Angola's national airline, Linhas Aéreas de Angola (TAAG), has announced a new Luanda-Dakar-Praia route set to launch on October 31, delivering what the carrier described as a 'long-awaited connection between Angola and Cabo Verde.' Beyond restoring direct air links between the two Lusophone nations, the service will stop in Dakar, Senegal, creating an 'air bridge between African markets with important historical, human, institutional, and economic ties,' the airline said.
The Luanda-Dakar-Praia route has received regulatory clearance from the aeronautical authorities of all countries involved. Its launch is timed to coincide with the start of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) 2026-2027 Winter season.
TAAG has also been formally designated by Angola's National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC) to operate air services between Angola and Cabo Verde under a Bilateral Air Services Agreement, 'reinforcing the institutional framework of the new link,' the airline added.
The connections have multiplied since the management of the archipelago's airports was handed to Vinci in 2023.
On the inclusion of the Senegalese capital, TAAG emphasised that the Dakar stopover 'reinforces the regional dimension of the new link and broadens TAAG's connectivity options in West Africa, in line with the strategy to develop the network and further integrate African markets.'
TAAG Network Expansion
'We are strengthening TAAG's presence in Africa and building connections that make our network more relevant for passengers and for the economic and institutional relations between the countries we serve. We want Luanda to increasingly assert its role as a connecting hub on the continent,' said TAAG Chairman Clóvis Rosa. The airline currently serves 13 domestic destinations and 12 international destinations, offering both passenger and cargo services.
A Long-Standing Relationship
Angola was connected to Cabo Verde before the Covid-19 pandemic through TAAG flights that routed via São Tomé and Príncipe. The disruption caused by the virus brought that service to an end, and the resumption now announced will instead route through Dakar.
Prior to the pandemic, leaders of both countries had discussed the possibility of developing new projects, including commercial aviation hubs on the island of Sal and in Luanda. 'We have several alternatives and solutions on the table, including a partnership to enter the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) market,' said Cabo Verde's Prime Minister Ulisses Correia e Silva in 2021. One option under consideration involved 'low-cost transport solutions, perhaps a new airline to be created with the participation of TACV [Transportes Aéreos de Cabo Verde] and TAAG,' he said at the time. That proposal, however, never advanced.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/?p=543360
