João Lourenço cancels authorization to buy aircraft, Angola to get 2 combat aircraft from Russia

Angolan President, João Lourenço has cancelled the buying of Angola’s flagship airline, demanding a “more detailed study” of the carrier’s recovery plan, the Angolan press reported.

A presidential dispatch of April 9 precisely clarified the authorisations given in January to sign contracts with Boeing, of the US and Bombardier, of Canada, to purchase 15 new aircraft by 2022.

“The Minister of Finance, in conjunction with the Minister of Transport, should boost efforts among sellers and financiers to reverse all financial transactions and minimise financial and reputational damage to the Angolan state,” said the presidential dispatch 52/19, as reported by Macauhub.

The new order of Angola’s Head of State, João Lourenço revokes Presidential Decree 12/19 of January 14, which, after approving the plan for the restructuring and modernisation of the TAAG fleet, authorised the Minister of Transport to conclude, from 2020, aircraft purchase and sale contracts with those companies.

On the other hand, according to DefenceWeb, The Angolan Air Force will take delivery of another two Su-30K combat aircraft from Russia in May this year. The South African country has already received six out of an order for 12 of the refurbished second-hand aircraft.

This emerged during the visit to Russia by Angolan President Lourenço on the first week of April, who was in Moscow for the Russian-Angolan business forum.

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