Angolan flagship carrier TAAG is expected to resume flights to China within the next six months, the West African country’s Transport Minister Ricardo de Abreu announced in late July. The service was disrupted throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
TAAG has not confirmed where in China its flights would land, though implied it would initially be Beijing. Prior to the pandemic, TAAG operated twice-weekly flights to Beijing. But the line was unprofitable, Abreu said, so other – more commercially viable – routes will be considered.
“We have prospects of ensuring that by the end of this year or early next year, we’ll restart the connection to China – eventually to a city other than Beijing – but which has commercial importance for both countries, China being a strategic partner”, the minister said.
The company had frequent cargo flights to China prior to the pandemic, with seven flights a week. This area of business is recovering more quickly thanks to a partnership with Chinese group Lucky Aviation in 2022.
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TAAG signed a major intercontinental cargo transport contract with Lucky Aviation last year, to move goods from Latin America to China via Angola. The US$250 million contract currently accounts for 50 percent of TAAG’s total turnover. It’s also part of China’s Belt and Road initiative, which aims to connect every country in the world through an ambitious land and air transport system.
Abreu was in Beijing in late July, working with the Chinese contractor – China National Aero-Technology International Engineering Corp – charged with building a new international airport for Angola’s capital, Luanda. When complete, the airport will be the biggest Chinese-built airport outside of China. Its first phase is expected to be operational in December this year.
