Mozambique Airlines (LAM) will resume flights to Lisbon (in Portugal) and inaugurate a flight to Cape Town (in South Africa) this year, and expects millionaire "profits" for each trip.

According to Sérgio Matos, Operational Director of Fly Modern Ark (FMA), the Mozambican company is expected to make between 560 and 600 thousand dollars per flight from Maputo to Lisbon. After operating costs, the company expects to absorb up to 360 thousand dollars.

The flights will be operated by Portugal's Euro Atlantic (Boeing 777) at a fixed hourly operating cost of 4,200 dollars, totaling 40,000 dollars per flight.

"We need an occupancy rate of 68% to be able to have everything paid for, and a income will be between 320 and 360 thousand dollars per flight. It all depends on how many seats are occupied in each class," he said.

Sérgio Matos was speaking at a press conference in Maputo today, where LAM announced the resumption of flights to Lisbon and the opening of the Maputo-Cape Town route.

Three flights a week to the European country are expected to start on December 12.

According to LAM's General Manager, João Carlos Pó Jorge, the Maputo-Lisbon route "is one of the densest". He guaranteed that the company has a technical team capable of collaborating in the operation of the route, "because it has done so in the past". The flight is already on the ticket sales platforms.

The accounts for the Maputo-Cape Town flights have not yet been finalized. Technically, revenue could be higher on this route. Everything will depend on LAM's ability to operate a greater number of flights to that destination.

"We're still working with the operator to get a CRJ 1000 jet to accommodate business class. We're working out the final operational costs. And really, it all depends on us. The more flights [LAM] does, the more profit it will make," said Matos.

Unlike the contract with Euro Atlantic, which charges per flight hour, the South African operator, CRM, charges 85,000 dollars per month.

"We'll earn between 700,000 and 800,000 dollars a month from this route alone, but it will depend on our performance," he said.

Flights on the Maputo-Cape Town route will start on November 22.