Mozambique Airlines (LAM) received a Boeing 737-300 cargo plane in Maputo this Sunday, which will meet the demand for cargo transport, a source from the state-owned airline told Lusa.
According to the company’s official source, the new Boeing arrived in the Mozambican capital at 06:50 local time (04:50 Lisbon time) on 31 December “to meet the demand for cargo”.
“The aircraft will begin operations shortly,” added the source.
The South African company Fly Modern Ark (FMA) took over the management of LAM in April 2023, with the aim of revitalising the Mozambican airline.
At a meeting with journalists in Maputo in September, the CEO of FMA, Theunis Crous, had already said that he had negotiated the leasing of a cargo plane, just to handle the transport of cargo within the country and abroad, namely to South Africa.
“It’s an opportunity that could make the company profitable. Cargo transport is a very profitable business,” he said.
At the time, Theunis Crous also mentioned that FMA had mobilised 15 million dollars (14 million euros) in funding for LAM’s current operation, which is being expanded with new routes and aircraft, which translates into an increase in passengers, 57,000 today, compared to the previous average of 46,000 a month.
The FMA took over management of the state-owned airline in April and recognised that LAM had an estimated debt of around 300 million dollars (277.7 million euros), according to figures provided at the time.
The ongoing strategy to revitalise LAM follows years of operational problems related to a reduced fleet and a lack of investment, with some incidents, not fatal, linked by experts to inefficient aircraft maintenance.
Lusa
