Mozambique: More planes, routes planned for flag carrier LAM rescue strategy – manager

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

Mozambique: More planes, routes planned for flag carrier LAM rescue strategy – manager

4:56 CAT | 29 May 2023

FILE - For illustration purposes only. [File photo: O País]

The rescue strategy for state flag carrier Linhas Aéreas de Moçambique (LAM) is to reactivate the Maputo-Lisbon route and explore new destinations such as Brazil, India, Dubai and China, the management committee announced on Monday.

“We will reopen some routes. The first phase will be Maputo-Portugal, then the subsequent phases will be Maputo-Sao Paulo, Maputo-Guanzhou, Maputo-Mumbai, Maputo-Dubai,” said committee member Sérgio Matos.

Since April the company has been run by South African company Fly Modern Ark, an entity that came into play as part of the restructuring of the Mozambican flag carrier.

READ: Mozambique: New management of LAM takes over

The acquisition of more aircraft is part of plans to reach new routes.

It is a step forward that will make it possible to “optimise human resources” at LAM, which currently has 753 workers working on just seven aircraft, Matos explained.

The current workforce gives a ratio of 112 to 115 workers per plane, whilst the ideal ratio would be at least 25 workers per aircraft, Sérgio Matos said.

The manager noted that the increase in the fleet will make it unnecessary to reduce the number of workers en masse, but “some will leave,” as part of the “human resources optimisation” plan.

“We can take out some who are not performing to our satisfaction and bring in others, but by increasing the number of aircraft, there will be no need to clear a large number of staff,” he pointed out.

The company also wants to recover the cities of Beira, in the centre of the country, and Nampula, in the north, as ‘hubs’ (points of concentration) for routes to the two regions, and Maputo will no longer be the only hub for the airline’s operations, Sérgio Matos noted.

The manager ruled out the scenario of more debt to boost the fleet, noting that the increase in the number of aircraft will be offset by profit sharing for Fly Modern Ark and other partners.

READ: CIP: “New LAM manager company has no experience in airline management”

Source: Lusa