LONDON – Angola has lifted a nine-day ban on British Airways imposed in retaliation for a decision to prevent the African nation’s flagship carrier from flying to London, a BA official said yesterday.
Angola has also backed away from banning other international airlines and authorities there say they will instead focus on getting TAAG-Angola Airlines reinstated by the European Union. The EU ban, which became effective last week, also prevents the state-run Angolan carrier from continuing regular service to Lisbon and Paris.TAAG suspended its flights to those cities as of July 6, the Angolan government said in a statement published by the Jornal de Angola newspaper yesterday.Although it hinted last week it might retaliate against Air France and TAP Air Portugal, both of which fly to Luanda, if Portugal and France stood by the EU ban on TAAG, Angolan authorities insist now they will concentrate on getting TAAG reinstated in EU skies.BA’s country manager in Angola Rob Cooper told Reuters the airline had received a letter from Angola’s civil aviation authority on Wednesday confirming that the airline could resume flights between London and Luanda.”We are delighted that the ban has been lifted.We look forward to servicing our customers to and from Angola once more,” Cooper said.BA is expected to resume its service to Luanda on Friday.Angolan authorities withdrew BA’s operating permit on July 2, less than a week after their British counterparts informed TAAG-Angola it would not be allowed to fly to Britain.The move to prevent TAAG from flying to Britain came after the European Union decided in late June to add the state-run Angolan carrier its blacklist of banned airlines, citing safety concerns.The EU ban is a financial blow to TAAG at a time when demand for its flights is growing.Oil executives from the United States, Britain and China are among those who are flocking to Angola to stake a claim to the country’s booming oil-fuelled economy.Flights to and from Luanda are often fully booked weeks in advance.TAAG recently purchased a number of new Boeing jets to help it expand existing routes in Europe, Africa and South America and introduce services to Beijing, Houston and Dubai, but it remains saddled with a patchy safety record.One of its jets crashed while landing at an airport near Angola’s border with the Democratic Republic of Congo last month, killing five people and sparking renewed questions about the airline’s ability to expand internationally.Angolan authorities have begun an investigation into the crash of the Boeing 737 in M’Banza Congo, with officials saying they believed that the poor condition of the runway caused the accident.Nampa-ReutersThe EU ban, which became effective last week, also prevents the state-run Angolan carrier from continuing regular service to Lisbon and Paris.TAAG suspended its flights to those cities as of July 6, the Angolan government said in a statement published by the Jornal de Angola newspaper yesterday.Although it hinted last week it might retaliate against Air France and TAP Air Portugal, both of which fly to Luanda, if Portugal and France stood by the EU ban on TAAG, Angolan authorities insist now they will concentrate on getting TAAG reinstated in EU skies.BA’s country manager in Angola Rob Cooper told Reuters the airline had received a letter from Angola’s civil aviation authority on Wednesday confirming that the airline could resume flights between London and Luanda.”We are delighted that the ban has been lifted.We look forward to servicing our customers to and from Angola once more,” Cooper said.BA is expected to resume its service to Luanda on Friday.Angolan authorities withdrew BA’s operating permit on July 2, less than a week after their British counterparts informed TAAG-Angola it would not be allowed to fly to Britain.The move to prevent TAAG from flying to Britain came after the European Union decided in late June to add the state-run Angolan carrier its blacklist of banned airlines, citing safety concerns.The EU ban is a financial blow to TAAG at a time when demand for its flights is growing.Oil executives from the United States, Britain and China are among those who are flocking to Angola to stake a claim to the country’s booming oil-fuelled economy.Flights to and from Luanda are often fully booked weeks in advance.TAAG recently purchased a number of new Boeing jets to help it expand existing routes in Europe, Africa and South America and introduce services to Beijing, Houston and Dubai, but it remains saddled with a patchy safety record.One of its jets crashed while landing at an airport near Angola’s border with the Democratic Republic of Congo last month, killing five people and sparking renewed questions about the airline’s ability to expand internationally.Angolan authorities have begun an investigation into the crash of the Boeing 737 in M’Banza Congo, with officials saying they believed that the poor condition of the runway caused the accident.Nampa-Reuters
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