Fly540 Angola, the country’s first International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) registered privately owned commercial airline, has started with operations.

Fly540 is operated by Africa-focused investment holding company Lonrho Plc. Fly540 Kenya was established in October 2006 and serves the East African market, including Kenya, Uganda, Burundi and Tanzania.

On 6 December 2010 Bloomberg quoted Lonrho executive chairman David Leniga saying “we’re starting, hopefully, within the next week to fly from Luanda to Cabinda and to Soyo.”

eTurboNews reported on 22 December 2010 that Fly540 has commenced operating the Luanda to Cabinda route, citing one of its regular sources.

“The Angolan regional and domestic market remains significantly underserved and the demand for Fly540 Angola to meet this latent demand is clear,” Lonrho said in its 2010 annual report.

The company further said: “The establishment of Fly540 Angola and the process of launching the first private sector ICAO registered airline for Angola has been a long and difficult procedure. This has involved the training and education of staff to the standards required for an international airline.”

Initial destinations for Fly540 Angola will include the major centres of Cabinda, Luanda, Soyo, Benguela, Huambo, and Malanje. Operations are centred out of Cabinda, the hub of the Angolan oil industry, and Luanda.