Unveiled in October 2021, Madagascar Airlines (ex Air Madagascar) hopes for the approval of a development plan by the government with funding before January 2024, a challenge while the country is experiencing a political crisis a few weeks before the presidential elections.
Thierry de Bailleulthe general director of Madagascar Airlines (a formerAir France-KLM, Emirates And Qatar Airways), hopes for approval of the company’s development plan that he submitted to the government and the start of financing before January 2024reports the media Young Africawho interviewed Thierry de Bailleur during a meeting in Toulouse, organized under the leadership of the Association of French-speaking Air Transporters (Ataf). “If we want to launch increases in long-haul flights for next summer, we must do it before the end of December, otherwise the backward planning will be too tight,” he mentions about the financing plans.
The details of the measures are not specified, simply indicating that it will include “a substantial investment envelope, in order to modernize, digitalize and restructure the fleet”. The new Malagasy company intended to erase the negative image of the old company. To do this, it is seeking to renew its fleet with reliable aircraft, the Embraer E190-E2 being anticipated and expected.
In addition to Malagasy cities, its six ATR 72s are currently landing in Reunion, Mayotte, the Comoros, and Mauritius. Flights to Paris-CDG and Marseille are now operated using wide-body aircraft taken on wet lease: after the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner ofEthiopian Airlinesit was an Airbus A330-200 fromAir Belgium which was recently operating towards France.
It will be necessary to quickly have the approval of the government, while the country is going through a political crisis as the presidential elections approach on November 16 and December 20. The outgoing president Andry Rajoelina, who is running again, is strongly criticized for suspicions of electoral corruption by the NGO Transparency International and a collective of ten candidates who stand together demanding the disqualification of Andry Rajoelina and the creation of a Special Electoral Court .
