Taag 737-700

[Malva Ferster]

TheTAAG Angola Airlines (DT) Boeing 737-700 version is used on the airlines short haul routes within the continent of Africa. The aircraft is configured with 12 recliner-style Business Class seats and 138 standard Economy Class seats.

I attempted on making old TAAG Angola Airlines D2-TBH livery for LevelUp 737-700, as I could not find anyone who had made this livery for this aircraft before. The livery was tested on X-Plane 11, but should also work on X-Plane 12.

This December, TAAG Linhas Areas de Angola incorporated into its fleet a Boeing 737-800 cargo plane and two Boeing 737-700 aircraft to transport passengers. The novelty is part of the company's commercial strategies to optimize the levels and options of services offered to customers.

TAAG's new cargo plane carried out, on December 19th, the first two commercial cargo flights, departing from Dr. Antnio Agostinho Neto International Airport, recently opened in Luanda, capital of Angola. The services were carried out on the Luanda-Lagos and Lagos-Luanda routes, which formalized the commercial cargo connection between two of the largest economies in Africa (Angola and Nigeria). The initiative is part of the company's strategy of progressively increasing its participation in the regional African air cargo market.

At the same time, with the aim of improving service to passengers and reinforcing flight availability during a period of the year with high demand, TAAG incorporated two Boeing 737-700 aircraft into its fleet. The planes have capacity for 136 passengers, 12 in business class and 124 in economy class. They will operate in Angola's busiest domestic destinations and on regional routes.

File Description:

Gol Linhas Aereas "Fashion Passion" livery for PMDG Boeing 737-700 (NGXu). See more repaints and updated versions in www.texturasbrasileiras.blogspot.com or www.texturasbrasileiras.com.

File Description:

Banco Safra livery for PMDG Boeing 737 BBJ (NGXu). Work in P3Dv5 too. See more repaints and updated versions in www.texturasbrasileiras.blogspot.com or www.texturasbrasileiras.com.

File Description:

TAAG Angola Airlines livery for PMDG Boeing 737-700. This was the "new" livery of TAAG, but it was cancelled and TAAG repainted the 737-700s with the "old" livery. See more repaints and updated versions in www.texturasbrasileiras.blogspot.com or www.texturasbrasileiras.com.

TAAG Angola Airlines CEO Eduardo Fairen commented, "Incorporating the Airbus A220 clearly demonstrates TAAG's ambition for modernization and growth, as the company is building a versatile fleet, able to address multiple flight typologies with greater operational efficiency, covering regional and international destinations."

Norman C.T. Liu, President & CEO of NAC, commented, "We are pleased to welcome TAAG as a new customer to NAC. These aircraft also represent our first two placements from our A220 order book with Airbus."

This is part of the Angola flag carrier growth plan and fleet strategy and comes one day after the airline announced a long-term lease with Azorra for three Airbus A220-300 aircraft during the second day of the Paris Air Show.

In addition, the airline placed an order with Aviation Capital Group (ACG) for four new Airbus A220-300 aircraft during the first day of the Paris Air Show. The four aircraft ordered with ACG are in addition to the airline's current order of six A220s placid with Air Lease Corporation at the 2022 Farnborough Air Show. The seven aircraft ordered this year at the Paris Air Show, plus the six ordered last year will bring TAAG's total commitment for the A220 to 15 aircraft.

The first order is expected to be delivered in April 2024 and will arrive in stages. Once the A220s arrive, they will replace TAAGs aging Boeing 737-700 fleet, with many having an average age of over 16 years.

With deliveries expected from 2025, the aircraft are expected to operate from TAAG's hub at Luanda's Quatro de Fevereiro Airport (LAD). The A220s will help TAAG expand its route network across Africa.

Compared to its existing Boeing 737-700s, on long-haul routes, the A220 will cut fuel consumption by 25%, and the aircraft's versatility gives it the range to cover intra-African and intercontinental markets with efficiency.

Furthermore, the aircraft delivers 25% lower fuel burn per noise with half the noise footprint and decreased emissions. DT's A220-300s will have the capacity for 142 passengers in a two-class configuration: 12 seats in business class and 130 in economy.

The Angola flag carrier plans to double its fleet over the new three-and-a-half years by acquiring upwards of 28 new aircraft. By 2027 the carrier plans to have a fleet of at least 50 jets. The new aircraft will allow the carrier to add more routes and destinations to its development strategy. In 2022, despite high operating costs, the airline recorded a net profit and planned to build off that.

The new airport will allow domestic and international flights to operate under the same roof, which is not the case at the existing airport. It will enable DT to create Luanda into a profitable modern hub.

Experience regional travel at its finest with TAAG Angola's business class on the Boeing 737-700. Designed for 12 passengers, it offers a serene environment equipped with modern amenities. The seating is designed for relaxation, the dining is exquisite, and the entertainment options are vast. The crew's dedication ensures a journey that's both comfortable and memorable.

Travelers aboard TAAG Angola's Boeing 737-700 in economy class can expect a functional and inviting environment. Tailored for regional routes and 108 passengers, it offers essential comforts in a cozy setting. The crew remains attentive and dedicated, ensuring a satisfactory flight experience.

This fleet reinforcement comes at a time when Camair-Co's two Boeing 737-700s have been out of service since the first quarter of 2019. One of them, TJ-QCA registration, was sent to Ethiopia for maintenance in April this year.

Since the withdrawal of these two planes, Camair-Co's active fleet has consisted mostly of leased planes. It also operates an Embraer E145 (TJ-KMM) and an Embraer E135 (TJ-AKK) from the fleet of Cronos Airlines, a private airline in Equatorial Guinea. The only device owned by the company, currently active, is a Chinese-made MA60 twin-engine turboprop.

With the final phase of the African Cup of Nations in football, whose games will take place in Cameroon, in January 2022, Camair-Co plans to introduce two DHC Dash8-400 aircraft by the end of this year. Crew training for this new fleet has already begun.

According to TAAG, the Luanda-Lagos route currently has five flights a week, plied on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays by a Boeing 737-700 aircraft, with capacity to carry 120 passengers, 102 in economy class and 12 in business class.

The airline emphasises in its statement that this is a change that will have a positive impact in terms of fostering trade and mobility between Angola and Nigeria, as well as positioning Luanda as a hub for other destinations operated by TAAG.

The Boeing 737 is a short to medium range, single aisle, narrow body airliner. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the 707 fuselage width and six abreast seating with two underwing turbofans. Envisioned in 1964, the initial 737-100 made its first flight in April 1967 and entered service in February 1968 with Lufthansa. The lengthened 737-200 entered service in April 1968, and evolved through four generations, offering several variants for 85 to 215 passengers.

First envisioned in 1964, the 737 entered service in 1968. Forty years later it has become the most ordered and produced commercial passenger jet in the world. It is Boeing's last narrow-body airliner currently in production, sometimes serving markets previously filled by 707, 727, 757, DC-9 and MD-80/90 airliners. The 737 has been continuously manufactured by Boeing since 1967 with over 8,000 ordered and over 5,800 delivered as of 2008.[1] There are over 1,250 737s airborne at any given time,[2] with one departing or landing somewhere every five seconds on average.[3]

Boeing had been studying short-haul jet aircraft designs and wanted to produce another aircraft to supplement the 727 on short and thin routes.[4] Preliminary design work began on 11 May 1964,[5] and Boeing's intense market research yielded plans for a 50 to 60 passenger plane for routes 50 to 1,000 mi (80 to 1,609 km) long.[6][4] Lufthansa became the launch customer on 19 February 1965,[7] with an order of 21 aircraft, worth $67 million[8] (1965, $190.28 million in 2008), after the airline reportedly received assurances from Boeing that the 737 project would not be cancelled.[9] Consultation with Lufthansa over the previous winter resulted in an increase in capacity to 100 seats.[7]

On 5 April 1965, Boeing announced an order by United Airlines for 40 737s. United wanted a slightly larger airplane than the original design; therefore, Boeing stretched the fuselage an extra 91 cm (36 in) ahead of, and 102 cm (40 in) behind the wing.[10] The longer version was designated 737-200, with the original short body aircraft becoming the 737-100.[11]

Detailed design work continued on both variants at the same time. Boeing was far behind its competitors when the 737 was launched, as rival aircraft BAC 1-11, Douglas DC-9, and Fokker F28[8] were already into flight certification. To expedite development, Boeing reused 60% of the structure and systems of the existing 727, most notably the fuselage cross section. This fuselage permitted six-abreast seating compared to the rival 1-11 and DC-9's five-abreast layout,[7] but the widened cross-section and short fuselage complicated the aerodynamics of the aft-mounted engines common with airliners of the time. As a result, engineers decided to mount the nacelles directly to the underside of the wings. The placement of this weight below the center of the aircraft also reduced stresses on the airframe, which allowed for a lighter wing,[12] and kept the aircraft low to the ground for easy ramp operations.[13] The engine chosen was the Pratt & Whitney JT8D-1 low-bypass ratio turbofan engine.[14] With the wing-mounted engines, Boeing decided to mount the elevator on the fuselage rather than the T-tail style of the Boeing 727.[10]

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