TAAG Angola Airlines will resume flights to Havana and increase frequencies to seven domestic destinations and three international destinations, including São Paulo/Guarulhos (GRU), Brazil, in the coming months.

Angola’s state-owned airline is gradually recovering its frequencies and the destinations it operated before the pandemic, as travel demand begins to rise. The aircraft assigned to each destination cater to the usual volume of passengers and cargo.

Note that the company has a fleet of:

• Five Boeing 737-700s, including one in storage, with a capacity of 120 passengers, used on medium-range regional routes and Cabinda (CAB) in Angola.
• Three Boeing 777-200ERs; while in maintenance.
• Five Boeing 777-300ERs, including one in storage, with a capacity of 293 passengers, used exclusively for its flights to Portugal, Spain, Brazil and Johannesburg (JNB).
• Six De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400, seating 74 passengers, used on short regional routes and all domestic destinations.
• An order for six Airbus A220-300s, which would replace the Boeing 737-700.
• An order for two Boeing 777-300 pre-fighter freighters.

See also: Analysis: what does TAAG have in store with its new fleet?

Return to Cuba and increase in Brazil

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From November 8, the company will again connect Luanda (LAD) to Havana (HAV), Cuba, which it served on an interrupted schedule from 1984 to 2020, when it operated only a few charter flights humanitarian and freight.

According to the company, the route has a flow of passengers from the business segment (Cuban doctors and professors) and trips related to tourism, education and health in the opposite direction.

The company will have a fortnightly frequency in November and February/March, and weekly flights in December and January. All operations will be with Boeing 777-300ERs with a capacity of 293 passengers.

Between November and March, there will be 13 flights in each direction, offering a total of 7,618 seats.

Departures from Luanda:

• November: 8 and 22 November.
• December: December 6, 13, 20 and 27.
• January: January 3, 10, 17, 24 and 31, 2023.
• February: February 14 and 28, 2023.

Departures from Havana:

• November: November 10 and 24.
• December: December 8, 15, 22 and 29.
• January: January 5, 12, 19 and 26, 2023.
• February: February 2 and 16, 2023.
• March: March 2, 2023.

In addition, operations to São Paulo/Guarulhos will increase from three to four weekly flights from November 5. During the first half of 2022 (January-June), the company moved 94,676 passengers between the two destinations, according to ANAC Brazil.

Increase up to Mozambique and Namibia

From October 2, the two capitals will add an additional frequency:

• Maputo (MPM), Mozambique; increase from 3 to 4 flights per week, operating on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays on Boeing 737-700.
• Windhoek (WDH), Namibia; increase from 4 to 5 flights per week, operating Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays on Dash 8-400 aircraft.

Ascent in Madrid, Spain

After announcing an increase in frequencies to 10 domestic and international destinations, TAAG Angola Airlines has also announced that it will add an additional flight to Madrid, a route recently inaugurated on June 27, increasing from two to three weekly services from November 1. .

See also: TAAG Angola Airlines resumes flights to Cuba, increases frequencies to Brazil and 9 other destinations

According to information obtained from Aena, in the first month of operation, TAAG mobilized 3,430 passengers between Luanda and Madrid on flights operated with Boeing 777-300ERs.

Now, the company has confirmed that from November, operations will be carried out with 298-seat Hi Fly Airbus A330-200 aircraft, under a wet lease agreement.

It will maintain frequencies to other international destinations:

• Lisbon (LIS), Portugal, twelve flights per week.
• Johannesburg (JNB), South Africa, one daily flight.
• Cape Town (CPT), South Africa, four flights per week.
• Lagos (LOS), Nigeria, two weekly flights.
• Kinshasa (FIH), Democratic Republic of Congo, two weekly flights.
• São Tomé (TMS9, Sao Tomé and Principe, one flight per week.

Domestic destinations

TAAG has just added 11 new flights which will reinforce the existing connections in 6 provinces from north to south of the country. According to the company, the domestic segment reflecting greater mobility and the interest of private and professional passengers in traveling
within Angola.

This strong concentration on domestic routes will offer more options to passengers, allowing travelers to stay longer in these provinces with a positive impact on the local economy, particularly in terms of tourism, services or commercial prospecting.

Special reference to the Luanda – Cabinda (CAB) route, one of the most demanded domestic destinations, where approximately 90% of flights will be operated on Boeing 737-700s. This means that 23 of the 26 weekly flights to Cabinda are operated with B737s.

The remaining domestic operations are performed on Dash 8-400s, with the following frequency increases:

Luanda – Catumbela (CBT), increases from 4 to 7 flights per week, pre-pandemic operated with 9 flights per week.
Luanda – Lubango (SDD), increases from 4 to 6 flights per week, the pre-pandemic operated 8 flights per week.
Luanda – Dundo (DUE), increases from 4 to 5 flights per week, surpassing pre-pandemic levels, which had 3 flights per week.
Luanda – Luena (LUO), increases from 4 to 5 flights per week, surpassing pre-pandemic levels of 3 flights per week.
Luanda – Ondjiva (Cunene), increases from 2 to 4 flights per week, exceeding pre-pandemic levels of 3 flights per week.
Luanda – Huambo (NOV), increases from 2 to 4 flights per week, pre-Pandemic operated 6 flights per week.

The company will maintain frequencies to Namibe (MSZ), Saurimo (VHC), Uige (UGO), Menongue (SPP) and Kuito (SVP); with 4 flights per week for the first two and 2 to 1 flight per week for the last destinations.