Sao Tome, Sao Tome and Principe, 2 Feb – The new air carrier for Sao Tome and Principe, STP Airways, is due to start running intercontinental routes on February 12 with an inaugural flight to Lisbon, Portugal, using a Boeing with a capacity for 120 passengers, an official said.

One of the members of the founding commission of STP-Airways, Alberto Paulino, told Macauhub that the route to Europe via Portugal, would be offered twice a week using airplanes provided by Angolan air carrier, TAAG.

“TAAG will put its aircraft at the service of STP-Airways based on commercial, tariff and cooperation agreements between the companies,” Paulino said.

STP-Airways will break the monopoly currently held by TAP-Air Portugal on this route, as it is the only carrier with a weekly route to the archipelago since Air Luxor stopped flying to Sao Tome for financial reasons.

In November 2006, the state of Sao Tome and Principe, the air carrier’s only shareholder, put 65 percent of its shares on the market in order to raise capital to start the company.

Headquartered in the capital of Sao Tome, STP-Airways, was set up in October by a government decision signed by the Minister of Planning and Finance, Maria Tebus and the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Delfim Neves.

STP-Airways began to be set up after the closure of Air Sao Tome, which followed its only aircraft, with a 20 passenger capacity, crashing into the sea killing the four passengers on board.

As well as to Europe, via Lisbon , STP-Airways plans to run regional flights along the African coast and between the islands of Sao Tome and Principe. (macauhub)