Brussels Airlines adventure in Africa

tolipanebas · Post by **tolipanebas** » 30 Aug 2007, 08:36

Let's not focus too much on KGL, shall we?

Sure, it is one of the 7 African projects of SN under investigation indeed, yet the one which will likely be announced in September is going to be based in FIH (Kinshasa), aiming at both domestic as (some) international routes.

Better concentrate on that one, I should think as project NEO is about to be announced, pending RDC government approval wheras the KGL plan is far from materialized yet...

tolipanebas wrote:Strong rumours within SN have it that Brussels Airlines will officially announce a regional airline project for Congo in September, much along the lines of the failed Camair project whereby they will set up a regional airline in FIH together with the local government and provide it with both know-how and some Bae146.

Anybody else already thought it was weird to see SN had uploaded the entire winter schedule for Africa, but for the FIH flights?

Depending approval from the Congolese government which according to the same rumours should come in September, my bet is SN will be granted daily rights on the route (iso 5 weekly now) after which SN will announce both the new daily direct flight schedule AND announce the African hub...

C-46commando · Post by **C-46commando** » 31 Aug 2007, 19:44

Airbus330lover wrote:You seems to forget on thing.
The plan is based on buying Rwanda Express, Kigali is mandatory in this case

Its true, I did forget about that. But honestly, the whole buying out of Rwandair Express is purely political. Davignon still has the same ideas about africa as 40 years back. This project is political and not economical. Forget about Kigali!

LJ · Post by LJ » 02 Sep 2007, 17:23

Air Key West wrote:Probalby no one of us knows how to operate a hub for a European airline in an African country. Let's hope b.air does. But if AF has not done it yet, there must be a reason.

Ehhhhhh... KLM has a hub in Africa. The only thing they've done is buy inot an existing airline instead of setting up their own airline. The only thing I don't know if pax (especially the high yielding pax) would prefer to transfer at FIH if they have the option to transfer at DXB, CDG, JNB or NBO.

Air Key West · Post by **Air Key West** » 05 Sep 2007, 10:56

I have never been in FIH. What's the airport like ? More like DKR (run down, chaos, etc...) or more like NBO (OK by African standards and connections usually OK, too). If b.air considers setting up a hub at FIH, I hope they have taken into account the infrastructure needed to offer smooth connections.

jan_olieslagers · Post by **jan_olieslagers** » 05 Sep 2007, 12:42

Any infrastructure set up in the Kinshasa region by anything or anyone more or less Belgian will sooner or later be confiscated. Those unwilling or unable to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

Air Key West · Post by **Air Key West** » 09 Sep 2007, 20:02

Any investment in Africa is risky. I don't understand why b.air with its scarce financial resources wants to make risky investments in Africa.
Maybe this shows the Board of Directors (Raad van Bestuur/Conseil d'Administration) that makes the final decisions, does not know the difference between priorities and luxury (I would consider investing in Africa a luxury you can only afford if you have a lot of money).

LX-LGX · Post by **LX-LGX** » 09 Sep 2007, 22:22

Some people here think that there's absolutely no one within the shareholders (investors) and/or management at Brussels Airlines who has experience with a) aviation, b) airlines, c) Africa and d) running a company. So one simply guesses what a stupid manager would decide, and that's posted here as "plans from b.air management".

Perhaps it's necessary some read again the very first post (28/05/2007, by Atlantis) in this topic: "...According to the VRT news this afternoon, 13h, Brussels Airlines will put its African HQ in Mauritius. They are now in the last final line. The "new" airline will come in Burundi or Rwanda. They will announce soon the details about this new adventure."

For those who have never been in Mauritius, I can assure you that MRE - and the island - is Africa in its glance.

Any investment in Africa is risky. I don't understand why b.air with its scarce financial resources wants to make risky investments in Africa. Maybe this shows the Board of Directors (Raad van Bestuur/Conseil d'Administration) that makes the final decisions, does not know the difference between priorities and luxury (I would consider investing in Africa a luxury you can only afford if you have a lot of money).

Board of Directors = Directiecomité / Comité de Direction
Board of Administrators = Raad van Bestuur / Conseil d'Administration

"scarce financial resources": Brussels Airlines' Consolidated Net Equity on 31/12/2006 was 89 million euro.

Air Key West · Post by **Air Key West** » 09 Sep 2007, 22:55

No Sir, Board of Directors IS Raad van Bestuur/Conseil d'Administration and not "directiecomité" (go and have a look at a good FINANCIAL dictionary). "Director" is was is called in linguistics a "faux ami", it does not (always) translate literally to "directeur". Sorry, completely wrong.
And as for Mauritius : it is a pearl in the Indian Ocean (geographically still considered Africa) but it has nothing to do with real "black" Africa. I was in Mauritius and about eighteen sub-saharian African countries. I know the difference. However, I agree the financial structure in Mauritius could be interesting, but not to operate in a tiny country like Burundi or Rwanda.

As to consolidated net equity of Brussels Airlines at the end of 2006 :
Brussels Airlines did not exist yet at the end of 2006 and 89 millions is a drop of water in the Indian Ocean when you know what one single aircraft costs.

Air Key West · Post by **Air Key West** » 09 Sep 2007, 22:59

I forgot to mention : Administrator translates as beheerder or gérant.
You must be one of those perfect multilingual Belgians who tell me when I get money out of a KBC ATM : "un peu de patience" (wrongly translated into French from the Dutch "Even geduld").

boul · Post by **boul** » 10 Sep 2007, 11:38

In an earlier post LX-LGX wrote:

I prefer facts above statements: plane left in BRU only on Saturday evening at 20h19: thus 01h19 Sunday morning Mexican time.

Seems LX-LGX not only has some linguistic problems...

tolipanebas · Post by **tolipanebas** » 11 Sep 2007, 13:18

According to the Flemish newspaper 'de morgen':

Samenwerkingsakkoord Brussels Airlines en Hewa Bora

De luchtvaartmaatschappij Brussels Airlines heeft met zijn Congolese sectorgenoot Hewa Bora Airways een samenwerkingsakkoord afgesloten, waardoor die laatste een aantal zetels op de vluchten van BA naar Kinshasa mag verkopen. Volgens de topman van Hewa Bora Airways, Stavros Papaioannou, gaat de samenwerking met de Belgen echter nog veel verder. Hij spreekt zelfs van de oprichting "van een nieuwe luchtvaartmaatschappij" met basis in Kinshasa.

De nieuwe maatschappij zou over nieuwe en zuiniger vliegtuigen beschikken, bedoeld voor het binnenlandse netwerk en ter vervanging van de huidige Boeings 727 van de Congolezen. De woordvoerder van Brussels Airlines, Geert Sciot, wou dit vanavond niet bevestigen. Hij bevestigde wel het samenwerkingsakkoord met Hewa Bora Airways, dat vanaf volgende week intreedt. De Congolese maatschappij kan als gevolg daarvan een aantal zetels van drie op de vijf wekelijkse Kinshasa-vluchten van Brussels Airlines verkopen.

Hewa Bora Airways beschikt in principe over een tweemotorige Boeing 767 om de verbinding tussen Brussel en de Congolese hoofdstad te verzekeren. Maar dit toestel werd drie maanden geleden op de luchthaven van Zaventem geblokkeerd na problemen met één van de motoren. Volgens Papaioannou is het toestel nu weer inzetbaar.

Intussen huurde HBA bij Brussels Airlines een Airbus A330-300. Volgens de Congolese pers loopt het huurcontract op 27 oktober af. Hewa Bora is de enige luchtvaartmaatschappij van de Democratische Republiek Congo die nog naar Europa mag vliegen. Al de rest, een 50-tal luchtvaartmaatschappijen, staat op de zwarte lijst van de Europese Commissie. (belga/dm)

Expect an official announcement soon, along the lines I have drawn out above in some previous posts of mine...

Boeing767copilot · Post by **Boeing767copilot** » 11 Sep 2007, 17:23

Brussels Airlines together with Hewa Bora Airways of Congo has created a new Congolese airline. The new airline will operate according to international standards from Kinshasa and offer both domestic and international flights. The Brussels Airlines Group’s participation in the new company is via its affiliate, Pan African Airlines Leasing Company Ltd. Pan African Airlines is a company based in Mauritius and is specialized in the development of African aviation projects and aviation partnerships. Pan African owns 49 pct of the shares of the new airline and the Hewa Bora Airways Group holds the remaining 51 pct. The new airline will start its operations as soon as possible after all necessary preparations work has been done and licenses have been granted. The name of the airline will be announced at a later stage.

tolipanebas · Post by **tolipanebas** » 11 Sep 2007, 19:23

Some extra information on the legal construction behind the Congolese joint venture, which was already known to the readers of this site who didn't get fooled by the idea that the airline itself would operate in Mauritius....

SN has set up a leasing company under Mauritian law, which will be the operating certifice holder for operations with 1 B737 and several BAe146s on behalf of a Congolese joint venture between b.air and Hewa Bora, in which Hewa Bora will hold 51% of the shares and SN 49%.

That way, the commercial entity is Congolese, but the daily operations are conducted under the much stricter Mauritian rules, which are similar to JAR-OPS!

Jacob330 · Post by **Jacob330** » 11 Sep 2007, 21:09

I hope their plan will succeed.

One question though, will the new company operate the B767? And Luchtvaartnieuws writes "Boeing 767’s". I thought they only had one...

FLY4HOURS.BE · Post by **FLY4HOURS.BE** » 11 Sep 2007, 22:12

http://www.airfleets.net/flottecie/Hewa ... irways.htm

It seems none of the aircraft is operational for the moment...

Congrats to Bru.air anyways, they're finally starting to show that they've got the balls to run something big.

JOVAN · Post by **JOVAN** » 11 Sep 2007, 23:44

FLY4HOURS.BE wrote:http://www.airfleets.net/flottecie/Hewa ... irways.htm

It seems none of the aircraft is operational for the moment...

Congrats to Bru.air anyways, they're finally starting to show that they've got the balls to run something big.

Congrats to Bru.air for teaming-up with an airlines with no operational aircraft ?????

FLY4HOURS.BE · Post by **FLY4HOURS.BE** » 12 Sep 2007, 02:15

Congrats to Bru.air for teaming-up with an airlines with no operational aircraft ?????

Their B767 is gonna get repaired soon, and if their B732 comes in to BRU for a few maintenance sessions, it's gonna be allright too.

But I think you are misinformed... who said that they will be using SN and Hewa Bora airplanes? I heard about a few Avro's, but they might lease a few others...
This is a brand new "feeder" airline...

I think the key Hewa Bora gives the new airline is that it helps SN set-up a base there without needing to be involved with local politics... and that's why they registered the airline in Mauritius, the "African Swiss".
The interest of SN is not in Hewa Bora's fleet.

If this base works out ok, it wouldn t surprise me to see further African SN bases in the next few years... which means SN is gonna need to increase their long-haul fleet!![/code]

Airbus330lover · Post by **Airbus330lover** » 12 Sep 2007, 06:20

JOVAN wrote: Congrats to Bru.air for teaming-up with an airlines with no operational aircraft ?????

It's more important to create an airline with infrastructure (even if low infrastructure) ,eventally a lot of slots (not a the price for LHR), capture the trafic rights they need to FIH than to have an airline with old aircrafts.
And, with a good refurbishment of the actual fleet, it's not a problem

Desert Rat · Post by **Desert Rat** » 12 Sep 2007, 13:54

sounds like an audacious project ...all the best for the new airline!!! :mexwave:

Kabila · Post by **Kabila** » 12 Sep 2007, 17:21

Although I wish Brussels Airlines success with this Kinshasa venture, I have serious doubts if this will bring them lots of fortunes and this for several reasons:
- How 'democratic' is the DRC at this time; although they have a democratic elected president and government, there is no sign of any improvement of the administration and justice departments (2 crucial institutions to operate a safe airline and where you can get help from if there is a dispute with whatever person)
- the government is inefficient with over 60 ministeries. Any idea what ministery is going over Airlines ?
- there is still no re-newed bilateral agreement allowing BRU Air to fly more than 5x week between BRU and FIH.
- widespread corruption is still everywhere around.
- N'djili Airport in Kinshasa is not the best equiped and modern airport around. It must be a nightmare to connect is such a small a filthy airport.
- All Congolese domestic airports are in a miserable condition (bad runways and airport equipment and buildings, ...)
- some recent news paper articles have reported that the country is still prone to the Mobutisme syndrome of mismanagement, corruption, unpaid civil servants and security forces, run down infrastructure,... so there is a huge security risk involved (imagine an emergency and you can't have you passengers treated in a decent, clean and reputable hospital).
- what if the Belgian - Congolese relations deteriorate over some simple issues and BRU air planes get grounded ? How are they going to recuperate their aircraft ?
- Does BRU Air have any idea how to get any foreign currency out of the DRC ? It used to be impossible and remains impossible so far, unless you bribe everyone around you...

Again, I sincerely hope they succeed, but I think FIH is the worst place they could have chosen to set up a new airline at this time.

Go to airliners.net and look at some pictures from FIH airport... what a chaos.

And even better, I recommend to go on Youtube and check for 'Aviation au Congo' part 1 and 2 and watch it... it's just amazing. Seems like anyone can walk in and around the airport, there is not even a fence around it, corruption everywhere, pilots flying airlines without a license, you can get liquid fuel inside the airplane as long as you bribe yourself through security, black market of aircraft spare parts, horrifying maintenance... no more comments needed I suppose.

Finally, some suggestions:
- put some firm expatriate management in place at FIH and make sure that they have Africa experience (20 years or more at least !). Don't let some newbies run the operation at FIH, or it will bring donwn the whole of SN.
- don't get tempted by corruption to get something done... because once you pay and get trapped in the system, you can't get out. And you need to come up with higher an higher fees.

Good luck !!!