MADAGASCAR: Air Austral And Air Madagascar In Codeshare Deal

The new Air Austral and Air Madagascar strategic partnership is being seen as a move for a new force in the Indian Ocean.

It was on the 30th November of last year that Air Austral entered into a partnership with Air Madagascar with 409% shares.

In the arena when competition has been intensifying on the run Paris - La Reunion, Air Austral has been developing a strategy of diversification to be better positioned as the leader on the Indian Ocean Route.

With this partnership Air Austral is planning to reinforce its regional network with added services to new Madagascar airports and will be able to offer a more comprehensive network in the Indian Ocean with flights programmed to Mauritius, Seychelles, Mayotte over and above Madagascar.

Congratulations to Air Austral and Air Madagascar in this consolidation of resources.

The Indian Ocean Vanilla Islands is in need of better air connectivity to be able to continue the development of two or three island holiday packages for key tourism source markets.

Air Austral is a French airline with its headquarters at Roland Garros Airport in Sainte-Marie, Reunion, France.

The airline's main base of flight operations is Roland Garros Airport.

It operates scheduled services from Reunion to metropolitan France, South Africa, Thailand, India and a number of destinations in the Indian Ocean. The company has 900 employees.

Air Austral was created in December 1974 by local businessman Gerard Etheve. It was Reunion's first commercial airline, known as Reunion Air Services (RAS).

By August 1977 RAS had started regional services from Sainte-Marie to Mayotte with a 32-seat Hawker Siddeley HS 748 turboprop.

RAS became Air Reunion in December, 1986.

In October 1990 Sematra, a company 46% owned by the local councils of Reunion with the remaining shares owned by banks and other private partners, purchased Air Reunion. A month later, Air Reunion became Air Austral.

Two months later, Air Austral bought its first Boeing 737-500. Another 737-300 was acquired in 1994, and in 1997 the airline purchased a 737-300QC, which enabled both passenger and cargo only traffic.

In 2000 the airline took delivery of an ATR 72-500, a short-haul turboprop.

By then, Air Austral operated from both Roland Garros Airport in Sainte-Marie and Pierrefonds Airport in Saint Pierre with scheduled services to Mayotte, Johannesburg, South Africa, Comoros, Mauritius, the Seychelles, and three destinations in Madagascar Antananarivo, Tamatave, Nosy Be, Majunga.

In 2003, Air Austral launched its first long-haul service between Reunion and Paris, with two Boeing 777-200ERs.

The two Boeing 777s were joined by a third Boeing 777-200ER in 2005. A second long-haul route from Reunion to Marseille and Lyon was established.

In 2007, a third long-haul service to Toulouse via Marseille started. In 2008, the airline introduced new uniforms for staff and crew members, designed by Balenciaga.

The second ATR 72-500 was added to the fleet, followed by a third a few months later. In April 2009, Air Austral started a new service to Sydney and New Caledonia, thus opening up a new route between Paris and Sydney via Reunion.

The airline also acquired two Boeing 777-300ERs. In November, it placed a firm order for two all-economy class 840-seat Airbus A380s, for delivery in 2014.

These are intended for Air Austral's Reunion-Paris flights. In June 2010, it was announced that Air Austral would start scheduled flights from Reunion to Bordeaux and Nantes from February 2011.

In August 2011, Air Austral received its first Boeing 777-200LR. In April 2012, founder and chief executive Gerard Etheve was replaced by Marie-Joseph Male following financial difficulties caused by risky business decisions made worse by high fuel prices.

Non-profitable lines to Noumea, Sydney, Marseille, Bordeaux, Nantes, Toulouse and Lyon were closed.

The company has since returned to profit. Also in April 2012, Air Austral was unable to pay for a new 777-200LR awaiting delivery.

The company was looking to sell on the plane instead of taking delivery. Following this development, Air Austral announced in May 2012 that it would defer or cancel its order for 2 Airbus A380s, with a decision to be made by the end of June 2012.

In June 2013, Air Austral introduced direct flights to Chennai, India with its new Boeing 737-800s.

In February 2015, the company announced an order for two Boeing 787-8s, to be delivered in May and October 2016 respectively.

In March 2015, it also announced the lease of 2 more B777-300ER from Air Lease Corporation (ALC). These aircraft, delivered in late 2016, replaced the oldest two models of the same type then operated by Air Austral.

In October 2015, the company announced the sale of its single Boeing 777-200LR to Florida-based broker Atlas Aviation in November 2015.

Air Austral simultaneously announced the lease, from November 2015 to May 2016 of a Boeing 737-300QC (QC for quick change) from ASL Airlines France formerly Europe Airpost.

The plane involved was F-ODZZ, a convertible version of the 737-300 the cabin configuration can be changed from passengers to freight, that had actually already been in Air Austral service between 1997 and 2005.

It was used until the first of the two Boeing 787-8s ordered by the company was delivered in May 2015.

Societe Nationale Malgache de Transports Aeriens, Societe Anonyme, operating as Air Madagascar, is an airline based in Antananarivo, Madagascar.

It is the national airline of Madagascar operating services to Europe, Asia and neighbouring African and Indian Ocean island destinations, from its main base, Ivato International Airport in Antananarivo.

It also operates an extensive domestic network.

The airline was formed in 1947 to feed into flights by Transports Aeriens Intercontinentaux and Air France, and upon the independence of Madagascar, it became the national airline.

Initially operating services on domestic routes, the airline saw expansion in the late 1960s and 1970s, when it began international flights to destinations such as France and South Africa.

In recent years the airline has been a subject of failed privatisation measures.

These are now on hold and the airline is majority owned by the Madagascar government.

Air Madagascar has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:

- Air Austral

- Air Mauritius

- Etihad Airways

- Thai Airways

During the mid-2000s, Air Madagascar was looking to renew their fleet. The two ageing Boeing 737-200 which had an average age of 36.7 years, were scrapped in 2006 and replaced by more modern Boeing 737-300.

The airline then replaced its four Boeing 767-300ER and one Boeing 767-200ER with a Boeing 777-200ER.

The middle-age 777, though, was replaced with two Airbus A340-300 wet-leased from Air France from March 2012 till 2018 when a replacement aircraft is required,the wet leases have since been converted to one damp lease and one sublease of an operating lease.


Tourism Observer

ETHIOPIA: Ethiopian Airlines Commences Conakry, Guinea Flights

Ethiopian Airlines has marked the commencement of its new services to Conakry, the capital of Guinea, at a reception ceremony held at the Addis Ababa Bole Airport.

A statement issued in Accra and signed by Mrs Hanna Atnafu, the Corporate Communications Manager of Ethiopian Airlines.

It said the event was graced by Madame Sidibe Fatouma Kaba, Guinea’s Ambassador to Ethiopia, and Mr Mesfin Tassew, the Chief Operating Officer of Ethiopian Airlines among other dignitaries.

The statement said: “Ethiopian is growing since its creation, and it is a Pan-African company. We are very happy and proud that this project is realised which will strengthen trade, tourism and the bilateral ties between the two nations.”

The statement said the flight would also help Guinean business people to travel to major world trading cities across the Ethiopian Airlines network.

It said Mr Mesfin Tasew, the Chief Operating Officer, Ethiopian Group, said; “We are pleased to launch services to Conakry.

“This new service takes a very special place in Ethiopian network expansion endeavour as it is the first of the seven new destinations that Ethiopian is going to launch in five months’ duration.”

Ethiopian would be commencing new services to Oslo, Antananarivo, Singapore, Jakarta, Chengdu and Victoria Falls in the next six months.

ETHIOPIA: Ethiopian Airlines Jets To 98 More Destinations

Mrs Hanna Atnafu, Manager Corporate Communications Ethiopian Airlines, said the airline will outdoor seven new destinations between February and June, to Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe), Antananarivo (Madagascar), Conakry (Guinea), Oslo (Norway), Chengdu (China), Jakarta (Indonesia) and Singapore.

“With the addition of these stations, Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s largest airline group would have increased its service from Addis Ababa to 98 different international cities located across the world,” Mrs Atnafu stated in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Wednesday.

Ethiopian Airlines envisages reaching 120 international destinations worldwide by the year 2025.

According to the statement, Mr. Tewolde Gebre Mariam, Group CEO Ethiopian Airlines said: “Africa’s share of the Global Aviation is the smallest which is only around three per cent and as the largest airline group in the continent.

“We are highly concerned on the low base of air connectivity in the continent and we are setting record expansion to enable Africans enjoy safe, reliable and economical air connectivity both within the continent and between the continent and the rest of the world.”

He said looking beyond the current economic slowdown especially in the oil export dependent economies of Africa, the Airlines firmly believed that the continent would become the magnet for foreign direct investment, trade and tourism, which were the engines of air travel growth and in turn efficient air connectivity also drives socio economic development.

He said in 2016, new flights to Moroni (Comoros), WindHoek (Namibia) and Newark (United States) were launched, as well as three cities in Ethiopia: Hawassa, Kebridahar and Dembidolo.

SEYCHELLES: Air Seychelles And Alitalia Partner In Codeshare Agreement

Air Seychelles and Alitalia, both Etihad partner airlines, have just inked an expanded codeshare deal under which Alitalia passengers can now connect on Mahe to both Antananarivo and Johannesburg and soon thereafter even Durban.

Under the agreement, Alitalia will place its AZ flight code on Air Seychelles’ four-times-a-week services to the Malagasy capital of Antananarivo and five flights to Johannesburg, South Africa’s largest city and commercial capital. Subject to government approvals, the Italian flag carrier will also codeshare on Air Seychelles’ upcoming twice-weekly flights to Durban, due to commence on 30th of March 2017.

Business and leisure travellers from Italy will be able to connect onto these services via Air Seychelles-operated flights from Abu Dhabi and Paris to Seychelles, using a single combined ticket for the entire journey.

Roy Kinnear, Chief Executive Officer of Air Seychelles, said: 'Our partnership with Alitalia continues to open up attractive travel options for holidaymakers in Italy, who can now fly with Air Seychelles to the fascinating island of Madagascar and South Africa.

Through this codeshare expansion, we have strengthened our route network and added more depth to our regional services, further increasing choice and convenience for travellers. We are confident this development will stimulate passenger and cargo traffic and, at the same time, strengthen the strong cultural, trade and diplomatic bonds between Seychelles, our neighbourly island of Madagascar and South Africa'.

Cramer Ball, Chief Executive Officer of Alitalia and one of Roy Kinnear's predecessors as CEO of Air Seychelles in turn responded: 'Deepening our codeshare cooperation with Air Seychelles brings important benefits to our guests, who now have dozens of new travel options from Italy to Madagascar and South Africa via Seychelles. With its one-of-a-kind wildlife and nature, Madagascar is an attractive holiday destination that offers a new and exciting experience for travellers in Italy.

In 2015 alone over 21,000 tourists visited Madagascar from Italy, a number which we are confident will rise with these new travel options. South Africa is a very attractive holiday destination, whose magnificent scenery, safaris and game parks are perfect for an outdoor adventure'.

Air Seychelles operates an Airbus A320 aircraft configured with 136 seats on its four times a week Antananarivo services, while its five times a week services to Johannesburg is operated using both an A320 aircraft and the wide-body A330, which offer 254 seats.

Flight schedule between Seychelles and Antananarivo. Flights are available for travel from 18th of January 2017

MADAGASCAR: Taxi Be And Taxibrousse In Madagascar

The counterpart of the famous bush taxis or Taxibrousse in Madagascar is the so-called Taxi Be, in English simply „big taxi“. They run exclusively in the urban traffic of bigger cities or suburbs and do short overland trips. You can easily recognize them by the colourful stripe leading all around the minivan, and big numbers behind the windscreen. The different colours represent different trip routes: This way everyone can understand the destination of the Taxi Be, even without being illiterate.

The most used vehicles are Mercedes minivans, imported from Europa and completely rebuilt in Madagascar. Instead of the original seats or load platform, there are up to seven few comfortbale seat rows. In the middle of the van, there is a small aisle to reach all seats. If one row is filled with people, a wooden board is placed over the aisle to create another seat. This way, the bus quickly becomes tight and crowded, and each entrance or exit becomes a little adventure.

More than 20 people per bus are normal in Madagascar. The rear door stays open and is attached to the ceiling with a small rope. A helper stands on the rear edge to open and close the door with the rope for guests. He is also whom you pay your drive as soon as you are in. But there is no really working timetable. Typically Madagascar, “mora mora” – “slowely, slowely” is a Taxi Be mantra.

A Taxi Be starts when it starts, mostly only roughly following the official schedule. Each route has several busses. Besides regular bus stops, Taxi Be tend to pick up or leave out people along the way. Luggage is put on the roof and much looslier fixed than on TaxiBrouuse, which makes dishes or baskets fall down to the street sometimes. Generally, Taxi Be do not drive at night, but in the time between five o’clock in the morning and at the latest eight o’clock in the evening.

Since the minivans are mainly in poor, rusty condition, a drive with a Taxi Be is only limitedly recommendable. Indeed due to the shorter trip, fewer dadly accidents happen than with TaxiBrousse, but pickpockets and tire failures are usual. In return, a drive mostly costs less than 500 Ariary (15-20 Eurocent), which makes the TaxiBe one of the cheapest transportations of Madagascar.

Up to date, Taxi Be are run by different entreprises in Antananarivo, Antsirabe, Tomasaina (French Tamatave), Mahajanga (Majunga), Fianarantsoa and Toliara (Tuléar). For the capital, Antanananrivo, there exists eben a Smartphone App with the existing Taxi Be lines.

MADAGASCAR: Mitsinjo Reserve

Close to the village Andasibe in eastern Madagascar, around 140 km away from the capital Antananarivo, there exists a reserve called Mitsinjo. It is led by the identically named, communally led organization. In 1999, a small group of Malagasy founded both. They wanted to take the future and conservation of their rainforests into their own hands. Appropriately they chose the name: Mitsinjo means as much as “looking ahead”.

In 2003, the first big success was the take-over and expansion of the forest station in Analamazaotra. This station had existed since the beginning of the 20th century yet, and now came into life again. The house roofed with palm leaves is only 200 m away from the entry of a part of the state-run national park Andasibe-Mantadia. Behind the forest station, there are 7 km² of rainforest, which offer an home to Inris, diademed sifakas and numerous other rare animals. A part of the area consists of acreage formerly used for slash-and-burn agriculture, thus Mitsinjo founded several tree nurseries for reforestation. A spacious swampland called Torotorofotsy close to Menalamba, northwest of Andasibe, belongs also to the reserve. It hosts on almost 100 km² an enormous richness of amphibians, rare plants and birds, as well as the greater bamboo lemur (Prolemur simus). In 2005, Torotorofotsy was declared a Ramsar site, which means an area that is seen as especially worth protecting by the “International Convention on Wetlands”, signed in the city Ramsar (Iran). Since there would have been no protection besides paperwork without the involvement of governmental institutions, Mitsinjo has been caring for implementation.

Furthermore, science has always been high on Mitsinjo’s agenda: In 2011, the first research and captive breeding center for amphibians in Madagascar opened its doors here. Andasibe is known for its high diversity in frog species. More than one hundred species occur in the fascinating fauna of the reserve and the area around. Most of them can only be found in Madagascar. With the help of international supporters (among them Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, the Amphibian Ark or the Association of Zoo and Aquariums), a breeding station for amphibians, insect breeding facilities for feeders and a quarantine station were established in the reserve. Over the intervening years, much new knowdledge about conservation and especially breeding of highly threatened amphibian species like the golden mantella (Mantella aurantiaca) has been won and published scientifically.

But Mitsinjo does not only care about the protection of their own rainforest and its inhabitants. They also inform local people about malaria and AIDS, support schools with free visits and projects and do a mass of little things to make conservation and ecotourism reach Malagasy children and adults of the area. Today, more than 50 people work for Mitsinjo, among them 19 as trained local guides.

You can visit Mitsinjo reserve every day from 07 to 16 o’clock. At the forest station of Analamazaotra, you will get a local guide and pay the entrance fees of 35.000 to 50.000 Ariary per person (approximately 11 to 18 €, depending on the length of your stay and route). Later, you can visit the souvenir shop of the organization. Travelers who like to camp in the rainforest, can use a small camp ground with water (no electricity) for a small fee.

Since Mitsinjo is a communally led reserve and not a national park, you can do nocturnals there, too. Let the magic of the night happen and hear all the countless frog calling in the dark. If you prefer to visit the reserve during daytime, you will surely find a matching hiking trail among the paths of two to eight kilometers length.

TURKEY: Turkish Airlines S16 Mauritius / Madagascar Frequency Changes

Turkish Airlines this week opened reservation for Northern summer 2016 season for Istanbul Ataturk – Mauritius – Antananarivo market, scheduled to begin on 15DEC15.

For Northern summer season from 27MAR16, the airline operates this route 3 times a week with Airbus A330-300 (Northern winter sees 4 weekly flights).

TK160 IST0125 – 1210MRU1325 – 1415TNR 333 246
TK161 TNR1620 – 1910MRU2025 – 0505+1IST 333 246

MADAGASCAR: Trial Of Suspects In Tourist Lynching

Thirty-seven people went on trial in Madagascar's capital Antananarivo Tuesday for the lynching of two Europeans and a local man wrongly accused of killing a young boy.

Residents of Madagascar's tourist island of Nosy Be went on the rampage on October 3, 2013 after the body of an eight-year-old local boy, who had been missing for a week, was found on a beach.

Incensed by false rumours of foreign involvement and a paedophilia connection, a mob attacked Sebastien Judalet, a French tourist, and Roberto Gianfalla, a Franco-Italian resident of the island, and beat them before burning them on a beach.

The uncle of the dead boy was also killed and burned later the same day.

The judge adjourned the case on Tuesday because two police officers charged in connection with the slayings failed to appear in court.

The two officers are accused of failing to intervene to prevent the attack. Their lawyer said they had not received a summons to appear in court.

The other defendants are accused of premeditated murder, illegal confinement, torture and disturbing the peace.

Famous for its white pristine sandy beaches and turquoise waters, Nosy Be is Madagascar's main tourist magnet, but has been plagued by sex tourism.

"We've been waiting for this trial for two years," said Andre Randranto, an attorney for one of the victims, said.

Mob justice is common on the vast island nation off southeast Africa, which authorities struggle to police effectively.