[2019-01-17] Angola plans to buy aircraft for TAAG airline

Source: Macauhub

The Angolan transport minister is due to sign contracts to buy aircraft from Boeing and Bombardier to modernise the fleet of Angolan air carrier TAAG, according to a presidential dispatch.

The order also authorises the minister to “launch the instruments to structure and set up the financing operation for the acquisition of aircraft,” and to “negotiate the refinancing of two Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft,” acquired by TAAG in recent years.

The measure, quoted by Portuguese news agency Lusa, is justified by the President of Angola with the “transformation and modernisation” of TAAG – Linhas Aéreas de Angola, which “is a fundamental element for the consolidation of the government policy for the Angolan civil aviation sector.”

The order further authorises the Finance and Transport ministers, together with the TAAG board, “to begin negotiations with the different available financiers,” for this operation to purchase the new aircraft, the number of which is not specified, as well as to complete “the different phases of the funding coverage process for the delivery of aircraft for the years 2020 and beyond.”

The TAAG fleet consists of 13 Boeing aircraft, three of which are 777-300 ERs, with more than 290 seats and were received between 2014 and 2016.

The company also has five 777-200, with 235 seats, and another five 737-700, with capacity for 120 passengers, which are used for domestic and regional connections.