TAAG Angola’s Eduardo Fairen on growth, divestiture

Flag carrier TAAG Angola will add a pair of 737s to the fleet during the first half of October. This is to hedge against a possible delay in deliveries of the A220s it has on order. “We expect that they (737s) will be flying in our fleet in the first half of October,” Chief Executive Eduardo Fairen revealed during an exclusive interview with AirInsight. Fairen added that a 737 freighter would join the fleet during the same period and “we are still looking for more aircraft, but nothing is confirmed for now.” TAAG planned to launch 25 new destinations over the next couple of years. Mostly with the region and Lusophone Africa and placed orders for 15 A220s. Some A220s are supposed to augment capacity on high-demand routes, while others are for growth to planned destinations. Fairen says delivery of the first A220, scheduled for this month, is delayed and expected in July 2024. Still, he is not ruling out further slippages in the delivery timetable. “We will not be surprised if we get more delays because the engine manufacturer has not delivered powerplants to Airbus. That is why we have implemented an interim solution, just in case of more delays.” Privatization The Angolan government announced plans to divest the carrier and bring private investors on board. Fairen says the business is not yet configured for divestiture. “Privatisation is something the shareholder wants, and it is under his control. But we need to complete certain steps to make the company attractive to investors,” he told AirInsight. “We are on the way to completing them with the support of the shareholder. But as to when and whom and the mode, that is a question best answered by the shareholder. It was announced for next year, but there is still a lot of work to do,” Fairen added. SAATM TAAG’s planned growth is premised on gaps within the network and emerging opportunities as the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) gains traction. Angola has already signed the SAATM and announced January 1, 2025, as the date for operationalization. Furthermore, on September 4, the government removed visitor visa requirements from 96 countries, including EU member states, the Middle East, Asia, and several African countries. “It does not cover everybody, but it is a sensible improvement and welcome progress,” Fairen says. Move to New Airport In parallel, TAAG plans to transition operations to the new $3.8 billion Agostinho Neto International Airport, which is tentatively set to start operating on November 10. According to Fairen, the new hub will first open for cargo operations, followed by passenger services. “We will probably attain passenger services without connections, around February or March 2024, with full operations anticipated at the end of June or beginning of July the same year,” Fairen told Air Insight. The old airport will be closed to commercial operations, save for private charters and oil and gas operations. Luanda is banking on the 15 million passengers a year facility located 26 miles from the city center to position it as a regional hub at the junction to southern, central, and north-western Africa.

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