Linhas Aéreas de Moçambique (LAM) has sold about 12 thousand tickets on flights between Maputo and Lisbon, a route whose resumption was announced in October, with the first flight departing on Tuesday, the company announced this Friday.
The tickets already sold by the Mozambican flagship cover the period from December 12, the date of resumption of activity, until October 2024, explained Sergio Matos, LAM’s restructuring project manager, at a press conference this Friday in Maputo.
“These are encouraging numbers because our forecast was for at least three to six months of losses. Typically, the entire international route has six months of losses (…) We are receiving support and want to believe that in February the numbers will increase,” he explained.
Flights starting from 25,000 metecs (€368) in economy class will be operated on a 302-seat B777, which will connect the two capitals three times a week thanks to a partnership with Portuguese operator EuroAtlantic.
“We will pay our partner for the number of hours he works on the operation. So far everything is going according to agreement,” said Sergio Matos.
The Maputo-Lisbon route, which the company abandoned almost 12 years ago, is part of the operator’s revitalization plan after South African company Fly Modern Ark (FMA) came into control of LAM in April this year for a restructuring process.
Four months after the implementation of a set of measures, according to the company itself, the air carrier was stabilized and repositioned.
In addition to the Maputo-Lisbon route, the Mozambican flagship has new routes in its portfolio that connect Maputo to various parts of South Africa, with a focus on Cape Town.
“We believe that these are routes that can help provide some ‘revenue’ for the company itself. There are those who wonder why they are opening routes abroad, if even here, within the country, we are not yet consolidated enough? It’s just a matter of strategy: diversify sales,” he said.
The company’s current turnaround strategy follows years of operational problems related to a small fleet and lack of investment, as well as a record of non-fatal incidents that experts attribute to ineffective aircraft maintenance.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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