D R Congo creates an airline with Air France-KLM: Congo Airways

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kilobravo243
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Re: D R Congo will create an airline with Air France-KLM

Post by kilobravo243 »

More details:
AF/KLM will act as the consultant to help launch the company and for technicals, but will most likely not manage the airline (very confusing). They will not chip in any money either. A private manager will be appointed by the state, whether local or foreign still to be decided. The state is the majority shareholder with 62% and state companies hold the remaining 38%. The attempt to attract private investment has been unsuccessful, thus the reason company is 100% state owned at this point.

The company wish to cover 15 airports in Phase I. Phase II (after a year) will see the company going regional and opened to private investment (hopefully more successful). Phase III should be international (within 2-3 years). Discussion was held with Boeing and suggested start with 3 planes in leasing. Mentioned crew and pilots should be local (may not be possible at start). Aiming to launch year end but may be delayed slightly.

So SN or AF should not worry seeing Congo Airlines planes in their skies anytime soon. I am concerned on the management side than the effective launch.

convair
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Re: D R Congo will create an airline with Air France-KLM

Post by convair »

Another failure in the making? As "euroflyer" says, let's wait and see!

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Re: D R Congo will create an airline with Air France-KLM

Post by sn26567 »

Quasi-defunct LAC Congo takes redelivery of only aircraft

LAC - Lignes Aériennes Congolaises has taken re-delivery of its sole remaining aircraft, a B737-200Adv., 9Q-CLG (msn 22071), following a C2 check with EAS Services in Perpignan. According to Congolese media reports, the aircraft was ferried from France to Kinshasa N'Djili via Djerba, Tunisia, and Garoua, Cameroon on November 1.

It is uncertain what Kinshasa's future plans are for the aircraft, let alone the airline, which is in the process of being liquidated.

Last week, Congolese Minister of Transport and Communications, Justin Kalumba, met with Air France Consulting officials in Paris where he was presented with the firm's business plan apropos the country's planned new national carrier, Congo Airways (Kinshasa N'Djili).

According to the DR Congo Airline blog, Air France Consulting will oversee Congo Airways' fleet management, certification, safety and compliance, and IT and marketing strategy.

Backed by CDF32.5billion (USD35.34million) in start-up capital, Congo Airways' shareholders will include various Congolese parastatals such as: the Office of Multimodal Freight Management (Ogefrem); the National Institute for Social Security (NISS); the local civil aviation authority (Régie des Voies Aériennes - RVA); the local mining consortium (Gecamines); the Congolese Transportation and Ports Authority (SCTP); and the local investment promotion authority (Front de Promotion de l’investissement - FPI).

Source: ch-aviation
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RoMax
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Re: D R Congo will create an airline with Air France-KLM

Post by RoMax »

I can only hope Korongo Airlines will finally secure the needed funding to execute its expansion plans soon, before it's too late and Congo Airways becomes too dominant in the market.

Flanker2
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Re: D R Congo will create an airline with Air France-KLM

Post by Flanker2 »

It's ironic though that a company in bad shape as AF is building a business plan for another airline...

Korongo could work, but not like this. The investment requirement is one issue, but operationally, they have to consider whether they're not trying the impossible with a hub in FBM. Given that SN has flights into FIH, it would seem more logical to hub in FIH and have FBM as a focus city and maintenanace base.

That way at least they can connect the rest of the SN network with all major Congolese cities, benefitting from both O&D and feeding.

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Re: D R Congo will create an airline with Air France-KLM

Post by sn26567 »

Congo Airways mulls Airbus, Bombardier for operational needs

Congo Airways is considering either Airbus Industrie or Bombardier machinery for its operational requirements. The models being studied include the A320-200 and the Dash 8-400.

Following the unveiling of the project in tandem with Air France Consulting last month, Minister of Transportation and Communications, Justin Kalumba, has now paid visits to both manufacturers' factories in Toulouse Blagnac and Montréal Trudeau respectively.

Kinshasa has yet to settle on whether or not it will lease or acquire the aircraft outright.

The start-up's shareholders will include various Congolese parastatals such as: the Office of Multimodal Freight Management (Ogefrem); the National Institute for Social Security (NISS); the local civil aviation authority (Régie des Voies Aériennes - RVA); the local mining consortium (Gecamines); the Congolese Transportation and Ports Authority (SCTP); and the local investment promotion authority (Front de Promotion de l’investissement - FPI).

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Re: Korongo Airlines

Post by sn26567 »

Congo Airways set to take delivery of first two aircraft shortly

Congo Airways (Kinshasa N'Djili) is slated to take delivery of its first two aircraft - reportedly an A320-200 and a Dash 8-400 - as it pushes ahead with certification and ultimately, launch plans.

Quoting local radio sources, the DR Congo Airline blog reports the Congolese government has appointed Claude Kirongozi as the carrier's managing director while his deputy will be appointed by Air France Consulting which is providing guidance in the project.

The airline's inaugural flight has been tentatively set for June 30 of this year.

Early reports claim the new Congolese national carrier will initially focus on domestic routes before expanding its role abroad.

Source: ch-aviation
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Congo Airways

Post by airazurxtror »

Democratic Republic of Congo's new national airline on Wednesday promised cheaper and safer air travel in a country long known for its notoriously poor transport infrastructure.

Congo Airways, whose launch is set for June 30, will aim "to relieve the pain of Congolese" and its first plane, an Airbus 320, is being painted in preparation for the inaugural flight, the airline's director general Claude Kirongozi said. Negotiations over the purchase of a second Airbus should be concluded within a week, he added.

The two Airbuses will initially serve eight Congolese hubs, including the capital Kinshasa, the eastern city of Goma and the copper mining centre of Lubumbashi.
The airline expects to buy more planes in the next two to three years to expand its coverage to 54 domestic airports and foreign destinations, said Kirongozi.

Kirongozi said tickets on Congo Airways would be cheap enough for ordinary Congolese to purchase, and he decried prices on private carriers that can run as high as $900 for a two-hour flight from Kinshasa to Goma.

http://www.sabc.co.za/news/a/ff59f38048 ... 1170398b/-
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Re: Congo Airways

Post by jan_olieslagers »

Haha! What do they have better than previous startups (including Korongo)? Except of course good intentions...

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Re: Congo Airways

Post by sn26567 »

jan_olieslagers wrote:Haha! What do they have better than previous startups (including Korongo)? Except of course good intentions...
... and the backing of Air France/KLM
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Re: D R Congo will create an airline with Air France-KLM: Congo Airways

Post by jan_olieslagers »

Pffff
Korongo couldn't weather it, or barely, up till now - with the backing of both (ex)Sabena and Mr. GdF - both reputed to have strong influence in the RdC - much more than AF who may be stronger in Brazzaville and westwards, and KLM who have little or no African tradition at all.

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Re: D R Congo will create an airline with Air France-KLM: Congo Airways

Post by Flanker2 »

IMO Korongo was based at the wrong hub from the beginning, while not enough money was invested in it.
This was the main issue.

IF Congo Airways is based at FIH and the government is behind the project, it has all the ingredients to work. After all, government's the main problem in DRC.
FBM has its own demand for air travel, but FIH is where the masses are. That's where the travel demand is.

Korongo based at FBM with the idea of capturing the high yield creme of the Congolese market, but so far I feel that they are catching too little creme to stay viable.

The only way FBM could work as a hub was if SN had a direct flight BRU-FBM or tagged-on to their FIH flight.
This latter way could work as they could operate the FIH-FBM sectors with A330, thus maximising utilisation of the A330, while freeing up other aircraft to operate other flights.

Another option is to operate BRU-FBM-JNB flights, thus offering BRU-JNB which has plenty of potential, while also covering the FBM-JNB Sectors. I don't give a sh*t if they have to invest a few millions into FBM together with Forrest and the local government to make it A330-ready. You don't set up an operation like Korongo without going the full length.

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Re: D R Congo will create an airline with Air France-KLM: Congo Airways

Post by Passenger »

Flanker2 wrote:Another option is to operate BRU-FBM-JNB flights, thus offering BRU-JNB which has plenty of potential, while also covering the FBM-JNB Sectors.
Serious? Brussels-Lubumbashi-Johannesburg? Oh boy... I don't know in what branch you work (I think you once said you run a self employed courier company), but those working in aviation and/or travel can give you a dozen reasons why that plan - let me stay polite - will not work.

DutchNL
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Re: D R Congo will create an airline with Air France-KLM: Congo Airways

Post by DutchNL »

jan_olieslagers wrote:Pffff
..and KLM who have little or no African tradition at all.
It may not be big but do not forget the strong ties with South Africa, Ghana and Kenya.

Flanker2
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Re: D R Congo will create an airline with Air France-KLM: Congo Airways

Post by Flanker2 »

Serious? Brussels-Lubumbashi-Johannesburg? Oh boy... I don't know in what branch you work (I think you once said you run a self employed courier company), but those working in aviation and/or travel can give you a dozen reasons why that plan - let me stay polite - will not work.
Passenger, I don't run a self employed courier company :lol: But I have plenty experience in aviation to tell you how things are in my view.

Anyways, why don't you explain why this wouldn't work?
After all, Korongo is already running FBM-JNB currently. So why can't they run that with an A330 as tag on to a BRU-FBM flight instead of their Korongo B733 flights?
I already discussed before that it's kind of ridiculous that the Africa specialist doesn't operate to the largest international aviation market in Africa, ie JNB.
Even if JNB by itself is kind of a stretch, combined with FBM, there's plenty of margin to make it work.

The only major hurdle I see is the airport infrastructure in FBM, but it's not something that can't be resolved in cooperation with interested parties.
Scheduling would be a challenge, not a hurdle.

This way they solve several problems:
-they can build a decent FBM hub for Korongo with longhaul feed to the rest of DRC and neighboring countries, as ET is already doing succesfully
-they don't need as many aircraft to operate Korongo, the capacity increase is mostly achieved through higher utilisation of the A330 fleet
-they can compete on JNB, a gaping hole in their African operations
-there are only so many destinations you can cover in Africa. JNB and longhaul hub at FBM present a rare opportunity to expand in Africa without spreading it too thin
-the older A330's don't have the range to operate to South Africa, but via FBM no problem

Image

Great circle track detour is only 0.4%.

I'm looking forward to your theory as to why it so obviously aviationly impossible.
I actually think that it's ridiculous that they haven't done it until now.

If they establish a real hub at FBM, SN stops being the "bothersome little fly buzzing around in AF's face" and actually can become a market leader in Africa with endless possibilities.

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Re: D R Congo will create an airline with Air France-KLM: Congo Airways

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Congo Airways sets June 30 launch date

The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has set a June 30 launch date for its new national carrier, Congo Airways, which will replace the current quasi-defunct LAC - Lignes Aériennes Congolaises.

Airline managing director Claude Kirongozi told Reuters newswire in an interview that the first of two A320-200s (TS-INC, msn 1744 on wet-lease from Nouvelair) are currently being concluded.

Air France Consulting is providing consultancy for the project.

From their Kinshasa N'Djili hub, the two Airbus Industrie machines will initially serve eight local cities including Lubumbashi in Congo's southern region and Goma in the east. Thereafter, the arrival of additional aircraft, said to include Dash 8-400s from Bombardier as well, will see a total of 54 domestic and regional destinations being served.

Congo Airways is the DRC's latest attempt at establishing a national carrier as in 1997, with the ouster of Mobutu Sese Seko and the collapse of Air Zaire, Sabena entered into a partnership with the then Zaïrean government to create a new airline to be called "New Air Zaïre".

Sabena, which had partnered Swissair and South African investors, was initially offered a controlling 51% shareholding. However, a change in circumstances resulted in the Zaïrean government demanding overall control of the airline with the Belgians securing 49.5% for a reported BFR100 million.

The new airline would have operated domestic services while Sabena would utilise its traffic rights to operate international flights. In the end however, nothing came to bear and Air Zaïre was thus reorganised into LAC - Lignes Aériennes Congolaises, which began flights in 1997.

Source: ch-aviation
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Re: D R Congo will create an airline with Air France-KLM: Congo Airways

Post by sn26567 »

Congo Airways has acquired two secondhand A320 aircraft from Alitalia. The airline should start flying domestically to 8 cities this year and 14 cities in 3 years.
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Re: D R Congo will create an airline with Air France-KLM: Congo Airways

Post by airazurxtror »

On 20 August , Congo Airways will launch its inaugural flight from Kinshasa .
With two Airbus A320 bought from Alitalia, the company should initially cover eight destinations in the country . Others, such as Bukavu will follow after the acquisition of smaller planes .

If the General Manager , Claude Kirongozi is Congolese , his assistant Jerome Maillet is a former Air France Consulting , in charge of launching the new company.
The Belgian Xavier Bruyndonckx was appointed Director of Operations.

A moment cited as a potential partner , Brussels Airlines keep a dim view of this competitor for Korongo, its subsidiary which has never really taken off.

http://www.levif.be/actualite/internati ... 05867.html

http://www.congoairways.com/
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Re: D R Congo will create an airline with Air France-KLM: Congo Airways

Post by Passenger »

sn26567 wrote:Congo Airways sets June 30 launch date
The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has set a June 30 launch date for its new national carrier, Congo Airways, which will replace the current quasi-defunct LAC - Lignes Aériennes Congolaises. From their Kinshasa N'Djili hub, the two Airbus A320's will initially serve eight local cities including Lubumbashi in Congo's southern region and Goma in the east.
Source: ch-aviation
In January 2015, Ethiopian Airlines announced a new route, as from July, from Addis Ababa to Goma.

On 10th July 2015, ET indeed started this route.

One week later, the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo ruled that the Goma runway is "unsuitable" for international flights, hence indirectly banning ET to fly direct to Goma. Domestic flights (i.e. Congo Airways' brand new route Kinshasa-Goma-Kinshasa) are allowed to use Goma's runway. No aircraft restrictions have been issued with the ban.

Source:
http://www.rfi.fr/afrique/20150717-ethi ... -commerce/

This government decision is, off course, purely and only safety-minded. Only some people with bad faith will suggest that the closure of Goma for Ethiopian Airlines has something to do with the startup of goverment-owned Congo Airways...

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Re: D R Congo will create an airline with Air France-KLM: Congo Airways

Post by Passenger »

Latest update on Radio Okapi:
http://radiookapi.net/actualite/2015/07 ... ce-aerien/

Clazude Kirongozi, director Congo Airways, says that the 2 Alitalia A320's will arrive within three weeks: see link to the radio interview at the end of the above article.

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