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TAAG Angola Airlines has welcomed the first of four Boeing 787 Dreamliners to its fleet today.
The aircraft, which is leased from AerCap has arrived in Luanda at a special time for the airline which will shortly be celebrating its 50th anniversary.
“The delivery of the 787-9 is a pivotal step in our strategy to modernize TAAG Angola Airlines’ fleet,” said Nelson Pedro Rodrigues de Oliveira, CEO of TAAG Angola Airlines. “This airplane brings the efficiency and versatility we need to meet growing market demands, replace our aging widebody fleet, and deliver a world-class experience to our passengers.”
The Aircraft
The brand new TAAG Angola Boeing 787 has the registration D2-TEQ (msn 66877/1128).
It is a 787-9 model, and previously flew in Riyadh Air livery as a Boeing demonstrator.
It will be joined by another -9, as well as two 787-10 models.
TAAG Angola’s Fleet and Network
Based at Luanda, TAAG Angola Airlines has a fleet of 24 aircraft across its passenger and cargo divisions.
These comprise:
- Airbus A220-300
- Boeing 737-700/-700QC
- Boeing 737-800BCF
- Boeing 777-200ER
- Boeing 777-300ER
- Boeing 787-9
- de Havilland Canada DHC-8-400
The Airbus A220 fleet will eventually replace the Boeing 737-700 passenger variants. However, the airline has commented that the brand new Dreamliners will complement the Boeing 777 fleet on its network of long-haul and African services.
The airline serves around 30 destinations, including its flagship links to Portugal.
A New Classic Livery?
TAAG 777 at Lisbon. Photo (c) Erik Ritterbach
TAAG Angola’s livery is regarded as one of the last classic liveries in our skies. It has been in existence for many years and is reminiscent of liveries worn by many carriers in the 1970s.
However, with the Boeing 787 delivery, and the arrival of the first Airbus A220 recently, TAAG has introduced a brand new, modern scheme to take it into the next phase of its existence.
Rather than lamenting the loss of the previous scheme (which is still worn by many of the airline’s aircraft for the time being), aviation enthusiasts have hailed the new livery as very attractive.
What do you think? Leave a comment below.
