Camair-Co Reopens International Routes: Connecting Cameroon to Benin, Congo

followed by flights to Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire in Congo on June 8th, utilizing Camair-Co’s Boeing 737-700 New Generation aircraft.

This move marks a significant step for Camair-Co in reconnecting Cameroon with its regional neighbors and underscores the airline's commitment to expanding its service network despite recent operational challenges. These new routes will complement existing services to Libreville, Gabon, and N'Djamena, Chad, which Camair-Co resumed on December 21, 2021, and April 24, 2022, respectively. 

The expansion is part of Camair-Co's efforts to reclaim its presence in the African skies after a two-year hiatus due to financial difficulties. Following a fresh injection of funds from its sole shareholder, the Cameroon government, the airline is refocusing on the domestic market, currently serving only 45% of its potential, according to CEO Jean Christophe Ela Nguema.

Ela Nguema emphasized that the recovery of market position, supported by the acquisition of at least two Bombardier Q400 aircraft previously leased, is a crucial element of the company's restructuring plan. This plan also includes establishing a maintenance center, a training facility, a ground support unit, and a catering service.

Despite financial challenges since its inception in 2011, making it the second most indebted public enterprise in the country after Sonara, these initiatives aim to prepare Camair-Co for a forthcoming partnership with a strategic private investor. In a letter dated July 14, 2020, the Cameroon government expressed its intentions to the Prime Minister, urging immediate collaboration with various ministries to draft a restructuring, revival, and development plan for the airline. The government aims to open up 51% of Camair-Co's capital to a private strategic partner, aligning with the 2006 decree that established the airline.