Industry Angolan Consortium orders six Bombardier Q400

The Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier has announced that it has signed a firm purchase agreement for six new Q400 turboprop aircraft with African Aero Trading on behalf of the consortium forming Air Connection Express, Transportes Aereos S.A, based in Luanda, Angola.

Based on the list price of the Q400 aircraft, the firm order is valued at approximately US$ 198 million.

“We congratulate Air Connection Express as it launches its domestic air travel business, and are pleased that the Q400 has been selected to support regional air travel in Africa,” said Jean-Paul Boutibou, Vice President, Sales, Middle East and Africa, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft.

The new airline should connect smaller communities and increase frequencies as a regional feeder airline for Angola’s flag carrier TAAG Angola Airlines.

The new consortium is a Public Private Partnership (PPP) that brings private and government groups together towards building a stable domestic airline operation for Angola.  The members of the consortium include TAAG Angola Airlines, ENANA, Airjet, Air26, Bestfly, Diexim, Mavewa, SJL and Air Guicango.  The consortium is in the process of establishing a management team and the operational structure for Air Connection Express.

Based in Luanda, TAAG Angola Airlines operates an all-Boeing fleet on domestic, regional and international destinations. The carrier operates five Boeing 737-700 in its regional network and three B777-200ER and four B777,300ER on its long haul network. According to the carrier’s website, Luanda is connected with destinations in Brazil, Europe and Cuba.