DALLAS —TAAG Angola Airlines (DT), the national carrier of the Republic of Angola, announced that it will increase its weekly frequencies between its hub at Luanda Quatro de Fevereiro International Airport (LAD) and Sao Paulo Guarulhos International Airport (GRU). Effective December 11th, 2023, DT will offer six weekly flights between the Angolan capital and Sau Paulo. This increase in connectivity comes amid the busy holiday travel season, lasting throughout December and January.

For DT, this transatlantic route is more than a point-to-point service as Luanda and Sao Paulo are connection hubs between Latin America, Africa, and Europe amid growing transatlantic demand for VFR (visiting family and relatives) and business travelers. TAAG will operate this route daily except on Wednesdays with the schedule as follows:

• LAD to GRU: DT747, 23:00–03:30 +1 (8 hours, 30-minute block time)
• GRU to LAD: DT748, 18:15–06:30 +1 (8 hours, 15-minute block time)

TAAG operates this route using its fleet of four Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, which can seat 293 passengers in a three-class configuration with 12 lie-flat seats in first class, 56 lie-flat business class seats in business class, and 225 seats in economy class. 

In addition to DT, three other airlines regularly fly between Africa and South America for 19 weekly flights. Moreover, Sao Paulo Guarulhos is the only South American destination directly connecting to Africa. Ethiopian Airlines (ET) connects Addis Ababa (ADD) with GRU with daily flights using an Airbus A350-900. South African Airways (SA) operates two weekly flights to GRU from Johannesburg (JBN) and Cape Town (CPT) using an A330-300. Lastly, LATAM Airlines Brasil (JJ) operates three weekly flights between GRU and JBN using a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.

Inter-African Expansion

DT has also announced that it will increase frequencies on inter-African routes. Effective December 11th, 2023, the airline will add frequencies between Luanda and Windhoek, Namibia; Pointe Noire, Republic of Congo; Sao Tome, Sao Tome; and Maputo, Mozambique. 

• Windhoek (WDH): Increased to daily services
• Pointe Noire (PNR): Increased to two weekly flights (Monday and Friday)
• Island of Sao Tome (TMS): Two extra flights on Mondays and Fridays
• Maputo (MPM): Increased to five weekly flights (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday)

As the African aviation market continues to rebound back to pre-pandemic levels, TAAG has continued to grow. In 2022, despite high operating costs, the airline recorded a net profit and planned to build off that. Moreover, the Angola flag carrier plans to double its fleet over the new three-and-a-half years by acquiring upwards of 28 new aircraft. By 2027, the airline plans to have a fleet of at least 50 jets. The new aircraft will allow the airline to add more routes and destinations to its development strategy.

The backbone of TAAG’s regional fleet is the Dash 8-400 and the Airbus A220. The airline chose the Dash 8-400 to develop its domestic, regional, and international network. Furthermore, TAAG also chose the aircraft due to its high performance and operating economics. TAAG first accepted its first Dash 8-400 in June 2020.

Featured Image: TAAG Angola Airlines D2-TEI Boeing 777-300(ER). Photo: Arturo La Roche/Airways