Hi Fly Malta takes maiden A330-300 ch-aviation PRO exclusive

LAM - Linhas Aéreas de Moçambique (TM, Maputo) will commence its 3x weekly service from Maputo to Lisbon, Portugal starting on June 2, rather than the end of March as originally planned.

The overnight flight from Mozambique will utilise an A330-200 wet-leased from ACMI/charter specialist Hi Fly Malta (HFM, Malta Int'l). The operator is presently preparing two 269-seat ex-Turkish Airlines A330-200s, TC-LNA (msn 874) and TC-LNB (msn 939), for introduction into its fleet. State-owned LAM is forced to used ACMI capacity for the route given it is currently banned from European Union airspace.

According to the ch-aviation schedules module, TAP Air Portugal (TP, Lisbon) is the incumbent carrier on the route, flying the 4,523-nautical mile sector (8,376-kilometre) 3x weekly with its A330-900 fleet.

"We want to reach a point where LAM and TAP Air Portugal [with whom LAM has been codesharing on the route] share the market they have and offer a daily flight between the two points," LAM General Manager Joao Jorge told...

Air Sénégal (HC, Dakar Blaise Diagne Int'l) has long-held plans to serve the United States, including starting the application process with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), but internal conflicts within the government of Senegal's President Macky Sall could put the breaks on the airline's transatlantic ambitions, according to local media reports.

The carrier has plans to start flights from Dakar Blaise Diagne Int'l to New York JFK via Washington Dulles from this summer. However, in a meeting of the Council of Ministers, the Senegalese head of state made his reservations clear to Alioune Sarr, minister of tourism and air transport.

"I salute your commitment to make Air Sénégal one of the best airlines in the sub-region, or even on the continent, but I find that it will be necessary to review your plan to serve the United States," said Sall.

He then suggested that the minister take all the necessary precautions before placing Air Sénégal on a route, especially given the likely high costs for the state-owned carrier.

According to the...