First Dreamliner for TAAG
February 8, 2025
On 30 January 2025, the first Boeing B787-9 for TAAG (registration D2-TEQ, c/n 66877), arrived at Luanda’s new António Agostinho Neto Airport after a non-stop flight from Seattle-Paine Field. António Agostinho Neto Airport is set to open in March, after a lengthy construction period, and will replace Luanda’s current Quatro de Fevereiro Airport.
The new 787-9 is on lease from AerCap, and introduced a new TAAG livery. It arrived just ahead of Angola’s 4 February Liberation Day, and some 50 years after the airline received its first aircraft, a Boeing 737-200!
Nelson Pedro Rodrigues de Oliveira, the CEO of TAAG Angola Airlines said that: “The delivery of the 787-9 is a pivotal step in our strategy to modernize TAAG Angola Airlines’ fleet. This airplane brings the efficiency and versatility we need to meet growing market demands, replace our ageing widebody fleet, and deliver a world-class experience to our passengers.”
The 787 Dreamliner, which TAAG Angola Airlines ordered in 2023, forms a core element in the airline’s modernization efforts, and of its plans to expand long-haul capabilities, bringing more travellers and trade to Angola. It also provides an exceptional passenger experience. The 787 Dreamliner is described by Boeing as “the industry’s most advanced commercial airplane”, and it leverages advanced technologies, fuel efficiency to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 25% compared to the aircraft it will replace.
TAAG Angola Airlines’ is working with Boeing to purchase CO2 emissions reduction associated with blended Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) through an accounting process called book-and-claim. Distributors will deliver the blended SAF made available through these purchased certificates to nearby airports for use by airlines and other carriers.
TAAG Angola Airlines currently operates five 777-300ER (Extended Range) widebodies, three 777-200ERs, eight Next-Generation 737-700s and a single 737-800BCF, together with a single A220-300 and six DHC-8-400s. This fleet currently connects Angola to 12 destinations across Africa, Europe, South America and China.
TAAG has ordered four Dreamliners (two B787-10s and two B787-9s including the recently delivered aircraft), and fifteen Airbus A220-300s.
Anbessie Yitbarek, vice president of Boeing Commercial Sales for Africa noted that: “The 787 Dreamliner will complement TAAG Angola Airlines’ fleet of Boeing 737 and 777 jets, as we continue to support the airline in its mission to connect people and places across the globe. Our 50-year relationship with TAAG Angola Airlines has been built on trust and shared goals, and we look forward to many more years of successful collaboration and innovation together.”
Boeing says that its airliners have formed the backbone of Africa’s commercial fleet for more than 75 years, and that more than 60 airlines operate around 500 Boeing aircraft across Africa, representing nearly 70% of the airliner market across the continent. Boeing’s Commercial Market Outlook predicts that Africa will need 1,170 aircraft over the next two decades.
