I went to a two-week trip to Angola, São Tome and Principe, Gabon, Côte d'Ivoire and Bissau Guinea. The plan was to take the following flights:
Keflavík to Lisbon, Icelandair
Lisbon to Luanda, TAAG
Luanda to São Tomé, TAAG
São Tomé to Principe, STP Airways
Principe to São Tomé, STP Airways
São Tome to Libreville, ASKY
Libreville to Cotonou to Abidjan, Air Côte d’Ivoire
Abidjan to Lomé, ASKY
Lomé to Dakar to Bissau, ASKY
Bissau to Lisbon, TAP
All TAAG flights now use the new airport (NBJ), 45 kilometers from downtown Luanda. My local agent wanted to leave the hotel at 5am, the driver suggested 6am, both of them because of the traffic jams, but I asked to leave at 7am and we arrived to the airport at 08.15.
The control tower and terminal seen from the airport road.
Our car in front of the terminal.
A model of the new airport inside the terminal.
The building is very nice and modern.
TAAG tried to call me but my phone was not working in Angola. I was suspecting that something was wrong, and sure enough, our departure time of 10.30 was moved to 16.30. I checked in, then we went to a six hour tour with the tour company.
First we went to River Kwanza.
Our car on the road.
The church in Muxima. Our guide was devastated: Muxima was a beautiful small town only a couple of months ago, but everything (except the church) was destroyed to prepare for a mass pilgrimage.
Typical Angolan bush.
We got back to the airport at 14.30. It was completely deserted.
My flight was the only one around this time. Even though the flight to Addis was shown here, it actually left from the old airport that day, 47 kms away. Ethiopian is expected to move to the new airport on 16th December 2025.
I was through security quickly.
The terminal airside:
I went to the lounge. There was a sign outside but there was just a construction area inside.
I went to be açaí and had an excellent coffee for only 1 €.
There's a TAAG lounge on the other side of the terminal.
The lounge has great apron views.
It's beautiful inside.
There's a good choice of food.
The choice of drinks.
I went to the gate at 16.05. Dozens of people were already queuing, and as they had been waiting for maybe seven hours, they were tired, impatient, and some of them were yelling. Communication from the airport staff was zero: if they have informed the passengers or told them to sit down and wait, people would have been more quiet and patient.
Boarding eventually started at 17.05. Our plane seen from the jetbridge:
Our plane today was an A220 (registration numbe D2-TAI, delivered in June 2025) instead of a B737 that was originally planned.
The cabin crew was quite stressed, likely because of the huge delay and the change of aircraft. Several passengers were allocated non-existant seats, some of them upgraded themselves, then they were sent back, so it was quite chaotic on-board. Cabin luggage space was also insufficient, and many carry-ons were taken to the hold from the cabin.
Boarding was completed only by 17.40. On-board chaos continued for quite some time, and luggage was still being loaded at 18.00.
The cabin looked new and was in very good condition. It had a business class cabin with three rows in a 2+2 configuration.
My seat 1F.
Legroom was good.
Seats 1AC.
The seats have charging ports.
Load was 8/12.
Fruit juice was offered as a welcome drink.
Push-back was at 18.09 for a scheduled departure time of 10.30.
A TAAG B737 in front of the terminal building.
A TAAG B777.
We took off at 18.34 from runway 24L
The cabin crew became more relaxed once we were airborne. A small hot towel was offered, then meal service started 25 minutes after take-off.
There was no menu card but there was a choice between chicken with rice or fish with vegetable. I had chicken. It was in a curry and was a bit hard.
Full bar was available. I had some white wine.
The rest of the flight was uneventful.
We landed in São Tomé at 19.16 and were at the gate at 19.25 for a scheduled arrival time of 12.10
The luggage delivery area is in a large tent.
There are two old Super Constellation aircrafts next to the airport, now part of a restaurant (photos taken two days later).
My impressions of São Tomé and Principe
As its name suggests, the country, just North of the Equator, is made up of two main islands. The larger island of São Tomé has a population of about 226,000 (96%), while Principe has only 9,000 (4%). There's also a very small island, Ilheu das Rolas, population 150. The Equator goes through it.
Overall, the country is the second smallest in Africa both by area and population. São Tomé and Principe (STP) is one of the safest and most democratic countries in Africa with a freedom index of 85/100.
However, the economy is stagnant. STP produces some of the best cocoa and chocolate in the world, but not much else. The country is poor. Social differences are small; there's virtually no middle (or upper) class. Even the capital city looks like it hasn't changed much since the 70s: there are almost no new buildings and there are no traffic lights. In the countryside, most former roças (plantations) are completely neglected.
But if you come here, it will be because of the nature. Both main islands, but especially Principe have large untouched tropical rainforests, nice beaches, and some of the most idyllic places you'll find anywhere in the world. São Tomé and Principe is often called, with good reason, a tropical paradise.
Downtown São Tomé in the evening:
The Cathedral inside and outside
An abandoned hospital, once part of a roça (plantation)
The main street of a former roça (plantation) seen from the same place.
A monument of the 1953 Batepá massacra, when hundreds of workers were killed by Portuguese colonial police and private militias.
Women washing clothes in two of the many rivers.
Two of São Tomé's iconic fruits: jackfruit and banana.
Beautiful tropical landscape.
The Santa Catarina tunnel.
A beach on the southern end of the main island.
Busy beach life in front of the only village of Ilheu das Rolas.
One foot South of the Equator, the other foot North of the Equator.
The rainforest on Ilheu das Rolas.
I also went to Principe island - see the next flight report.
TAAG's livery is really nice, with its deep red color.
The seats are good, as are the meals. It's on par with European airlines on flights of this duration.
The terminal in Luanda is great—very bright, modern, and clean! Magnificent.
Thanks! Beautiful airport and beautiful plane, but what a poor delay and boarding management..