Angolan airline enters strategic relationship with South Africa-based travel consortium

2nd August 2023 By: Rebecca Campbell - Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

Angolan airline enters strategic relationship with South Africa-based travel consortium

A Boeing 777-300 of TAAG
Photo by: TAAG Angola Airlines

TAAG Angola Airlines (TAAG), the south-west African country’s national flag carrier, announced on Wednesday that it had entered a collaboration with South Africa-based international travel consortium Harvey World Travel Southern Africa (HWT), which is part of South Africa’s Bidvest group. This collaboration will allow travel agents who form part of the HWT consortium to receive comprehensive information about TAAG’s routes, products and service offerings.

The travel agents will thus be better informed about the options provided by the airline. That, in turn, will allow the agents to serve their clients better, allowing them to present a wider range of travel options to their customers.

“Strategic partnerships are crucial to our vision of providing world-class travel solutions,” highlighted TAAG CEO Eduardo Fairen. “Working closely with trade partners like HWT enables us to widen our reach and ensure our passengers receive exceptional service and personalised recommendations tailored to their preferences.”

The HWT collaboration is the latest such strategic partnership that the airline has entered into. Earlier this year, it created a codeshare agreement with GOL, one of the major airlines in Brazil. This has directly linked not only Angola and Brazil, but Africa and South America. TAAG points out that this connection creates significant business and leisure travel opportunities, thereby stimulating economic development, not only for Angola but also for Southern Africa.

“[TAAG’s] forward-thinking approach is also evident in the recent announcement regarding the incorporation of nine [Airbus] A220-300s from April 2024 ahead, during the [June] Paris Air Show,” affirmed the airline, in its press release. “The recently released financial report for 2022 showcases TAAG’s outstanding performance, achieving a net profit of 460.1-million Angolan kwanzas (approximately $800 000). This represents a substantial 30% overall growth compared to the previous year, a testament to the airline’s adaptability and success in a dynamic market.”

TAAG was founded in 1938, making it one of the oldest airlines in the world today. Its current network covers 13 international and 12 domestic destinations. Its current fleet is composed of Boeing 777-300ER and 777-200ER widebody long-haul airliners, Boeing 737-700 single-aisle airliners and De Havilland Canada DHC-8-Q400 (“Dash 8”) twin-turboprop regional airliners.