Kenya Airways to open two state of the art lounges in Terminal Four at JKIA
NEW JKIA TERMINAL TO FEATURE TWO KENYA AIRWAYS LOUNGES Information has become available that Kenya Airways will be opening two state of the art lounges in Terminal Four, when the new facility will eventually open its doors to passengers next year. Presently does KQ offer two lounges at the existing terminal, however distant from the […]
Rwanda government puts planned sale of Umubano Hotel on halt
RWANDA GOVERNMENT HALTS SALE OF UMUBANO HOTEL As ties with the new Libyan government continue to improve, did news break that the Rwandan government, initially intent to sell off the Umubano Hotel – which under Gadaffi Libya had become part of his African hotel empire – when Laico Hotels failed to live up to their […]
Air Seychelles signs landmark code share deal with South African Airways
AIR SEYCHELLES SIGNS GROUND BREAKING CODE SHARE WITH SOUTH AFRICAN AIRWAYS Air Seychelles today announced the signing of a ground breaking codeshare agreement with South African Airways, now covering the routes from Johannesburg to Mahe’s International Airport but also beyond, to the archipelago’s second island of Praslin where the airline operates multiple daily flights. In […]
Ziwa’s rhino ladies in the family way again …
MORE RHINOS ‘ON THE WAY’ AT ZIWA RHINO SANCTUARY The distance of just over 100 miles from Uganda’s capital city makes the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary the closest game area to Kampala and an excellent tarmac road, presently being upgraded further, allows easily for a full day outing and the guarantee to see the country’s only […]
Dr. Paula Kahumbu’s take on the latest case of bloody ivory smuggling in Kenya
Environmentalist PAULA KAHUMBU narrates her experiences when she attended the hearing of two ivory cases in Makadara court, Nairobi, on April 19 I’m sitting in Court 6, Makadara court, waiting to hear the case of a Vietnamese traveller arrested in transit at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Nairobi on April 7 with 488 pieces of […]
Kenya Airways releases Q4 operational data after FY2012/13 ended on March 31st
KENYA AIRWAYS POSTS Q4 OPERATING RESULTS Kenya Airways, aka The Pride of Africa, yesterday afternoon published their operating results of their fourth quarter of their financial year, which came to an end on 31st March. Full financial results will be announced, as has been the case in the past, during a press conference in a […]
Fly 540 and FastJet set to end court cases for a negotiated settlement of claims
FLY540 AND FASTJET SET TO DROP LEGAL CASES THROUGH NEGOTIATED AGREEMENT Information has reached from Nairobi, that the two combatants Fly 540 and FastJet seem to have dropped their mutual court action, which reflected widely different understandings and perceptions on the state of their erstwhile agreements of cooperation and sale of shares. Sources close to […]
Attempt to take close up picture of young born hippo results in tourist’s death
HIPPO KILLS CHINESE TOURIST ATTEMPTING TO PHOTOGRAPH YOUNG ONE Sad news are coming out of Kenya that a Chinese tourist has died in a local hospital, where she was taken last night after being attacked by a hippo while attempting to take a close up photograph of a young born. The tragic accident happened in […]
Uganda’s tourism minister gives Serena’s training initiative the nod of approval
SERENA’S SKILL DEVELOPMENT PROJECT GETS MINISTERIAL NOD OF APPROVAL (Seen in the picture are the Ugandan Minister for Tourism, the Hon. Maria Mutagamba [on the right] and the AKDN Representative for Uganda Mr. Mahmoud Ahmed [on the left] Serena Hotels yesterday afternoon launched their Skill Development Project at the Kampala Serena Hotel in the presence […]
RwandAir places firm order for Bombardier Q400 NextGen
RWANDAIR SIGNS DEAL FOR NEW AIRCRAFT WITH BOMBARDIER RwandAir, the national airline of Rwanda, has just signed a firm purchase order for one Bombardier Q400 NextGen, the type presented last year by the Canadian manufacturer’s sales team which showcased the aircraft across Africa. Valued at approximately 33 million US Dollars the aircraft will join two […]
Guest post by Danielle McAnn of WildAfrica in Australia
Great things to do on a Safari Africa is one of the most diverse continents in the world with dramatic landscapes, fascinating cultures and a myriad of people. In the late 19th Century, the word ‘safari’ was adopted from Swahili as a way of describing a long journey, For travellers today, going on Safari is […]
Cave visits next visitor attractions in Musanze
RDB PREPARING MUSANZE CAVE FOR TOURIST VISITS The Rwanda Development Board’s Tourism and Conservation Department will within the space of the next few weeks official launch a new tourism site, a cave in Musanze District which is being readied for visitors by installing walkways, stairs and safety measures, according to information received from a source […]
Juba becomes Fly Dubai’s 6th African destination
FLY DUBAI ADD SIXTH AFRICAN DESTINATION BUT EYES MORE The inaugural flight by Fly Dubai to Juba, South Sudan’s capital city, took place yesterday, bringing the airline’s destinations on the African continent to six and fifty six overall, covering Africa, the Gulf and wider Middle East, Pakistan and India and to a growing extent countries […]
CASSOA reduces levy demands in hope to get approvals from EAC members
CASSOA REDUCES FINANCIAL DEMANDS AFTER OPPOSITION FROM EAC MEMBER STATES First reported here in late November 2009, the demands of CASSOA for a70 US cents per ticket coupon levy to finance operations did not go down well with airlines, passengers and member states. Opposed by Kenya and Tanzania, the East African Civil Aviation Safety and […]
ATCL – The never ending story
AIR TANZANIA FORMER OFFICIALS FRAUD CASE LIKELY TO REVIVE WITH FRESH EVIDENCE As reported here on previous occasions did the Tanzanian Auditor General in subsequent annual reports unearth a number of irregularities over the lease in 2007 of an Airbus A320, which as a result of government guarantees ended up costing the taxpayers over 40 […]
Weekly roundup of news from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands, Fourth edition April 2013
AVIATION, TOURISM AND CONSERVATION NEWS from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands. A weekly roundup of breaking news, reports, travel stories and opinions by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang H. Thome You can get your daily news updates instantly via Twitter by following @whthome or join me on www.facebook.com/WolfgangHThome where the articles also ‘cross load’. Read […]
Uganda signs PPA for new geothermal power plant
UGANDA SIGNS UP FOR FIRST GEOTHERMAL POWER PLANT Uganda’s Ministry of Energy has signed a power purchase agreement with American company AAE Systems, pre-requisite to entering the construction phase. PPA’s were one of the lender’s key requirements to avail finance for the new 150 MW geothermal power plant, which according to local media reports is […]
TCAA signs contract for Terminal Three construction at JNIA in Dar
JULIUS NYERERE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO GET NEW TERMINAL The Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority yesterday put pen to paper to sign a contract with the Royal BAM Group of Holland’s BAM International, to commence construction of Terminal Three at the Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam. The airport’s original capacity was tailored to handle […]
TATA’s Taj Hotels seek opportunities in Kenya
TATA’S TAJ HOTELS SEEK OPPORTUNITIES IN KENYA Many in East Africa will associated TATA with trucks, or the conservation fraternity with the company’s past association with the hugely controversial soda ash extraction plant at Lake Natron. In Kenya TATA is represented through several ventures, including a consultancy firm, but was most recently in the press […]
African Development Bank clears loan for Voi – Arusha Highway
AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK APPROVES LOAN FOR VOI – ARUSHA HIGHWAY A loan package worth over 232 million US Dollars has been approved by the African Development Bank to help finance the much awaited construction of a new highway, connecting the Kenyan town of Voi – located 100 miles along the Mombasa to Nairobi highway – […]
Kenya’s SafariCom breaks new ground with M-Pesa deal for restaurants
MOBILE MONEY SET TO RIVAL BANK CARDS IN KENYA Kenya’s leading mobile telecommunications company SafariCom has earlier this week thrown the gauntlet to the traditional plastic money companies when it launched a new initiative, which will allow the use of M-Pesa, aka mobile money, to pay for restaurant bills. A source in Nairobi sent the […]
Aride Island goes solar to enhance the ‘green philosophy’
ARIDE ISLAND GOES EXCLUSIVELY SOLAR The Seychelles northernmost granite island, Aride, a nature reserve owned and managed by the Island Conservation Society and dedicated to protect the island’s unique flora and fauna, has earlier this week switched of its diesel powered generator as a new solar system took over. The Seychelles have a policy of […]
Mauritius finally drops the Carnival plus Shopping Fiesta
MAURITIUS TOURISM MINISTER CONFIRMS THE END OF THE CARNIVAL SHOPPING FIESTA The Mauritius Minister for Tourism Michael Sik Yuen confirmed before parliament in Port Louis yesterday what has been rumoured from the grapevine for weeks now, that there will be no repeat of the ill conceived erstwhile rival Carnival then turned into the Shopping Fiesta […]
Serena Hotels in ground breaking training initiative with DEG of Germany
KAMPALA SERENA TO HOST KEY TRAINING INITIATIVE The Kampala Serena Hotel will be East Africa’s leading hospitality group’s second property to host a new training initiative, first rolled out at the Polana Serena in Mozambique, where it was termed a huge success. Serena Hotels and DEG, a German government owned investment development agency, have partnered […]
FastJet forced to drop Zanzibar and Mwanza as flights fail to generate viable loads
FASTJET SUSPENDS ROUTES AS REALITY HITS HOME The question is making the round in Tanzania’s aviation circles if FastJet has bitten off more than it can chew, when news broke that the airline has suspended flights from Kilimanjaro to Mwanza and from Kilimanjaro to Zanzibar. The Zanzibar flights were only launched recently, with full mouthed […]
STA progress impresses financiers
SEYCHELLES TOURISM ACADEMY CONSTRUCTION IMPRESSES FINANCIER DELEGATION A delegation from the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, in short BADEA, recently visited the Seychelles to discuss further cooperation and support for investments on the archipelago. Notably, the development bank is financing 80 percent of the projected cost of the modernization and expansion of the […]
Rwanda’s WDA set to partner with Les Roches to establish hospitality training campus
RWANDA’S WDA PLANS JOINT VENTURE WITH SWISS BASED LES ROCHES ISHM A regular source from Kigali has sent information that Rwanda’s Workplace Development Authority has apparently entered into an agreement with Swiss based Les Roches International School of Hotel Management, one of the world’s best reputed hospitality training institutions, to create a training facility, and […]
Ethiopian adds Manila from 18th June
ETHIOPIAN TO ADD MANILA VIA HONG KONG Ethiopian Airlines will from the 18th of June commence flights to Manila, the capital of the Philippines, using, according to information available right now, a B767-300ER aircraft. The destination is due to be served three times a week and flights will route via Hong Kong, which the airline […]
REMA’s CEO bags ‘Forest Hero’ Award from UN
REMA GETS UN RECOGNITION FOR FOREST PROTECTION (REMA file picture) The Director General of the Rwanda Environmental Management Authority, Dr. Rose Mukankomeje, was over the weekend honoured by the United Nations Forum on Forests, which was held in the Turkish commercial capital of Istanbul. Dr. Rose captured the key ‘Forest Heroes’ Award for Africa, in […]
FZS boosts SENAPA anti poaching measures
FRANKFURT ZOO TO BOOST SECURITY IN SERENGETI Information was received from a regular conservation source in Arusha that the Frankfurt Zoological Society, one of Tanzania National Park’s staunchest supporters over the past decades, has set aside fresh funding to boost in particular anti poaching capabilities in the Serengeti National Park. It was this park which […]
