Dubai’s Emirates Airline, the world’s largest carrier by international traffic flown, has signed a deal with TAAG Angola Airlines to manage the carrier for 10 years and cooperate on “commercial opportunities” in Africa.
The Gulf carrier, which also has a partnership agreement with Australia’s Qantas Airways, will code-share on cargo and passenger services, participate in each carrier’s frequent flier programs and coordinate ground handling, Emirates said in a statement on Tuesday.
Emirates has agreed to appoint four senior staff to work for TAAG, the statement added. Emirates won’t contribute any equity and no other financial details were disclosed.
Emirates Airline will continue to grow its presence in Africa by opening new routes, increasing flight frequencies, and upgrading aircraft to meet the increasing demand. Bloomberg News
“Through this partnership Emirates aims to provide deeper reach and better connectivity for our passengers in Central and South Africa,” Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman and chief executive of Emirates Airline, said in the statement. The agreement was signed with the government of Angola, in its capacity as the majority shareholder of TAAG.
Emirates will continue to grow its presence in Africa by opening new routes, increasing flight frequencies, and upgrading aircraft to meet the increasing demand, Sheikh Ahmed said. It flies more than 160 flights a week to Africa, serving 22 passenger destinations and including Luanda, the capital of Angola.
In 1998, Emirates bought a 43% stake in Sri Lankan Airlines and agreed to manage the airline for 10 years—a deal which it exited after the period. In 2013, Emirates began a partnership with Qantas to coordinate marketing and flight schedules.-Bloomberg
