Mozambican start-up, MAIS, to launch with A320s

MAIS - Mozambican Airlines (Nacala) is a Mozambican start-up aiming to offer scheduled domestic and regional flights out of the recently refurbished and upgraded airport of Nacala, located in Mozambique's north east. Founded in 2013, the carrier will operate as a hybrid low-cost carrier using a fleet of A320-200s with flights connecting Beira, Tete, Nacala, Nampula, and Pemba with Maputo. 

"Shortly after starting domestic connections, MAIS expects to obtain licenses, through bilateral agreements, to fly international routes to Johannesburg O.R. Tambo, Lusaka, Lubumbashi, Dar-es-Salaam and Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta," MAIS Chief Executive Officer, Francisco Giao, told ch-aviation. "In the second phase, working with tour operators, we expect to introduce seasonal charter flights to tourist destinations such as Victoria Falls, Kilimanjaro and islands in the Indian Ocean."

The carrier is the latest start-up to emerge from the booming Southern African economy with budget operation Mozambique flyafrica (Maputo) also eyeing a launch later this year, regulatory approvals notwithstanding. 

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