Punto Azul gets its AOC

“With this AOC in place we are now in a position to start working towards The IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) program,” said Punto Azul managing director Paul Richards. “My intention is to be the first carrier in Equatorial Guinea to have IOSA certification.”

Punto Azul links Malabo with Bata in Equatorial Guinea, as well as the regional destinations of Douala and Yaoundé in Cameroon, Libreville in Gabon and Accra in Ghana. Richards is now looking to expand the airline’s network to include the Republic of Congo, Gabon and Nigeria.

One of the requirements for the Aviation Authority Guinea Equatorial (AAGE) AOC was a shift from leased to owned aircraft. Since launching scheduled operations in May 2013, Punto Azul has been using a pair of ERJ-145s on wet lease from Johannesburg-based National Airways Corporation (NAC).

It recently acquired one of the two NAC ERJ-145s and this has now been listed on the Equatorial Guinea register with the tail number 3C-MAC. The new registration was painted on the aircraft during its last maintenance check, but was obscured until Richards received the final clearance from the AAGE.

Richards is in negotiations with NAC about acquiring the other ERJ-145, although NAC will continue to crew and maintain both aircraft until Punto Azul has trained up its own staff.

Along with the aircraft ownership change, Richards said the company went through a thorough review of all its operational policies and procedures during the “extensive” AOC application process. Punto Azul said the certification shows that it is “fit, willing and able to further its business”, paving the way for a gradual transition to dry-lease flying.

Now the AOC is in place, Richards is also planning to launch freight operations using either an ATR 42 or a Boeing 737 Combi. “I’m looking to bring in cargo as soon as the AOC is issued,” he told African Aerospace in November, adding that Punto Azul also plans to join the African Airlines Association (AFRAA).