Tanzania and Angola have signed a bilateral air services agreement to allow direct flights between the two countries, Tanzania’s aviation regulator said on October 30.
There are no direct flights between the two countries today, so travellers from Tanzania to Angola connect through hubs in Ethiopia or South Africa. Angola has been loosening its air links elsewhere in the region, having lifted capacity limits with South Africa earlier this year as Luanda pushes tourism as a growth sector.
“We want to establish direct flights between Dar es Salaam and Angola,” said Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who said the deal would stimulate trade and other economic activity, including tourism.
Samia and Angolan President João Lourenço witnessed the signing at State House in Dar es Salaam on October 29. Tanzania’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, Mahmoud Thabit Kombo, and Angola’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Téte António, signed the agreement.
Tanzanian Transport Minister Makame Mbarawa and the Director General of the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA), Jabiri Bakari, also attended. No airline or launch date for a route has been announced.
Tanzania has been adding air links this year, including British Airways’ return after 13 years.
The Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority is the country’s aviation regulator, responsible for safety oversight, air navigation services and air transport agreements.
