Cameroon’s flag carrier, Camair-Co, has been removed from the list of airlines banned from flying to and from Europe, according to local news sources.
The airline, who’s financial situation has continued to deteriorate, has recently struggled to stay afloat. In fact, the carrier was in the brink of bankruptcy, however it seems things are slowly changing.
The carrier has reportedly received the go-ahead to operate flights to Europe. Camair-Co does not, however, have the capacity to operate services to Europe.
Previously, Camair-Co flew to Paris from its base in Douala via Yaoundé. The route was launched in 2011 and suspended in 2016.
The ban on flights to Europe first came into effect in December 2018. The airline lost its IOSA certification, meaning its IATA membership was removed and therefore flights to Europe were banned. The carrier’s IATA membership was suspended for one year. An IOSA or “IATA Operational Safety Audit,” is required to be a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) which is a trade organisation representing approximately 290 airlines (or 82% of the world’s total air traffic).
Camair-Co was founded as a replacement for the now defunct Cameroon Airlines. The new carrier was formed in 2006 and has been struggling for quite some time. Camair-Co management has been trying to get things back on track. However, according to AeroNewsX sources, lack of maintenance has forced many aircraft to lose airworthy status. During a small period last year, the majority of Camair-Co’s fleet was reportedly grounded. In fact, in July 2019, the airline leased a Boeing 737-500; while this may have seemed like good news, AeroNewsX has been told that this was due to the entire Camair-Co fleet being grounded.
An AeroNewsX source states that the Ministry of Transport has set aside USD9.5 million to help restructure the Cameroonian flag carrier.
2019 has been tough for Camair-Co. With new funding and the removal of a major ban, brighter skies are in store for the airline.
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