Angola's national carrier begins direct Dubai flights

Dubai: Angola's national airline TAAG has started flying to Dubai, becoming the first carrier to establish a regular direct air link between Luanda and the UAE.

The first flight carrying 125 passengers landed at Dubai International Airport on Tuesday.

TAAG will have twice-weekly services, leaving the Angolan capital on Mondays and Fridays, and Dubai on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Dubai-based Sharaf Travel is the general sales agent for TAAG.

Antonio Fernandes, assistant chairman of TAAG, told Gulf News the new service has been launched to cater to an increase in business traffic between Angola and the UAE.

He said the airline will pick up a significant number of passengers travelling to Angola via Dubai.

"Traffic to Angola from the Middle East and Far East is growing. We are the first to take advantage of this," Fernandes said, adding that he expects a lot of Indian and Chinese business people to use the service to travel to Luanda.

Angola, a major oil producer in Africa, is witnessing strong economic growth since the civil conflict ended in 2002.

Fernandes said TAAG hopes to increase frequencies on the route in six months. The airline is using the Boeing 777 plane on the Luanda-Dubai route, providing 255 seats in three-class configuration.

Rui Jorge Carneiro Mangueira, Angola's consul general in Dubai, said the direct service supports his efforts to develop closer business links with the UAE. Speaking at an event marking the inaugural flight, Mangueira said it would encourage airlines such as Emirates to begin services to Angola. "We want to build bridges between the UAE and Angola, and this flight creates a bridge," Mangueira said.