Korongo Airlines: THE END

[flightlover]

Unfortunately in French but what a pity to read such comment!
This paper is from Me David Sprecher, french lawyer specialist in civil aviation and is published on TourMaG.com


"République Démocratique du Congo - le cas de Korongo Airlines"

Cette compagnie aérienne, dont les vols n’ont pas encore débuté (elle devrait démarrer le 16 avril prochain selon la presse professionnelle) est une joint-venture entre un groupe d’investisseurs et la compagnie belge …. Brussels Airlines !

Il est surprenant qu’une compagnie n’ayant pas encore effectué le moindre vol et dont les aéronefs proviennent d’une compagnie européenne fiable soit reprise sur cette liste !

Il est donc impératif pour tout agent français de faire fort attention à ne pas vendre cette compagnie, même si un des actionnaires principaux est Brussels Airlines.

A quick out of my head translation:

Democratic republic of Congo - The Korongo Airlines case

The airline company, of witch the flights haven't even started (they should start on April 16 according to professional press) and a joint venture of a group of investors and the Belgian company ... Brussels Airlines.

It is surprising that an airline company that hasn't even completed a single flight and of whom planes are provided for by a weak European airline should be on the (black-)list.

It is therefore very important that all French agents make shore not to sell this company, even though the main shareholder is Brussels Airlines.

[Yuri166]

Thank you. :thumbup:

Kind of a stupid comment of someone, especially a lawyer, who calls himself an expert...
I think any airline in Africa, operating under a European AOC is a huge bonus...

[Homo Aeroportus]

A quick out of my head translation:

Democratic republic of Congo - The Korongo Airlines case

The airline company, of witch the flights haven't even started (they should start on April 16 according to professional press) and a joint venture of a group of investors and the Belgian company ... Brussels Airlines.

It is surprising that an airline company that hasn't even completed a single flight and of whom planes are provided for by a weak European airline should be on the (black-)list.

It is therefore very important that all French agents make shore not to sell this company, even though the main shareholder is Brussels Airlines.

Pardon the remark Flightlover, I won't mind a typo but here a mispelling changes completely your translation.
The french lawyer said ".. une compagnie aérienne fiable" which translates into " a reliable European airline".
Using "faible", gave you "weak".
Nevertheless, when the French lawyer spells out SN it is a clear attack as anyhow ALL airlines registered in DRC are black listed.

Cheers.

H.A.

[RoMax]

Indeed, if he would be such an expert he would know that each airline that is registred in the RDC is automaticly on the blacklist and that the fleet of Korongo is NOT registred in the RDC and NOT on the black list...

[flightlover]

Indeed H.A.,

What a mistake of mine. Faible or fiable is indeed a big difference.

Thx for correcting me.

[Kapitein]

OO-LTM is about to leave to NSI/Yaounde, Cameroon as SN9907

[Passenger]

Let me come back to that article in TourMag France from lawyer David Sprecher: "...Il est donc impératif pour tout agent français de faire fort attention à ne pas vendre cette compagnie, même si un des actionnaires principaux est Brussels Airlines..." Translated: It is therefore compulsary that all French travel agents make sure not to sell this airline, even though the main shareholder is Brussels Airlines.

(Source: http://www.tourmag.com/Nouvelle-liste-n ... 51069.html)

This is juridical nonsense :

1. European Regulation 2111/2005, from which the EU black list is part of, allows banned carriers to fly to/from Europe under certain conditions. See this quote from the blacklist: "...Air carriers listed in Annex A could be permitted to exercise traffic rights by using wet-leased aircraft of an air carrier which is not subject to an operating ban, provided that the relevant safety standards are complied with..."

If Korongo Airlines has a permit to use aircraft from Brussels Airlines, this EU-permit makes them legally "reliable". Actually, it is then more illegal to make a public call not to use them, isn't it mr Sprecher?

2. The Belgian legislation - which is based upon European travel law - does not forbit travel agents to use Korongo Airlines. Belgian travel law says that travel agents and touroperators must use, quote, "reliable suppliers". Brussels Airlines is a reliable supplier, so its subcompany in D.R. Congo is also reliable. Specially because there are enough reports proving that Brussels Airlines is in control of the company there, hence avoiding most of the problems civil aviation in D.R. Congo has. Example: Korongo uses a Belgian AOC.

My guess is that French travel laws, who should be based on the same European legislation, apply the same principle of "reliable suppliers".

My conclusion for his article in TourMag: with his attack on Korongo Airlines, David Sprecher hopes to get (more) business from Air France. Which is, by hazard, Brussels Airlines’ major competitor for AFI.

- - -

PS - unofficial note for the Belgian travel agents : the fact that Air France had three major crashes during the last decade does not make them an unreliable airline (25th July 2000, AF4590 Concorde, crash near Paris, 113 fatalities / 1st June 2009, AF447 A332 perished in the ocean, 228 fatalities / 2nd August 2005, AF358 A343, crashlanding at Toronto, all pax escaped burning aircraft).

[Inquirer]

I think it is only a matter of time before Korongo will be given an exception on the list, by having its wet leased aircraft explicitly excepted from the EU ban. It has happened in the past for other airlines but for that to happen they must first have started operations so the Belgian CAA which is overseeing the wet lease operations can audit them in real world operations and send in their findings.
Will be interesting to see how soon this can be done: IMHO, it should not be too long unless politics get involved once more, this time not in Congo, but in Paris....

[Bralo20]

Example: Korongo uses a Belgian AOC.

Not exactly... Korongo Airlines sprl has has been awarded with a Congolese AOC from the Congolese government and not a Belgian one from the Belgian government. However, the planes are hired by ZC under an ACMI contract with SN. SN is holder of a Belgian AOC delivered by the Belgian government. So Korongo uses a Congolese AOC but flights are operated by SN under a Belgian AOC

[FLYAIR10]

Maybe I missed some posts, but 2 questions on Korongo:
Do they already accept cargo boookings ?
When will SN show Lubumbashi as a bookable destination on their website ?
Grtz

[tolipanebas]

For info: OO-LTM arrived at FBM yesterday afternoon (09/04)

[CTBke]

OO-LTM at Lebumbashi

[Bralo20]

Anyone pictures of those firetrucks? Seems to an oshkosh on the picture?

[RoMax]

When I first saw this picture I tought: "Oh, they even welcome them at the airport, didn't expect that from the RDC.", but then I realised SN/George Forrest probably had to invest in the local fire guard themself? If I remember well I read somewhere that Brussels Airlines and George Forrest invested in the local infrastructure of Lubumbashi Airport, including the fire guard, to get it at an acceptable level. Some for some other future destinations like Kolwezi.

[tolipanebas]

Not just a fire truck had to be arranged: a whole lot of infrastructure had to be brought up to standards to allow operations under EU-OPS!

Runway Surface
Grass Cutting Equipment
Meteo Park
Runway Fencing and Runway Marking
Airport Acces Control
Runway Edge lights
PAPI lights
NAV aids
Tower Radio Equipment
Fire Fighting vehicles and training
Ambulance
Bird Control Unit
Electricity back up generator
etc etc

you name it... it had to be done.

[Conti764]

OO-LTM at Lebumbashi

Water a precious something in Africa...?

[DannyVDB]

I don't think there is a water problem in that region
Danny

[flightlover]

Maybe it was a test for the newly trained fireman

[Konus]

Was the flight for OO-LTM then BRU-NSI-FBM or did it stop anywhere in between ?

[Bralo20]

Apparently there's something happening in the DRC to improve safety:

Congolese CAA grounds 29 planes:

http://www.eturbonews.com/29415/congo-c ... -29-planes

ZC is mentioned as being the exception of the sole DRC airline not being on the EU blacklist (did something change)?

Another story about this:

http://www.air-journal.fr/2012-05-26-la ... 49864.html
http://journaldekin.com/article.php?aid=1125

Apparently also planes of FlyCongo (renamed Hewa Bora) and CAA are grounded.