Reviewing Angola Airlines Brand New Boeing 787 & 4 Billion Dollar Airport

• Airline: TAAG Angola Airlines
• Class: Business, Premium Economy & Economy
• Aircraft: Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner

Today, we are introducing Angola Airlines’ new flagship as African airlines rise to make the skies more competitive, luxurious, and accessible to us all.

We are off to one of Africa’s richest countries, which is opening a $4 billion airport fully this month with many planes on order and massive ambitions to conquer the skies over Africa.

My journey started in Lisbon, Portugal’s capital, on TAAG Angola’s only flight to Europe. I flew on their Boeing 777 on my way to Luanda.

I’ve had several flights on the Angolan flag carrier in the past, and for an honest assessment, they are the most hospitable airline I know. However, their planes are aging, and their cabin crews are among the worst of any African airline I’ve flown with.

To keep it simple, the airline has a lot of work to do. Once I touched down in Luanda’s old airport, I made my way to the new one, which will open publicly in March after 20 years of construction.

The new 787 Dreamliner was expected to land at the new airport after a 16-hour journey from Seattle. We were given a traditional golden welcome, and it was time to head inside for the grand arrival ceremony.

Here’s what a $4 billion airport looks like—it just opened recently after 20 years of construction. It has been quite a project, and it’s finally opening marking the start of a big transformation from moving all international operations from the old airport to here.

They’re also introducing a new fleet, including new 220s and Dreamliners—great times ahead for TAAG Angola.

The new airport can handle up to 15 million passengers a year, making it a very ambitious plan to turn it into another big African hub with the new fleet and planes.

First impressions, the airport looks pretty slick, definitely worthy of being the new hub for the African Aviation sector.

Once at the gate, celebrations were in full swing, marking a big day for the country with many guests invited, including ministers, military, and all sorts of media outlets.

Everyone gathered at the gate in anticipation of the arrival of the Dreamliner. As an AvGeek, I appreciated the display of Flight Radar on the big screen tracking the arrival into Luanda.

The Dreamliner took a 16-hour journey from Seattle to Luanda and was welcomed with a traditional water cannon salute. Everyone was extremely excited to welcome the new aircraft.

I was eager to get a look inside and see what the new cabin was like as it pulled into the gate. The champagne was ready, and the ribbon was ready to be cut and the US ambassador was present because the Dreamliner is an American-manufactured plane after all.

Then, it was finally time to board the new 787-9 Dreamliner of Angola Airlines. The business class features 16 seats in a 1-2-1 reverse Herringbone configuration.

This seat has been around for a long time, though the finish is much nicer on this aircraft. It’s an upgraded version of the reverse Herringbone seat, which has proven itself to be popular among business travelers.

However, there are fewer seats compared to their giant 777s, which have over 50 seats in business class in a 2-3-2 configuration.

The premium economy class cabin has 21 seats in total, a new product not featured on previous planes like the 777 or 737.

It will be interesting to see if it’s successful, as most African airlines struggle to sell premium economy. The only thing that really stood out to me were the bright yellow colors. They aren’t very pleasing to the eye.

The economy class cabin features a 3-3-3 configuration, as you’d expect from a Dreamliner. The colors are different, very bright on the eye.

If there’s a row you want to avoid on this plane, it’s row 40—the infamous no window row. Seat 40K or 40A is the seat you don’t want to get when you fly this airplane.

However, it’s a massive improvement over the Triple 7s. I hope the colors grow on me, but other than that, it’s fantastic.

The legroom was not too bad at all for an economy-class seat. You also obviously get a tray table, a personal entertainment screen, and something that is a must-need nowadays, an adjustable headrest which allows you to get some rest even if you’re in the middle seat.

Overall, the new 787-9 Dreamliner is an improvement over the current product, but it’s not groundbreaking by any means.

The business class seat is lovely and comfortable, as is the economy class cabin. However, the colors, especially the yellow in premium economy definitely aren’t my favorite.

TAAG Angola is on the right path with great hard products now, including the Dreamliner, the new airport, and upcoming planes. What they really need to make sure they work on is the soft product—training the crew to elevate their service to the next level. This will make them a strong competitor in the African market.

About the Author

Josh Cahill is an award-winning Aviation YouTuber who is reportedly one of the most-watched flight reviewers on the internet. He organised Afghanistan’s first all-female flight together with Kam Air in February 2021 on a flight from Herat to Kabul for which he received the Aviation Achievement Award. His favourite hobby? Flying exotic airlines nobody has ever heard of.