Chinese MA 60 planes rejected in Garoua, Maroua

The United States’ Aircraft Manufacturing Company, Boeing, has advised the management of Camair-Co to stop using Chinese made planes MA60s for its Garoua and Maroua destinations. According to the consultancy agency, the MA 60 planes are unsuitable for the two destinations, given the small luggage space in the aircrafts.

The situation, Boeing outlined, is further compounded by the fact that those plying this axis always carry a lot of luggage.

Camair-Co has thus been forced to reinstate the Boeing 737 for local flights to Maroua and Garoua. The destinations of the two MA 60 planes have been limited to Yaounde, Ngaoundere and Douala. The MA60s aircrafts, which the SDF Parliamentary Group at the National Assembly once described as ‘Flying Coffins’ have not helped Camair-Co.

Recently, Camair-Co decided to use the two planes for local flights and the Boeings 737 will concentrate on Regional destinations, while the lone Boeing 767 will be used for long haul flights. Boeing has recommended that Camair-Co, needs at least seven more aircraft to add to its current fleet of five, if the airline company has to do profitable business.

Analysts say the government rushed into launching a new national carrier without putting together the basic means to enable it succeed.

When the government of Congo Republic some years back decided to launch a national carrier, ECAIR, it allocated over FCFA 300 billion for the project and ECAIR is already stamping its feet in the commercial aircraft sector as an African airline company to reckon with. The Boeing Consultancy recommendation is contained in a preliminary report of an audit in Camair-Co that the State of Cameroon engaged it to carry out.

The audit by Boeing Consultancy is different from that the Supreme State Control is currently carrying at Camair-Co headquarters, which focuses on financial management. The Boeing audit had to examine how Camair-Co is managed, the fleet, the destinations, shortcomings and major challenges facing the airline company in the commercial airline sector.

Boeing also had to make proposals on how to overcome the difficulties Camair-Co has been facing. From the preliminary report of Boeing Consultancy, there is no way Camair-Co in its present state can become a profitable business.

From the findings of the consultancy firm, the biggest problem facing Camair-Co is that of few aircrafts, that limit its operations. Until recently, Camair-Co had barely three aircraft; Boeing 767 that it inherited from the defunct Cameroon Airlines, and two Boeings 737 which it took on lease. Recently the Chinese-made MA60, were added to the fleet to increase the number to five.China, Dubai Destinations

Boeing has further recommended that some of the additional aircraft that Camair-Co needs should be big planes that are suitable for long haul flights, especially with the airline’s plan to fly to Dubai and faraway China.

The Dubai and China destinations have been in the pipeline since Camair-Co started operations with its inaugural flight on March 28, 2011. The China and Dubai destinations were in the business plan with which Camair-Co was launched.

With an increasing large Chinese population in Cameroon, and also with an increasing number of Cameroonians travelling to China, successive management of Camair-Co, have always expressed the conviction that China will be a profitable route for the company.

Besides the China and Dubai destinations, Boeing has also recommended that when Camair-Co acquires more aircraft for long haul flights, the destination of Camair-Co in Europe should extend from Paris, to others countries like London, Brussels and Berlin.

Boeing has recommended that another MA 60 or any other good small aircraft be added to the two MA 60 aircraft that are being used for local flights. The Post has learnt that when Boeing will finish with the audit mission, the Cameroon government and the Company will sit down to discuss how the aircraft manufacturer can assist Cameroon with the implementation of the recommendations.