Hewa Bora at BRU

[airazurxtror]

In "le Soir" today, page 17 :
Hewa Bora will fly Kinshasa - Brussels from saturday 2nd may.
Two non-stop flights per week.
Wednesday and saturday : Kinshasa 10.30 - Brussels 19.30
Thursday and sunday : Brussels 12.00 - Kinshasa 19.00.
High season, from 22nd June : a third weekly flight.
Price : from 940 USD, 720 euros.
Airplane : Boeing 767-200ER - 220 seats, business and economy.
Brussels Airlines keeps its 5 weekly flight to Kinshasa, but most of them with a stop at Douala or Yaoundé (Cameroon).

[sdbelgium]

viewtopic.php?p=215914#p215914 (and following posts)

[Conti764]

In "le Soir" today, page 17 :
Hewa Bora will fly Kinshasa - Brussels from saturday 2nd may.
Two non-stop flights per week.
Wednesday and saturday : Kinshasa 10.30 - Brussels 19.30
Thursday and sunday : Brussels 12.00 - Kinshasa 19.00.
High season, from 22nd June : a third weekly flight.
Price : from 940 USD, 720 euros.
Airplane : Boeing 767-200ER - 220 seats, business and economy.
Brussels Airlines keeps its 5 weekly flight to Kinshasa, but most of them with a stop at Douala or Yaoundé (Cameroon).

How can they operate three times a week if they only have 2 traffic rights?

[sdbelgium]

As per Amadeus timetable display on 01APR09, Hewa Bora Airways is adding 3rd weekly Kinshasa - Brussels - Paris CDG service, starting 23JUN09. The 3rd weekly service, will originates from Kinshasa while the other 2 weekly actually originates from Lubumbashi

EO103 FBM0800 - 0915FIH1030 - 1930BRU2030 - 2120CDG 762 3
EO104 CDG1000 - 1050BRU1200 - 1900FIH2000 - 2315FBM 762 4

EO106 FBM0800 - 0915FIH1030 - 1930BRU2030 - 2120CDG 762 6
EO107 CDG1000 - 1050BRU1200 - 1900FIH2000 - 2315FBM 762 7

EO101 BZV0840 - 0900FIH1030 - 1930BRU2030 - 2120CDG 762 1 22JUN09 -
EO102 CDG1000 - 1050BRU1200 - 1900FIH2000 - 2020BZV 762 2 23JUN09 -

With the 3rd weekly service, it'll be operate the shortest Boeing 767 route in the world, as Brazzaville - Kinshasa route block time is 20 minutes, and the airborne time will be around 7-10 minutes, similar to AIRFRANCE operated with its A330-200 between Dec 08 and Mar 09. Normally Hewa Bora operates Boeing 727 on this sector.

http://airlineroute.blogspot.com/2009/0 ... u-and.html

[airazurxtror]

"Le Soir" today page 25 :
From 1st May, Brussels Airlines will fly seven weekly flights to Kinshasa : five rights owned by Brussels Airlines and two bought from Lignes Aériennes Congolaises (LAC).

Beginning of the war with Hewa Bora ?

[Conti764]

"Le Soir" today page 25 :
From 1st May, Brussels Airlines will fly seven weekly flights to Kinshasa : five rights owned by Brussels Airlines and two bought from Lignes Aériennes Congolaises (LAC).

Beginning of the war with Hewa Bora ?

What 'war'? It will go between Brussels Airlines, a Western-European company with sometimes a delay but well maintained, safe aircraft and Hewa Bora Airways, an African airline with a doubtfull safety record, more delays then normal flights and only three flights a week, of which one goes via a stop in Brazaville.

[sn-remember]

What 'war'? It will go between Brussels Airlines, a Western-European company with sometimes a delay but well maintained, safe aircraft and Hewa Bora Airways, an African airline with a doubtfull safety record, more delays then normal flights and only three flights a week, of which one goes via a stop in Brazaville.

Very blunt .. but some truth
Should SN and Hewa Bora cooperate on the technical and marketing fields ?
Or SN launch airDC at last ?
Anyway there is something to do imho ..

[Conti764]

Very blunt .. but some truth
Should SN and Hewa Bora cooperate on the technical and marketing fields ?
Or SN launch airDC at last ?
Anyway there is something to do imho ..

I just don't like this airline, not the least. They are a sorry, amateuristic excuse for an airline, leaving their pax in the cold whenever something happens. Not that SN is perfect, but they at least do something for their (much paying) passengers.

The only thing SN should do, is staying away from Hewa Bora as far as possible. A selfrespecting airline doesn't want to be associated with this crappy airline.

I don't think AirDC wil be ever launched since LH is more in favour of more direct African destinations, direct from BRU in stead of an African daugther dispersing passengers.

[sn26567]

Or SN launch airDC at last ?

This has been postponed indefinitely. Officially (see latest SN press release about financial results).

[LX-LGX]

The only thing SN should do, is staying away from Hewa Bora as far as possible. A selfrespecting airline doesn't want to be associated with this crappy airline.

Brussels Airlines had choosen for a partnership with the man who knows - by far - the most about aviation in D.R. Congo: Philippe de Moerloose (Demavia, Hewa Bora).

I've been told that de Moerloose doesn't appreciate that Belgium was unable to avoid the total blacklisting of Hewa Bora in the EU.

[sdbelgium]

Hewa Bora has brought Brussels Airlines and the Prime Minister of Belgium for court.

Press release:

Het zal niemand ontgaan zijn dat sedert de herziening van de akkoorden tussen Hewa Bora Airways en Brussels Airlines deze laatste aankondigde dagelijkse vluchten te blijven uitvoeren tussen Brussel en Kinshasa, dit niettegenstaande Hewa Bora Airways aankondigde haar twee vluchten te willen hernemen op een onafhankelijke wijze.

Brussels Airlines conform het tussen de R.D. Congo en België gesloten bilaterale luchtvaartakkoord beschikt slechts over de rechten tot het uitvoeren van maximaal vijf vluchten per week.

Het blijkt uit de informatie zoals zij Hewa Bora Airways bereikte dat de uitvoering van twee bijkomende vluchten per week steunt op een overeenkomst welke op 18 Februari 2009 gesloten werd tussen Brussels Airlines en les Lignes Aériennes Congolaises, een overheidsbedrijf en voortzetting van het sedert 1995 in België failliet verklaarde Air Zaire.

Overeenkomstig de bepalingen van deze overeenkomst dient Brussels Airlines een maandelijks gebruiksrecht van US$ 50.000- te betalen aan les Lignes Aeriennes Congolaises. Het management van les Lignes Aériennes Congolaises mag op dit bedrag bepaalde kosten, o.m. de kostprijs van tickets welke door hen worden gebruikt, in mindering brengen.

De curator over het faillissement van Air Zaire is geen partij bij de ondertekening van dit contract.

Het uitvoeren van dagelijkse vluchten door Brussels Airlines heeft tot gevolg dat voor Hewa Bora Airways de markt afgesloten wordt en Brussels Airlines op dit traject een monopolie bekomt, niettegenstaande Hewa Bora Airways op wet lease basis en volledig in conformiteit met de Europese regelgeving voornemens is de haar toegekende twee wekelijkse vluchten uit te voeren.

Hewa Bora Airways dient zich nu te voorzien in een procedure in kortgeding welke ertoe strekt de vernietiging van het akkoord tussen Brussels Airlines en les Lignes Aériennes Congolaises te horen uitspreken, waardoor Hewa Bora Airways de haar onder het bilateraal akkoord toekomende rechten kan opnemen, dit in het algemeen belang van het clienteel.

Als reden tot vernietiging van deze overeenkomst wordt naast het aspect van misbruik van machtspositie eveneens verwezen naar de nietigheid ingevolge het afsluiten van een overeenkomst met een failliete onderneming en de eerdere weigering van de Belgische Luchtvaartautoriteiten een soortgelijke overeenkomst tussen Bravo Air Congo en Les Lignes Aériennes Congolaises goed te keuren.

CEO
Stavros Papaioannou

Nul n’ignore que depuis la révision des accords entre Hewa Bora Airways et Brussels Airlines, cette dernière a annoncé de maintenir des vols quotidiens entre Bruxelles et Kinshasa, bien que Hewa Bora Airways ait décidé de reprendre ses 2 fréquences en propre.

Brussels Airlines, conformément aux accords bilatéraux entre la RDC et la Belgique, ne dispose que des droits pour opérer 5 (cinq) fréquences par semaine.

Il s’avère, selon les informations parvenues chez Hewa Bora Airways, que les 2 fréquences supplémentaires sont basées sur un accord conclu le 18 février 2009 entre Brussels Airlines et les LAC (Lignes Aériennes Congolaises), une société d’Etat qui n’est rien d’autre que la continuation de la société Air Zaïre déclarée en faillite par les Tribunaux belges depuis 1995.

Selon les clauses de cet accord, Brussels Airlines payerait mensuellement 50.000 US$ aux LAC pour l’utilisation de ces 2 fréquences congolaises. De ce montant, la Direction de LAC pourra mettre en déduction le coût des billets qu’ils utiliseront.

La Curatelle de la faillite d’Air Zaïre n’est pas signataire de ce contrat.

Le fait que Brussels Airlines opère des vols quotidiens, a pour conséquence directe que Hewa Bora Airways se voit de facto exclue du marché et que Brussels Airlines s’accorde une position dominante et de monopole, bien que Hewa Bora Airways, sur base d’un accord leasing, tout à fait en conformité avec la réglementation européenne, a l’intention d’exploiter en propre ses 2 fréquences hebdomadaires.

Hewa Bora Airways veut se faire confirmer ses droits accordés par l’accord bilatéral et relancer son opération sur Bruxelles dans l’intérêt général de la clientèle, à travers une procédure en référé, afin de voir juger l’accord entre Brussels Airlines et LAC comme nul.

Raisons pour invoquer l’annulation de cet accord, mis à part l’aspect d’abus de position dominante, la conclusion d’un accord commercial avec une société déclarée en faillite, et le refus préalable de la Direction Générale de l’Aéronautique Belge d’approuver un accord similaire entre Bravo Air Congo et les LAC Lignes Aériennes Congolaises.


CEO
Stavros Papaioannou

Sorry, only in French and Dutch...

[sn26567]

Interesting development. The court should decide very rapidly. I'm curious to see how SN will react: they must certainly have some kind of guarantee that they can operate daily flights to FIH.

[spagiola]

Or SN launch airDC at last ?

This has been postponed indefinitely. Officially (see latest SN press release about financial results).

I don't see anything in that press release concerning AirDC.

[steeven205]

AirDc project has been definitely cancelled. The fight between Hewa Bora and Brussels Airlines. I really hope that Hewa Bora will be able to operate their two flights to Brussels, just by fairness. There Billateral Agreement existing between Congo and Belgium allowing each country to designe one airline from the country to serve FIH-BRU route.

i will definitely never fly with Hewa Bora, but please we already oppress this country during and after the colonization and still now we want to keep on going ? If Hewa Bora starts flying 2 times to BRU where is the problem ? SN is flying 5 times a week there, What kind of hegemony SN want to bring in the market now, by not even allowing the other sovereign countries to use their traffic rights ?

I feel that in short time we will hear that Brussels Airlines had been banned from Congo by the head of state.

Be Fair my friends of SN don't try to kill the opponents by methods used by the mafia.

Something which is not acceptable for Bravo Airlines is now acceptable by Brussels Airlines.

[brussels airlines]

Don't forget that it was Hewa Bora who cancelled the cooperation, not SN. I think the solution SN found, is just business, and yes it's a hard industry.

[taz001]

steeven205: i will definitely never fly with Hewa Bora, but please we already oppress this country during and after the colonization and still now we want to keep on going ?

And Brussels Airlines cannot be bought by Lufthansa because the Germans invaded Belgium 2 times in the past already... Come on, what are you thinking while making such statements?...

[steeven205]

And Brussels Airlines cannot be bought by Lufthansa because the Germans invaded Belgium 2 times in the past already... Come on, what are you thinking while making such statements?...

It is one think to have money to buy a company and it is another thing to use "methods from mafia" to keep the opponents out of the market. It is not loyal to have only one operator in any route, that's the same reason why the EC will refuse the merge of Lufthansa and Brusels Airlines next June.

And if you really want to make comparison, Belgium should start by indemnifying the Congo for the colonization as the german were forced to do after the 2nd War, and to keep on the same way Brussels Airlines should say to Hewa Bora as Lufthansa said them " We want to be the major here and there is no more space for you on the market, here are few millions and go away"

[Bralo20]

It is one think to have money to buy a company and it is another thing to use "methods from mafia" to keep the opponents out of the market. It is not loyal to have only one operator in any route, that's the same reason why the EC will refuse the merge of Lufthansa and Brusels Airlines next June.

What you call "methods from the maffia" is just legit business... I admit, it's not the most decent way but it is definately a legal way.

[steeven205]

What you call "methods from the maffia" is just legit business... I admit, it's not the most decent way but it is definately a legal way.

Ok it is certainly a legal way, but i rarely saw any legal way allowing the opponent to bring you in front of court, anyway wait and see what the court will say.

[TCAS_climb]

Nothing's black or white, we're always navigating between different shades of grey and I wouldn't think of Congo as a country showing the example when it comes to legit business and lawful practices. But okay, that doesn't mean we should do business like that too.


The Kabila family (at a time when Laurent Desire was still alive) reportedly grabbed a few planes in a not-so-legit way, like a B707 that changed of owner by magic when its legal documents (CofA, CofR, etc.) were renewed. Without paying a single dollar in a traceable transaction of course, but the jet was probably part of a larger deal.

Stavros plays it aggressive but I'm not sure it's the right strategy. Okay he's pissed off because he's still on the Black List, but I really think DRC and its airlines still belong there. ICAO said they made progress (could it be possible to go even further backwards when you've already hit the bottom a decade ago ?), but DRC still doesn't reach the absolute minimum level to operate over here, period. Make sure your porch is perfectly clean before you blame others for the alleged dirtyness of their porch. In the worst case scenario he will create all by himself what he fears the most and still doesn't exist: a political will to keep DRC airlines far from Europe.