TAAG Angola Airlines (DT, Luanda 4 De Fevereiro) has acquired six Dash 8-400s from De Havilland Aircraft of Canada. According to a statement issued during the 2019 Paris Air Show at Paris Le Bourget, the purchase agreement itself was signed on March 29, 2019, but was attributed to an unidentified customer.
"TAAG is looking to the future of our fleet and the market opportunities where the Dash 8-400 aircraft will be an important part of our growth strategy. The acquisition of these new aircraft is important to support a stronger domestic network and support our regional and international network," Rui Carreira, Chairman, TAAG Angola Airlines, said in a statement. "The Dash 8-400 aircraft offers unmatched performance and outstanding economics that will allow us to better serve smaller communities and increase frequencies in Angola."
The sextet of turboprops are those originally destined for the now abandoned Angola Expresso (Luanda 4 De Fevereiro) joint-venture carrier which signed a contract with Bombardier Aerospace through African Aero Trading in Luanda in May last year.
Angola Expresso was backed by the Air Connection Express Transportes Aereos S.A. consortium, whose membership included TAAG and the state-owned airports and air navigation services provider ENANA with a combined 40% stake while the remaining 60% was to have been equitably divided among private carriers that include Airjet, Air 26, Bestfly, Diexim Expresso Aviaçao, Mavewa Táxi Aéreo, SJL Aeronáutica, and Guicango.
Of the six aircraft, four were due to have been delivered in 2019 with the remaining pair due in 2020.
However, the project was abandoned after Angolan President João Lourenço repudiated the plan before firing then Minister of Transport, Augusto Tomás.
