Africa-Press – Angola. The national flag carrier, TAAG, will resume flights to China between the end of this year and the beginning of 2024, after interruption, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Minister of Transport, Ricardo de Abreu, who announced the fact to the Angolan press, in Beijing, said that TAAG had two weekly flights to the Chinese capital, but they were not very profitable, hence the process of resuming flights could prioritize another city. from China, undisclosed.
Ricardo de Abreu is in Peequin to discuss, with the contractor, the process of finalizing the work on the new Luanda International Airport, Dr. António Agostinho Neto, whose inauguration of the first phase is scheduled for next December.
“In the process of restructuring and reinforcing the TAAG fleet, we have prospects of ensuring that by the end of this year or the beginning of the next we will restart the connection to China, eventually to another city that is not Beijing, but that is commercially important. for both countries, with China being a strategic partner,” he reiterated.
TAAG with sustainable contract
Minister Ricardo de Abreu informed that TAAG has an “important” intercontinental cargo transport contract that leaves Latin America, passes through Angola and goes to China, valued at more than US$250 million.
“This amount supports 50 percent of TAAG’s total turnover, a strategy included in the global Chinese initiative called “one wheel, one lane”, which is committed to creating a complex network of rail, airport and land transport to connect all countries in the world. world,” he said.
According to the minister, the contract made with a Chinese company, in 2022, and which already has “positive effects”, considering it to be one of the greatest achievements of the national flag carrier, as it positions Angola as an inter-continental connection point, given its geographical location between Latin America and Asia.
Prior to Covid-19, the company operated seven weekly cargo frequencies to China. The pandemic made the business slow down, but it gained momentum in 2022, through a partnership with the Chinese group Lucky Aviation.
The transit of goods between Latin America and China is estimated at more than 40 billion USD (via sea, air, Europe and other African countries).
For More News And Analysis About Angola Follow Africa-Press
