This flight was carried out on a 737-800 Cargo aircraft, operated by the flag airline, informed the Ministry of Transport, in a statement to which VerAngola had access.
"Coming from Lagos, this flight took place on a 737-800 Cargo aircraft, operated by TAAG. It went to the capital of Nigeria with 3000 kilograms, having returned to Luanda with 10,000 kilograms", the note reads.
According to the statement, by the end of this month "commercial flights operated, among other companies, by the multinational DHL, Ethiopian Airlines and Sinotrans in partnership with Hull Blyth" are expected to land and pick up from António Agostinho Neto International Airport.
António Pombal, responsible for the airport's temporary operator, considered this to be a "relevant and extremely important moment", mainly by transmitting to the "market a message of encouragement" regarding the use of the new airport.
"After it opened on November 10, AIAAN has been heavily scrutinized, with questions regularly raised about its effective start-up. Now, here is the new airport in operation and with good prospects of receiving more commercial cargo flights from foreign companies until the end of this month", he said, quoted in the statement.
For next year, the official says he expects "a significant increase in commercial cargo flights arriving and departing" from the airport, as well as the "clear assumption of this new airport as a relevant hub for aviation in Africa".
Thus, he added: "The training of our people, our technicians, is fundamental, and we are truly committed to their professionalization, their commitment to this national aim and the efficiency of the services to be provided".
"Designed to handle, in the first phase, a cargo volume of 130 thousand tons/year, the AIAAN has an expansion capacity of up to 440 thousand tons/year, a number that its managers hope to reach soon, due to the focuses on the quality of the infrastructure, services provided and the technology provided to the different operators, whether in terms of handling efficiency, customs and tax services and security in general", the note also states.
Located in the urban district of Bom Jesus, municipality of Icolo and Bengo, the airport was inaugurated by the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, last November.
Regarding domestic flights, they are expected to start at the end of the first quarter of 2024, while international flights are expected to start in the third quarter of next year.
