TAAG Angola eyes more domestic hubs, mulls E2s/A220s

De Havilland pauses Q400 production

De Havilland Aircraft of Canada (DHC, Toronto Downsview) has confirmed earlier reports that it will suspend its DHC-8-Q400 production line, located at Toronto Downsview, beyond the aircraft currently on firm order. It did, however, vow to resume assembly in the future, albeit at another site.

"We fully expect worldwide demand for the Dash 8 to return once the industry has recovered from the pandemic, and the aircraft's characteristics - including low operating costs, low emissions impact, and performance capabilities that support efficient regional operations - will make the Dash 8 an important part of the aviation industry's post-pandemic recovery," the Executive Chairman of De Havilland's parent company, Longview Aviation Capital, David Curtis said.

According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, the Canadian manufacturer currently has firm orders for eighteen DHC-8-Q400s. However, only nine of them have been assigned to identified airline customers (three each for TAAG Angola Airlines and Ethiopian Airlines, two to Biman Bangladesh Airlines, and one to Air Tanzania), the other nine orders are for...

Fly Angola resumes flights after completing certification

Privately-owned Fly Angola (Luanda) has used the COVID-19 downturn to overhaul its aircraft and secure its own Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC), reports Forbes.

The company previously marketed flights as a virtual carrier by sub-contracting operations to local partner, AeroJet (Angola) (TEJ, Luanda), to operate a domestic network with one E145 D2-FDF (msn 145221) linking the capital Luanda with Dundo and Saurimo in the east, and Benguela and Lubango in the west.

However, when COVID-19 travel restrictions forced the suspension of its operations in March 2020, management used the downtime to complete a six-month certification process, resulting in the granting of its AOC from Angola’s civil aviation authority (Instituto Nacional da Aviação Civil - INAVIC) on December 21, 2020.

The airline resumed domestic flights on December 23. Although initial demand was low because of travel restrictions and COVID health protocols, traffic was starting to pick up, said General Manager Belarnício Muangala. “Our reduced service schedule has now been revised twice due to increasing demand,” he said.

Angola's TAAG applies for US codeshares

De Havilland to pause Dash 8-Q400 production in 2021

De Havilland Aircraft of Canada (DHC, Toronto Downsview) has resolved to pause its DHC-8-Q400 production line once all ordered aircraft are completed later this year.

"We will not be producing “whitetails” (i.e. completed aircraft ahead of confirmed orders) and market demand will guide our future production plans for the Dash 8-400 aircraft. While the very challenging market conditions being faced by the industry may lead to a pause in production this year, De Havilland Canada has not determined the duration of such a pause if one were to occur," the manufacturer's spokesperson told ch-aviation.

Leeham News reported that the Canadian manufacturer reportedly told suppliers that it would not require any more parts for the time being once the outstanding turboprops have been built.

According to the ch-aviation fleets advanced module, de Havilland has firm orders for twenty Dash 8-Q400s. However, only 11 of these have assigned customers: four are due to deliver to Ethiopian Airlines, four to TAAG Angola Airlines, two to Biman Bangladesh Airlines, and one to Air...

Editorial Comment: Ethiopian Q400 backlog adjusted to four aircraft. - 28.01.2021 - 14:47 UTC