“TAAG believes in Africa, connecting Africa to the World”.
In this exclusive interview ahead of the Transport & Logistics Investment Forum, Miguel Carneiro, Chief Executive Officer of TAAG Angola Airlines, discusses the airline’s regional growth strategy, Mozambique’s emerging opportunities in air cargo, the importance of integrated transport corridors and how aviation can support Africa’s wider economic integration.
With TAAG currently operating three weekly flights to Maputo, Carneiro highlights opportunities to strengthen connectivity between Luanda and Maputo while using Luanda as a hub connecting Mozambique with markets across West Africa, Europe and the Americas.
Mozambique is rapidly becoming an energy hotspot; it therefore holds a strong potential in TAAG´s long-term regional strategy. Currently we operate 3x weekly flights to Maputo, and our short-term vision is to strengthen connectivity between both city capitals. Our hub is currently providing strong connectivity into TAAG´s network, particularly to markets in West Africa, Europe (Portugal) and the Americas (São Paulo). We see significant opportunities to increase frequencies, improve schedules and connectivity between Luanda and Maputo.
From the airline´s perspective, aviation serves as a strategic connector within a broader transport and logistics ecosystem. Ports, railways and roads play their role in the volume space, while air transport brings speed and time sensitivity to the value proposition. throughout the years Mozambique has made major investments in rail and port terminals in the northern part of the country, aviation will therefore have the opportunity to guarantee effective connectivity between these key parts of the country.
From our perspective, the strongest air cargo growth potential over the next five years lies in time-sensitive and high-value segments, which in the context of Mozambique starts with oil and gas equipment as well as industrials.
Currently TAAG operates a regional cargo network, connecting Luanda to key logistical hubs such as Johannesburg and Nairobi with the airline’s intercontinental markets in the likes of São Paulo as the entry point to South America and Guangzhou as the most important departing point from China into Africa. By leveraging Luanda as an effective hub, TAAG can offer time and cost advantages for cargo to and from Mozambique and other destinations across our network.
Over the past year, TAAG has made a significant progress in the fleet modernization, with investments designed to improve operational efficiency, enhance the customer experience and support the development of Luanda as a regional hub in the south west region. The Airbus A220 will become the backbone of our regional operations, enabling TAAG to connect more African destinations with the appropriate capacity, greater fuel efficiency, and improved passenger comfort.
Our programme includes a total of fifteen A220 by 2027, with nine expected to be incorporated into the fleet by end of 2026. These aircrafts will be essential for strengthening connectivity across Africa and feeding the traffic into our long-haul network though Luanda (NBJ). For the long-haul operations, TAAG has invested in four Boeing 787 Dreamliners, two B787-9 and other two B787-10 all of which are already in our fleet.
The Dreamliners has significantly elevated our customer experience while providing greater efficiency, capacity and reliability. As an example, we have consistently scheduled in our São Paulo route, where the positive evolution in revenue and seat LF demonstrate strong market acceptance fully justifying its investment. More recently we have been authorized by EASA to deploy the aircraft into Europe, which we have started a 2x weekly service to Lisbon with our B787-10, and it has also raised the expectations and contributes to the positive increase of our customer experience.
Good question! African economies diversify, including Angola. This is a great opportunity for the airlines to become a strategic business and logistics partners, rather than simply provide air capacity. In TAAG, we believe this requires thinking outside the box and adopt a more corporate, market-oriented approach, understanding the specific needs of each industry and developing a tailored passenger and cargo solution.
Our objective is to engage the corporate market more proactively, anticipate demand and develop integrated, industry specific solutions. This approach will allow TAAG do diversify its revenue streams while supporting investment, industrial development, regional trade and the competitiveness of African Business.
Pharmaceuticals require secure handling, temperature control and reliable delivery times, while perishables depend on efficient cold-chain processes and fast connections to international markets. Mining, energy and manufacturing require the timely movement of technical personnel, equipment, spare parts and high value components.
Regional collaboration is essential because a successful air cargo ecosystem extends well beyond the airline scope. Airlines, airports, governments, customs authorities, freight forwarders and logistics providers should work together to create an integrated, efficient and commercially sustainable supply chain. The main lead on this matter, should come from Governments, as they can support this process by simplifying customs procedures, harmonising regulations, reducing excessive taxes, fees and charges, and advancing the liberalisation of cargo services through initiatives such as SAATM. Airports must invest in modern cargo terminal, cold chain facilities, secure storage and efficient ground handling capabilities.
Digitalization remains one of TAAG´s strategic ambitions for the coming years. We are progressively transforming our services model by consolidating selected physical sales offices and encouraging customers to use our digital and remote channels, particularly the website and our call centre. With cargo, we recognize that further development is required, as an initial step, TAAG intends to introduce a dedicated cargo support line through the call centre in the near future. This will provide customers and logistics partners with a central point for enquiries about capacity, quotations, bookings, documentations and shipment status. In the longer-term ambitions, other initiatives will be analysed, to provide greater end-to-end cargo visibility through digital booking, real time tracking, and proactive customer notifications.
Challenges:
– Fragmentation of the cargo chain, lengthy customs and documentation processes, limited conditions for storage of goods and capacity, high operating costs and insufficient coordination among all the stakeholders (airlines, airports, customs and freight forwarders)
Opportunities:
– Mozambique has a great opportunity in pharmaceuticals, seafood and other perishables, mining and energy equipment, industrial components and e-commerce. Its strategic locations, natural resources developing logistics corridors and access to major regional markets give the country a significant potential to become a reference in Southern Africa cargo gateway.
– For TAAG, with the new fleet and a cargo dedicated services, the route NBJ-MPM, can contribute by carrying high value cargo in the belly capacity of passenger flights and dedicated cargo services, by connecting Mozambique through the Luanda hub to other markets referenced previously.
Key message is that the future of regional aviation will depend on partnership, investment and shared commitment to transforming connectivity into economic opportunity. Africa needs stronger coordination among governments, airlines, airports, logistics, exporters and investors to build efficient and sustainable transport corridors.
TAAG is firmly committed to supporting the continent economic integration. The modernization of our fleet, expansion of our regional network and development of NBJ as a connecting hub, aims to facilitate the movement of people and goods between African markets and connect the continent more effectively to the world (Europe, Americas and Asia).
Mozambique is a sister country with which Angola shares deep historical, cultural and economic ties. Our service to Maputo represents more than an air connection, it is a platform for strengthening trade, tourism, investment and cooperation between our countries.
We therefore invite investors and industry partners to work with us in developing modern cargo infrastructure, digital solutions, efficient handling processes and market-oriented logistics services.
