New bilateral agreement Belgium- DR Congo

[RoMax]

Belgium and Congo renewed their bilateral agreement. In the new agreement, Belgian airlines will be allowed to fly daily to Congo instead of the current 5/week.
SN currently has all 5 rights and leases two extra Congolese rights from the airline LAC (Lignes Aériennes Congolaises ) to be able to operate daily. But also Jetairfly asked for rights to Congo.
Melchior Wathelet said today that they didn't decide yet on who will get the 7 rights (all 7 to SN or 5-6 to SN and 1-2 to JAF with SN continuing to lease 1-2 of the Congolese rights?!)

But there is also something in it for the Congolese. Belgium will work with Congo to help them improving their aviation safety. The goal of Congo is to be able to operate to Europe again, Belgium is going to help with that.

http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/942/Economie/a ... oord.dhtml

[crew1990]

In case SN got the 7 rights, could SN have like 9 weekly flight, like 5 morning flight and 4 evening flight? would be nice to combine with the new washington flight?

[kookongsi]

Or a 2 weekly rotation to Lubumbashi?

[BrightCedars]

How's Korongo doing in FBM? Surely a well timed two weekly BRU-FBM could help, even if it stops elsewhere on the way or goes elsewhere afterwards. Don't know what nearby markets would benefit from a link but I'm sure there are since they've set up a whole airline there. Will we see Korongo add an ex -SN A330 in the future?

It would be nice to see some competition but I wouldn't hold my breath if I was at the JetairFly HQ.

[air belgium]

BRU-FBM with SN and afterwards the connection with Korongo to Johannesburg.

[Flanker2]

If I were SN, I would go 6 weekly on FIH and 3 weekly FBM.
2 weekly is a very bad schedule if you want to operate feeders.

JNB is a good idea through FBM.
As are CPT and other cities in the region.

If SN can manage that, it would be a huge step forward for SN to become the "Lufthansa of Africa".

[Inquirer]

I agree the new deal seems to be written to allow Brussels Airlines to launch some flights to Lubumbashi without giving up frequencies to Kinshasa, especially as the thing about helping Congo gain aviation expertise through a transfer of knowledge and competences is also what Korongo is said to be doing.
Such an explicit commitment to this cause from 'our' side in Belgium isn't a coincidence, IMHO and can't be achieved by loosening the grip on the route and let free business take over, quite on the contrary even.

Does anybody know if the airport at Lubumbashi is capable of accepting a long haul plane at present and if there have been any remarks from Brussels airlines on going there themselves, in the past?

[BRU]

Or they can operate their 7 weekly flights without leasing / using the right of LAC. Thus saving money and not depending on the goodwill of LAC to keep the rights ?

[crew1990]

But if they do it, they will allow JAF to take the 2 rights of LAC and then JAF could operate Kinshasa twice daily, and that wouldn't be good for SN, SN have to try to keep the monopole on that route!

[Flanker2]

If they use them all to FIH there is one more problem.
JAF could apply to the EU anti-competition group, by saying that the Belgian government is favorising an anti-competitive environment by giving SN a preferential treatment.

[JAF737]

Update on the BCAA website regarding bilateral agreements:

http://www.mobilit.fgov.be/nl/indexRefr ... tm%23bilat

[Tomskii]

I'm reading SN received permission to fly to Mauritius in 2011. I suppose they never started that route?

Also is TUI getting everything or am I misinterpreting the BCAA scheme?

[rwandan-flyer]

So Jetairfly will probably start flights soon

[RoMax]

I'm reading SN received permission to fly to Mauritius in 2011. I suppose they never started that route?

Was mentioned before in other topics some time ago, they indeed requested slots and Club Med would want them to fly the route, but that never happened so far.

Also is TUI getting everything or am I misinterpreting the BCAA scheme?

I don't see anything mentioned about the amount of flights they are approved for. The only thing I understand out of that BCAA page is that the request of JAF was approved by the BCAA. Without mentioning what exactly JAF asked and what exactly they got.

I assume SN keeps their 5/week, and possible got 1 more, or otherwise JAF got 2/week.

[cathay belgium]

Hi,

Would regret seeing JAF opening this route also..
SN need it and more concurrents at the same airport to the same destinations,..
JAF could better start new triangles USA,Florida,Bahama,... or South Carribean, fight with KLM..
How can JAF bring better aviation to Congo,flying ols TUCkie over there when they , ever, get their 787?

CXB

[Duke]

JAF should concentrate on Mauritius and Zanzibar, and leave Kinshasa and Lubumbashi to SN...
Two different worlds, two different business models...

[Flanker2]

Ohoh.
BRU-FIH is a huge market and SN's biggest market in Africa.If Jetair comes into that market, SN will see their yields drop like a meteorite.

The big winner will be the VFR, emmigrants, leisure travellers and the Congolese travel industry, who will finally be able to buy a somewhat affordable ticket thanks to the newly created competition and volume.

Congratulations to JAF, for their smart management with a vision and some good know-how.
Congratulations to Belgium, for being open-minded and giving JAF a chance to prove its worth.

As for SN... you had it coming. I told you about rising competition, good thing on you that you refurbished the interiors like I suggested, otherwise you would have lost even bigger in this new battle.
The clock is ticking. Tic Toc tic toc

[JAF737]

Are you aware that JAF is quite busy with "ethnic" flights? Morocco, Algeria, Turkey... Why not trying the African network? I am sure there is a market for them. So? Which business model suits the best for JAF?

Also, I don't think JAF is the kind of airline to "leave" things to others (SN). If they can make money on a route, they will do it... just like anybody willing to make money They are quite aggressive on new markets and frankly, you should all be happy about that! It's a belgian airline! Just like SN.... (when SN starts a new long haul route, everybody is mad about it here... what do they bring more than JAF to Belgium?!).

FYI, the OO-TUC will be gone by the end of the year. Only the OO-JAP and the B787 will be there next year.

[cathay belgium]

Hi,

Jetairfly belgium?
Guess as much as SN
LH vs TUI group

The 787 next yeat, I hope so, but first it needs to be flying again..

Guess we don't support belgium airliners competing eachother on their main markets,
like SN will fly allicante,tenerife,...
Would have supported each on their segment, guess we are for the old days thinking

CXB

[Tomskii]

Well it's not like JAF is focusing on one segment these days. They are changing into a regular carrier instead of charters only.