BOTSWANA — TAAG Angola Airlines, the national carrier of Angola, has entered into a partnership with ALTA to advance its traffic between Africa and the Americas.

The airline is the newest member of the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association (ALTA) with a membership list including 50 airlines and 124 industry partners.

From its headquarters in Luanda, TAAG operates domestic and international flights, including strategic routes to Cuba and Brazil, fostering connectivity between Africa and the Americas.

Joining ALTA empowers the company’s reputation within the industry and is a strong statement of TAAG’s growth footprint,” said Nelson de Oliveira, TAAG’s CEO.

“In the long term, we intend to capture and facilitate traffic between the Americas and Africa, providing passengers from those regions with a value-added alternative for connecting with Europe, and vice versa, via the Luanda Hub.” 

We are very pleased to welcome TAAG Angola Airlines as a member of our association,” ALTA CEO José Ricardo Botelho said.

“Its role in connecting Latin America, Africa and Europe, taking advantage of the growing flow of transatlantic traffic, is key for developing air transport.”

Botelho expressed optimism at the growth of connectivity between the African and Latin American markets in 2024.

According to ALTA research, total capacity between the two markets in January to July grew by 108% to 378 000 seats compared to the same period last year. This dynamism is expected to continue over the next two decades.

 Projections indicate 5.5% average annual growth rate between Africa and South America and 3.8% growth between Africa, Central America and the Caribbean.

In terms of its 2024-2029 expansion plan, TAAG is modernising its fleet after recently receiving the first of its 15 Airbus A220s for high-demand domestic and intra-African routes. Four Boeing 787 Dreamliners have also been ordered for continental and intercontinental routes.

TAAG Angola Airlines to launch cargo services in Nairobi

Meanwhile, TAAG Angola Airlines has announced plans to commence cargo services to Nairobi, expanding its regional footprint. 

The airline confirmed the new route in an update, stating that the service will be rolled out in the fourth quarter of 2024, alongside additional cargo routes to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Libreville in Gabon.

This expansion is part of TAAG’s growth strategy under its new leadership.

In July, the airline doubled its cargo services between Lagos, Brazzaville, and Johannesburg.

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