Embraer leases 3 ERJ145s to Equatorial Guinea airline Punto Azul

Malabo – Punto Azul (IATA Code ZR) has announced a major overhaul of its operations, which will include new destinations and a change of operators. Making the announcement, Punto Azul General Manager, Mr. Rene Janata has indicated that the move was necessary as the airline consolidated its future operations and delivers on its projected growth as spelt out in its new business plan.

“Punto Azul was founded on three key tenets; safety, quality and reliability. As such moving forward, we must plan and align our operations to these principles. While the former operator has offered us good service in the course of our relationship, we find it necessary to push our planning and operations with the future in mind”, said Mr Janata.

The agreement with the new operator; National Airways Corporation (NAC) of South Africa is expected to pave way for a long term engagement between Punto Azul and its new partner in the areas of aircraft leasing, maintenance, training and human capacity development here in Malabo. NAC is a South African operator that is BARS certified, ISO 9001:2008 accredited, and has also been successfully audited by the South African CAA, Shell, BHP Billiton, Hart Aviation Services, United Nations UN World Food Program, among others.

Known for their agility, reliability and fuel efficiency, the 50-seater Brazilian made Embraer jets will redefine air travel for both corporate companies and regular travellers in the region. Three aircraft are leased from ECC Leasing Company Ltd, a subsidiary of Embraer. Mr. Janata added that while safety is paramount at Punto Azul, other things like passenger comfort and personalized attention is also key hence the leather upholstery and legroom in the new aircraft cabin have been ensured.

Realizing the importance of quality and safety in airline operations, Punto Azul has since 2011 put into place resources and highly professional personnel with global experience to steer its operations towards achieving its vision. The airline becomes the first airline registered operator in Equatorial Guinea (E.G) submit to the Civil Aviation Authority (AACA) a Safety Management System (SMS) under its new management. This is in line with the recently passed aviation laws by the E.G government aimed at removing the country from the aviation blacklist.

The airline has also put in place a call center dedicated to supporting its revamped operations which kick off in February 2013 with scheduled flights to Bata, Mongomeyen, Sao Tome and Gabon in the first phase from March 2013 on. In the second phase the airline will introduce flights to Cameroun, Nigeria, Ghana and Angola.