A NEW joint-venture Angolan airline is being planned, with agreement just signed between Londonbased Lonrho and GEFI, one of the largest internal investment companies in Angola. The airline is to be called Fly 540 Angola, and will replicate Lonrho’s Fly 540 airline - already established and operating in Kenya. GEFI, through its whollyowned aviation subsidiary, Planar, has provisionally agreed to provide Planar’s assets to the joint venture. These include a 1 000m2 hangar; 400m2 of offices and a ticket office at 4th February International Airport, the main airport in Luanda. It is planned to take off in the domestic market early in 2008 with a fleet combining turboprops and regional jets, and initially providing regular scheduled services to ten locations in Angola. There is to be concurrent development of freight and charter markets – with Lohnro committing over R21.5-million and R43.2-m funded locally towards the first year establishment budget for Fly540 of R64.7-m. The results of a Lohnro market analysis, said David Lenigas, chairman and CEO, show that the domestic market in Angolan aviation is growing at 20% per year. “We also plan to commence international flights in due course,” he added. “This is a significant further step in establishing Fly540 as an integrated, pan-African regional carrier. We expect it to be flying in seven countries by the end of the first quarter of 2008.” The company will join three other transport interests of Lohnro’s in the southern continent – Angola’s Luba Freeport, SAbased Norse Air and shipping line SA Independent Liner Services (Sails).
