TAAG, the Angolan Carrier, is currently making some strategic changes aimed at boosting its visibility not only in the Nigerian market, but also as an African global player. The Airline’s Regional Manager for Africa, Mr. George Mawadri made this known during a trade forum held recently in Lagos to appreciate the Nigerian market very supportive to its performance in the country since returning to the market in October 2021.
Mr. Mawadri disclosed that while TAAG is predominantly a government owned airline, it is becoming more privatized and in the process of rebranding itself. He noted that the airline recently changed its livery and that seats on its fleet of aircraft were being reconfigured to better serve customers.
“We have a codeshare with Iberia which allows us to connect Europe as well as a code share with Gol of Brazil which opens up South America. We are currently the only airline at the moment that flies out of Africa into Sao Paulo and Havana. We are also looking to expand our routes within Africa and beyond,” said Mr. Mawadri.
Shedding more light on the restructuring, Mr. Mawadri further divulged that TAAG has a fleet mix of B777s used for long haul, B737s for short haul, and Dash 8 for regional and domestic flights. He added however that the airline is at the verge of taking delivery of six (6) A320s currently on order starting from August 2023.
“We have a new airport due to open at the end of 2023. Angola has fabulous beaches and water sports and the government is working on revamping tourism. Year 2022 was the first time TAAG made profit after so many years of operations due to the ongoing restructuring,” he stressed.
While appreciating the efforts of Travel Agents in the Nigerian market for contributing immensely to the performance of the airline since TAAG resumed flights into Nigeria after Covid -19 in October 2021, the Regional Manager accepted that there were challenges with issuing of visas but that it is a work in progress, and expressed hopes of demystifying those issues.
“TAAG hasn’t done much to make itself known in terms of marketing and brand awareness and we know that we need to do more to be known by Nigerians. Hence it is our resolve to do more in terms of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), interacting with various Chambers of Commerce, the embassies, as well as companies in Nigeria that might be open to business and other activities in South America and other places of interest. We want to first consolidate what we have in the continent and strengthen our partnerships. There are also plans to have a ‘Fam trip’ in the coming year to destinations beyond Luanda,” he submitted.
