Airlines must be “flexible” to deal with the consequences of a trade war between the US and China, a senior Emirates executive said Friday. Earlier in the day, the United States and China imposed duties on $34b worth of each other’s imports, with Beijing accusing Washington of triggering the “largest-scale trade war” as the world’s two biggest economies escalated their conflict. “As an airline, you always have to be flexible, you have to be fluid in what you are doing,” said Hubert Frach, a divisional senior vice president for Emirates. “If one market is showing some weaknesses, you either work harder and you try to find new market segments, or mid-term or long-term you will allocate your fleet and you change the shape of your network.”<br/>
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The board of Mozambique's national airline, LAM, has been sacked after the carrier cancelled flights this week because of financial difficulties that meant it could not pay for fuel, at one point marooning Prime Minister Carlos Agostinho do Rosario. State-controlled LAM said it was working to ensure flights resumed on Friday after the government intervention. The war-scarred southern African nation sits on some of the world's largest untapped natural gas reserves but has been cut off from multilateral and foreign donors after the government admitted to $1.4b of undisclosed borrowing in 2016. <br/>
Nigerian startup Green Africa Airways has completed its initial financing push in partnership with pan-African investment manager Kuramo Capital, and has begun negotiations for its future fleet. The so-called Series A financing marks Green Africa Airways’ first major institutional round of financing. Green Africa Airways founder and CEO Babawande Afolabi declined to comment on the exact sum that has been raised, but he said Series A requires a “a mission-driven investor” that believes in the market opportunity and return on investment potential. “Series A funding, in many cases, is the toughest round for any new company to raise,” Afolabi said. “We are extremely fortunate that Kuramo Capital is backing Green Africa Airways with this pivotal round of financing.” Lagos-based Green Africa Airways describes itself as a “value airline,” which aims to offer affordable air travel. The startup has already secured its air transport license and has started work toward its air operator’s certificate.<br/>