airDC project relaunched under name "Korongo"

[RoMax]

Are there any more hidden plans of SN?

btw: It is a good thing that they will launch this airline. It will be good for SN/LX/LH and Star Alliance. And with this project SN can prove their know-how in Africa to LH and Star Alliance. Because this is a project SN lead. (I think so)

[fretn]

Great news for SN & African aviaton, finally there will be a trustworth and safe airline in the area of the great lakes, this might be a real moneymaker for SN if they play their cards right. Although I do see infrastructural problems and problems with employment. Will the livery change or will they opt for something like comair (ba subsidary in south africa)?

[BrightCedars]

I got a feeling the livery will be a match to airDC's, unless they don't have the rights on it.
As for the name, it's not too difficult to change it on the fuselage.
Good luck to SN with it's African adventure.

[RoMax]

I hope it will be clair somewhere on the airplanes that the airlines (or in the logo) is a part of Brussels Airlines. A thing like "powered by brussels Airlines". Like Air Dolomiti, you can see under the logo (I am not sure if it is also on their aircraft) "Partner of Lufthansa".

[Megaman]

I hope it will be Sabena

[TCAS_climb]

Has there ever been a single airline that managed to make money on intra-African routes ?

(Of course airlines that managed to survive only thanks to their intercontinental routes that covered the losses on the African network do not count in this survey!)

[Shanti]

Will it be with BELGIAN pilots and cabin crew on board? Also OO registration or not?
Thanks for the information.

[737flyer]

Will it be with BELGIAN pilots and cabin crew on board? Also OO registration or not?
Thanks for the information.

Could well be, as in a pilot contract it states that they can be based 'anywhere' in the world with a max of 6 months...(most Belgian companies as far as I know put this in their contracts) Probably it will be on voluntary basis. But if they don't find enough people... you know the rest of the story.

[Air Key West]

My guess : the 737 based at FBM will probably fly pax in the evenings to FIH to feed SN's flights to BRU and will take pax from BRU arriving at FIH to FBM. That makes sense, but is it going to be profitable ?
I still don't understand why this project gets apparently a higher priority than getting additional A330s to expand SN's AFI operations.
The project may not involve a major investment, but would it cost less than leasing and running an additional A330 to operate flights which have proven to be profitable. I have some serious doubts that the Korongo project will be a (financial) success. Investing in additional A330s for the AFI network is not a risky investment. The Korongo project, on the contrary, to me, seems to imply high risk investments.
So, I don't quite understand this strategy. But maybe someone can explain it to me. Thanks.

[RoMax]

There are a lot of pax that want to fly an safe airline between FIH and Lubumbashi. There are a lot of business men and even a lot of Belgian people that now need to fly with Hewa Bora. But if SN would start this project they can fly a safe airline, and the new airline will be an important thing for Star alliance pax that need to go to Africa. This will be the only safety airline in that area so why not? SN is not counting on the local people but only on Belgian, business and connecting (Star, LH/LX/SN) and wealty local people. Believe me this can be really profitable.
About the A330, the Korongo project don't have a bigger priority than the A330. The A330 will come, no doubt about that and probably in the beginning of 2010 so he can start operations end March or something. The korongo project has big priority but not a bigger priority than the A330, because the start up of this Korongo project is riscfull and they know that.

[FLYAIR10]

NIce project which will give Brussels airlines /*Alliance a (timely?) competitive advantage in this part of Africa.. Let's hope it will work..
But we do not only need a reliable airline and well maintained airplane ,but also a reliable hub/base.(FBM).
What's the condition of the Lubumbashi airport these days? (esp.runways,functioning ILS/DME,ATC-experience,Fuel availability and quality , pre-flight security measures, presence of firebrigade,..)
I remember a few cases of BAF-aircraft (A310,C-130) having tyres burst when operating from FBM some 2-3 years ago.
Does anyone have some recent info on this? And who would be paying for improvements if needed?

Grtz
Flyair10

[TCAS_climb]

Guess what... http://www.lhconsulting.com/ru/career/vacancies.html


By the way, still no name to answer my question about a profitable airline on a purely African network ? C'mon guys, it's been more than 10 days now, you're getting rusty, aren't you ?

Oh, by the way, CAA (one of the competitors to "Korongo") announced the imminent arrival of modern heavy metal: F50 and A320. Damn, another PR effort going down the drain !

I'm sure the Congolese Air Transport Association will gladly prepare wonderful statistics about the evolution of domestic fares on cherry-picked routes over the last 20 years. Can't wait to see the influence of the arrival of "modern" aircraft on ticket prices ! (*)



(*: Since the CATA doesn't exist yet, please send 200.000.000 congolese francs via credit card or PayPal to support its pompous launch... and inaugurating lunch)

[Desert Rat]

CAA: Compagnie Africaine d'aviation will keep their A/C registered in the US, "N" registration, maintenance by Sabena technics...

[jan_olieslagers]

By the way, still no name to answer my question about a profitable airline on a purely African network ? C'mon guys, it's been more than 10 days now, you're getting rusty, aren't you ?

One more month gone and little news, if any... Will Korongo really become a second AirDC?

[RoMax]

By the way, still no name to answer my question about a profitable airline on a purely African network ? C'mon guys, it's been more than 10 days now, you're getting rusty, aren't you ?

One more month gone and little news, if any... Will Korongo really become a second AirDC?

Oh god, I don't hope so. But actually, it was said that the company was far from ready to launch. The fact that SN announced the Korongo project was because the news leaks (on this forum for exemple). I think there plan was to announce this project only when it was ready to start. And SN said the new company would start operations in 2010, they never said that they would launch it already this summer. So they have still time to start up the company.

[TUB023]

just a reminder. Korongo is the name of the PROJECT. AirDC will still be the the logo on planes and stuff (since the 146's are already repainted a long time ago, it would be trown away money to do it again...)

and LTM 737 will be the first flying for them

[tolipanebas]

I wouldn't expect any actual flying from FBM before mid-summer...



BTW, can anybody enlighten me on what the word 'Korongo' means?



Edit: found it in the mean time: Korongo means Crane (bird) in Swahili

[cyrano]

Don't expect the first flight before autumn 2010.
The name will not be AirDC, it is not available anymore, but Korongo, which indeed means CraneBird.

[Shanti]

will Korongo had OO registration?

[Conti764]

Don't expect the first flight before autumn 2010.
The name will not be AirDC, it is not available anymore, but Korongo, which indeed means CraneBird.

Maybe the name will change, but it would definately be a waste of money if they don't keep the (in my opinion beautiful) 'Tigertail'...