An official ceremony marked the start of operations for Punto Azul, a new airline that will fly from Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea.  The carrier’s business plan aims to offer more flight frequencies and better connectivity throughout the region.  The airline has leased three ERJ 145s from ECC Leasing, a subsidiary of Embraer SA.  The first aircraft was delivered this month.  The 50-seat jets were acquired by National Airways Corporation of South Africa and are wet-leased by Punto Azul.   The distinctive blue livery is a relection of the airline’s name.

Operations will start in June with 3 daily flights between Malabo and Bata, the country’s two largest cities, and two weekly flights between Malabo and São Tome and Principe.  The company also plans to operate charter flights to serve the region’s oil and gas industry.

When all three ERJs are in the fleet, Punto Azul will expand its network to Mongomo and cities in Nigeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Angola.​