Air Afrique

The Air Afrique was a multinational airline from several African countries and France.

Member States and partner

Air Afrique (full company name: Société Africaine Aérienne Multinational ) was established through the signing of the Treaty of Yaoundé ( Cameroon) on March 28, 1961 Fathers of the Society were. :

  • Air France
  • The French airline Union de Transports Aériens (UTA )

And belonging to the Afro - Malagasy Union African countries:

In 1965, Togo and some years later also in Mali in the joint venture, while Cameroon in September 1971, Gabon dropped out in 1977 to form their own national airlines. Each Member State took over the share of six percent of the initial capital stock and the obligation to participate at this level of losses or investments. The rest of the capital share wore the Société pour le Développement du Transport Aérien en Afrique ( SODETRAF ), a company of the French airline Union de Transports Aériens (UTA ). After some changes in the capital structure held in the early 1990s, the 11 Member States each 6.4 percent of the company, the remaining 29.6 percent were by a consortium consisting of UTA, DHL, French Development Bank (French Caisse Française de Développement CFD ) and the West African Development Bank ( Banque Ouest Africaine de Développement french BOAD ) held.

Development

Air Afrique began flight operations on 19 August 1961. You it operated the original route network of Air France and UTA in French Africa and operated with aircraft such as Boeing 707, DC -10 and DC-8, which were hired for these companies.

As the largest carrier -Saharan Africa Air Afrique employed at that time, about 5,600 people, entertained a comprehensive African route network and operational services to New York and Jeddah.

Decline

From 1993, the airline was working in highly unprofitable until 2002, liabilities of $ 450 million accumulated $ to, mainly to leasing companies and fuel suppliers. Already in 1994 were financial problems due to the devaluation of the CFA Franc on what drove the fuel prices and the interest payments up. 1997 lost to society due to the prevailing civil war, with the airport in Brazzaville Maya Maya a major hub. 1998 were due to currency fluctuations again on big financial problems. In October 2001, the operation was terminated since the remaining remnants of the company took place in 2002 found no buyers liquidation. In addition to the high cost of the insolvency of the airline on the operation by the 11 partner states and the resulting bloated structures is returned, and the high degree of uncoated often use by the national governments and their families should be mentioned.

Special

On May 6, 1985 adopted the operator of Zurich Airport, the former Zurich Airport Authority, a DC-8 Air Afrique. It serves to this day as a training object of the airport fire brigade Zurich. Previously this machine was about a year in a parking and was not released because of outstanding payments of kerosene and airport fees.

IATA-Code International Civil Aviation Organization airport code Abidjan Douglas DC-8 List of defunct airlines
37180
de