and its ninth destination overall on the African continent.

The daily service will be operated by a two-class Airbus A320 aircraft with 16 Business Class and 120 Economy Class seats, designed to provide business and leisure travellers with a direct daily connection between Dar es Salaam and Abu Dhabi. From there will travelers have convenient onward connections to key destinations in the GCC region, Europe, the Indian subcontinent, North Asia, Southeast Asia and Australia but also to North America.

Mr Barranger said when addressing guests: 't'.The launch of Etihad Airways’ flights to Dar es Salaam is consistent with our strategy of targeting areas of strong growth in emerging markets. Dar es Salaam is a wonderful destination for tourists seeking to experience the great culture and history of Tanzania, and provides the gateway to numerous national and international tourist attractions, including Mount Kilimanjaro, the wildlife-rich national parks of the Serengeti, and the spice island of Zanzibar.

The UAE is also a major trading partner with Tanzania and our new point-to-point services strengthen the two-way flow of trade and commerce between the two countries. The flight scheduling offers guests convenient onward connections, and caters for the strong traffic flows between Tanzania and key destinations across our global network, such as Ahmedabad and Mumbai in India or Beijing and Shanghai in China. Not only does this service provide our guests with direct access to an exciting new business and tourism destination, it also further strengthens our presence in East Africa and across the African continent'.

Etihad Airways has steadily grown its presence on the continent since the launch of its first service to Cairo in November 2004. Since then the airline has introduced services to Casablanca, Entebbe, Johannesburg, Khartoum, Lagos, Nairobi in codeshare with Kenya Airways, and Mahé in the Seychelles, and plans to launch to Rabat in Morocco, mid-January 2016.

SYRIA: Cham Wings Airlines Flys Damascus To Muscat

Gift exchanges and cakes, two of the hallmarks of new route launches. This time these celebrations were convened for the start of Cham Wings Airlines’ new service from Damascus to Muscat on 3 September.

Cham Wings Airlines, a privately-owned, Damascus-based, Syrian scheduled and charter carrier, began offering two direct weekly services between Damascus (DAM) and Muscat (MCT).

The first flight was operated by its 156-seat A320 on Tuesday 3 September, making it Oman Airports’ 63rd destination worldwide in a network spreading across 31 countries.

The airline offers flights to other regional and international destinations from Damascus, such as Baghdad, Najaf, Beirut, Malmo and Istanbul.

In the future, Cham Wings is hoping to launch services to cities such as Kuwait, Doha, and Khartoum. The 2,386-kilometre sector faces no direct competition.