- The aircraft spent a year in Maputo hangars, causing losses for the company
By Ricardo Dias
Maputo (MOZTIMES) – Mozambique Airlines (LAM) has returned its latest Boeing B737-300 to its origin after failing to certify the cargo plane for operations in Mozambican territory, the company announced on Tuesday in a statement.
According to LAM, “the aircraft in question remained in Mozambique from 31 December 2023 and departed from Maputo International Airport on 18 January 2025, heading to Jakarta, Indonesia,” the statement reads.
Integrity Magazine reports that the company spent $3 million to bring the aircraft from Indonesia to Maputo and incurred an additional $930,000 in leasing costs for the 17-tonne capacity plane, which stayed in the country for a year.
The aircraft is also being returned because it did not receive approval from Boeing, due to modifications made to it, the company added.
At the time of the aircraft’s arrival in the country, LAM had announced that its operations would begin in March 2024, during a period when the company was under the management of the subcontracted South African firm, Fly Modern Ark.
The management company had described cargo transport as a highly profitable business and believed the aircraft would help address the issue of a limited fleet.
Currently, LAM’s fleet comprises one Boeing 737, two Q400s, two Bombardier CRJ 900s, and two Embraer 145s, the latter operated by its subsidiary Mozambique Expresso.
Despite holding a monopoly on domestic flights, the state-owned airline has faced criticism due to frequent delays and regular flight cancellations.
Recently, the state-owned company revealed that it is grappling with a 300 million dollar debt. (RD)
