TAAG Angola Plans Houston Flights: Coming Soon??

Intro

TAAG Angola, the flag carrier out of Angola, has recently taken delivery of their brand new 787-9. For a while, we had heard that these were going to be used to replace some of the older 777s, but it seems that TAAG might have something else on the agenda for these beautiful birds 😉.

The Details

A new filing with the DOT came out about a week ago, stating that TAAG Angola is beginning to make steps into launching a direct flight from Luanda to Houston (IAH). While at the moment this is currently possible, due to having a category 2 rating, but it seems that the airline must be getting an upgrade soon to a Category 1 if the route was filed with the DOT...

At the moment, details remain scarce about the route. Presumably, the 7,600-odd-mile route would be operated by a 787-9 and most likely wouldn't be a daily flight. If I had to hazard a guess, the route would operate 2x weekly and begin sometime in 2026 if the Category 1 is approved.

TAAG Angola 787-9

A Growing Presence In Africa

Minus Antarctica, Africa is the continent with the least amount of long-haul flights to other continents. If you look at any other continent, you can pretty much get to a destination from most places in the world.

Well, it seems that there seems to be some inroads for more destinations coming in and out of Africa. If we look at some of the US Carriers like Delta and United, who are launching Dakar flights, and Marrakesh flights, as well as Uganda Airlines who will now be serving London Gatwick, this is all fantastic news.

My worry is though, even if this TAAG route to Houston is oil based, how long will it stick around? The issue with these ultra-long-haul flights is that the margin of costs is so high, and presumably, it is government-incentivized...

Whatever, I will for sure be flying it if it launches, that's all I know!

Final Thoughts

TAAG Angola has just announced that direct flights from Luanda to Houston are in the works. A new filing with the DOT last week means that the wheels are rolling on this new route out of Africa, and hopefully, we might be able to see non-stop flights between the two cities as early as 2026. Exciting stuff!