At a press conference held today in Maputo regarding the restructuring of the airline, the chairman of the board of directors of Mozambican Ports and Railways Company (CFM), Agostinho Langa, who is also part of LAM’s non-executive board, announced that the contract had been renewed for four years, emphasizing that the manager would be exclusively dedicated to LAM.
“Apart from the commitment to LAM, there was the much-discussed commitment with Botswana Air, which he had to terminate, but he also had other commitments in Australia,” reported CFM’s chairman, Agostinho Langa, adding that he was told “he had to terminate these other commitments as well.”
“This also meant he had to forgo some earnings, some personal revenue streams, and in the negotiation, we had to take this into account. It took a few days, but the contract is signed,” he added.
Dane Kondic was appointed president of LAM’s management committee in May, but at the end of June, it was announced that he was also named chairman of the board at Botswana’s national airline, according to that country’s carrier.
Dane Kondic, who holds dual Serbian and Australian citizenship, has held various positions in airlines across multiple countries, including being the chairman of the board at Portugal’s euroAtlantic.
In May, the appointment of a non-executive board comprising representatives from the three state-owned companies that became LAM shareholders this year—Hidroelétrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB), Mozambican Ports and Railways Company (CFM), and Mozambican Insurance Company (Emose)—was approved.
Mozambique’s airline, LAM, has faced operational problems for several years related to a reduced fleet and lack of investment, with some non-fatal incidents being attributed by experts to poor maintenance of aircraft. The company is currently undergoing a significant restructuring process.
Mozambican President Daniel Chapo stated on April 28 that there are “foxes and corrupt individuals” within LAM, involving “conflicts of interest” that have thwarted the company’s restructuring efforts in the first 100 days of governance, including plans to acquire three aircraft within that period.
The crisis has led the company to virtually cease international flights this year, focusing on domestic connections.
To mitigate the frequent flight cancellation issues, the company aims to acquire five Boeing 737-700 aircraft and, while awaiting this acquisition, has launched a tender to lease five more.
On average, LAM currently serves around 915 passengers daily for national and regional destinations.
