Gabonese gov't pushes ahead with new national carrier plans ch-aviation PRO exclusive

Air France (AF, Paris CDG) has sold its 50% stake in Heathrow Cargo Handling, a cargo handler at London Heathrow, to Swissport, which has thus assumed full ownership of the firm.

The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The completion of the share acquisition by Swissport is subject to Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) approval and is expected in the first half of 2019.

HCH was established as a joint venture between Air France and Swissport in 1995.

Gabon Airlines (GY, Libreville) is officially in liquidation after a Libreville court issued a directive to dispose of the defunct carrier's assets, the Gabonese Review has reported. As the official successor to Air Gabon (GN, Libreville) and its still-borne Royal Air Maroc-aligned successor, Air Gabon International (Libreville), Gabon Airlines was founded in 2007 by private investors, banks and insurers with its CEO Christian Bongo Ondimba, a son of former Gabonese strongman Omar Bongo. Initial operations between Libreville and Paris CDG took place on 11 April 2007 using a B767-200(ER) and an A340-300, CS-TQM (c/n 117) on lease from Hi Fly (5K, Lisbon). However, difficulties were soon encountered with the airline posting significant losses over the following four years. Flights ceased in 2011 while in 2012, the carrier lost its Air Operators Certificate. Among the assets that have since been disposed of include the 767-200(ER), TR-LHP (msn 21877), which had been grounded in Addis Ababa since 2007 over an unpaid debt to Ethiopian Airlines (ET,...