Transportadora Aérea de Portugal (TAP) has decided to take precautionary measures related to the safety of the crew that rotates on flights between the Mozambican capital, Maputo, and Lisbon, Portugal, due to the approach of the date set for the Constitutional Council (CC) to pronounce on the results of the October 9 vote..

After Air Portugal stopped flights to Maputo at the end of November, the company is now transferring the crew members still in Maputo to Johannesburg, ahead of the final decision on the October elections in Mozambique.

According to a publication by Carta de Moçambique, quoting News24, the Portuguese airline is considering transferring crew members from "safe houses" in Mozambique to South Africa, foreseeing problems after a decision next week on the electoral dispute.

In a note signed by the director of flight operations, Mário Bento, the Portuguese airline states that "TAP, in response to the concerns expressed by the workers' associations and unions, has provisionally agreed to change the crew's accommodation, considering the possibility of the protests intensifying".

Travel warnings were extended to tourists from various countries, including Australia, where the government platform Smart Traveller warned of "a risk of kidnapping in Mozambique". "Kidnappings have occurred in Maputo, Beira and Sofala and in Cabo Delgado province," said Smart Traveller.

(Photo DR)