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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Equatorial Congo Airlines
Equatorial Congo Airlines SA, operating as ECAir, is an airline headquartered in Brazzaville; and is the flag carrier of the Republic of the Congo. The airline suspended all operations on 10 October 2016. however it restarted operations in late March 2024.

History

ECAir was created with the support of the Congolese Government to serve as a locomotive for the modernization of the aviation sector in the region. Crews and technical support for ECAir were provided by Geneva-based VIP business carrier PrivatAir. and thus ECAir avoided being included in the list of air carriers banned in the European Union, which applied to all airlines with maintenance services executed in the Republic of the Congo.

Operations commenced on 24 September 2010, the company having taken delivery of its first aircraft, a Boeing 737-300. It took delivery of a second Boeing 737-300 in February 2012. On 24 August 2012 ECAir launched its first international route, Brazzaville – Paris-CDG, offering 4-weekly service on board a PrivatAir Boeing 757 aircraft.

On 14 November 2014 the Belgian airline Jetairfly sealed a wet-lease deal to provide up to four aircraft with crew to operate on behalf of ECAir from mid 2015 on. Widebody operations were launched in February 2015 with the wet-lease of a Boeing 767-300ER from PrivatAir to be used on the Brazzaville to Paris service (4-weekly service). The delivery of a Boeing 787-8 was expected in the first half of 2016, with plans to open new routes to China and the United States.

The airline suspended all operations on 10 October 2016 until further notice after the responsible air navigation provider ceased all services to EC Air over unpaid debts. PrivatAir, which operated several routes on behalf of ECAir, also ended all services for the airline.

ECAir was reportedly looking to restart operations in the first quarter of 2019. In late 2020, plans to scrap some of their planes were also revealed. In early 2023, the government and ECAir revealed their plans to restart operations with 3 B737's and in March 2024, they restarted operations with a single B737 that operates between Brazzaville, Pointe Noire and Ollombo-Oyo.

Corporate affairs

Head office

Head office of Equatorial Congo Airlines at Airport Brazzaville

ECAir's corporate headquarters at ECAir House, Maya Maya Airport, Brazzaville.

Ownership and structure

Since its creation, ECAir had been 70% owned by the Government of the Republic of the Congo, 15% by the seaport of Pointe-Noire and 15% by Heli-Avia company. To launch the airline, the Government engaged Lufthansa Consulting, which managed the complete start-up process preparation, and developed a five-year business plan, including future network and fleet structure for the new airline. From the outset, all cockpit crews and some cabin crews and technical support for ECAir were provided by Geneva-based carrier PrivatAir. After Lufthansa Consulting was phased out, the airline obtained specialised consultancy services mainly via the Swiss company CoeM.

The airline commenced operating in September 2011, and it was reported that the carrier's business plan does not expect it to become profitable until its third year of operation, i.e. 2014. No annual reports have been published, and the main sources for business information are press releases and reports. According to Swiss journalist Marc Renfer in an article published on official media, ECAir lost over 450 million Euros between 2011 and 2016.

2012 2013 2014 2015
Turnover
Number of employees 140 260 350
Number of passengers (000s) 207 360
Number of aircraft (at year end) 3 4 5 7
Notes/sources

Destinations

Destination served as of June 2024
Airport City Country IATA ICAO
Maya-Maya Airport Brazzaville Republic of the Congo BZV FCBB
Oyo Ollombo Airport Oyo Republic of the Congo OLL FCOD
Antonio Agostinho Neto International Airport Pointe-Noire Republic of the Congo PNR FCPP

Fleet

ECAir Boeing 737-700

Current fleet

As of June 2024, the ECAir fleet consisted of the following aircraft:

ECAir Fleet
Aircraft In Fleet On order Quantity Passengers Notes
Boeing 737-700 1 ARJ 21 3
Total 1

Former fleet

As of June 2024, the ECAir used to operate the following aircraft:

ECAir Fleet
Aircraft In Fleet On order Passengers Notes
Boeing 737-300 2 –; 120 stored
Boeing 737-700 1 –; 124 stored
Boeing 757-200 2 –; 148 One, disassembled in Zaventem
Boeing 787-8 –; 1 TBD never delivered; stored in Victorville
Total 5 1

References

  1. ^ ch-aviation.com - ECAIR Congo suspends operations over ASECNA debts 24 October 2016
  2. ^ "ECAir - Equatorial Congo Air" (PDF). www.flyecair.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-11-04. Retrieved 2016-06-05.
  3. ^ Drum, Bruce (2011-08-20). "PrivatAir to operate this Boeing 737 for newcomer ECAir". World Airline News. Retrieved 2016-06-05.
  4. ^ "ECAir Launches New Service to Paris". Routesonline. Retrieved 2016-06-05.
  5. ^ "Congo's ECAIR adds first Jetairfly B737 to fleet". ch-aviation. Retrieved 2016-06-05.
  6. ^ "Aerospec International | Belgium's Jetairfly Seals Wet-Lease Deal With ECAir". aerosmart.com. Archived from the original on 2015-11-18. Retrieved 2016-06-05.
  7. ^ "Congolese Growth". Airliner World: 12. January 2015.
  8. ^ "Current Services | PrivatAir | Global leader in business aviation". privatair.com. Retrieved 2017-08-16.
  9. ^ "ECAIR Congo aims to relaunch in 1H19". 30 January 2019.
  10. ^ "Congo's ECAIR to scrap part of mothballed fleet". ch-aviation. 30 January 2019.
  11. ^ "Voyager avec nous". 24 July 2024.
  12. ^ "The Republic of the Congo launches new national flag carrier ECAir". www.lhconsulting.com. September 26, 2011. Archived from the original on October 20, 2014. Retrieved 2016-06-05.
  13. ^ "The Republic of the Congo national airline ECAir will not be profitable until 2014". CAPA. 7 August 2013.
  14. ^ "Des millions d'argent public congolais siphonnés via des sociétés suisses". rts.ch (in French). 20 March 2017.
  15. ^ "AFRAA visits ECAIR; urges government to support airline create sub-regional hub". AFRAA. April 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-11-04.
  16. ^ "ECAir - Equatorial Congo Airlines". www.flyecair.com. Archived from the original on 2014-07-24. Retrieved 2016-06-05.
  17. ^ "Aw ar2014". Issuu. Archived from the original on 2016-03-23. Retrieved 2016-06-05.
  18. ^ "CAPA Profiles - African airline start-ups hold the key to unlocking the continent's riches". CAPA. 6 December 2012.
  19. ^ "ECAir to Launch Route to Dakar via Bamako". Routesonline. Retrieved 2016-06-05.
  20. ^ "Programme mensuel des vols" (PDF). www.flyecair.com. Retrieved 2016-06-05.
  21. ^ "ECAir Fleet Details and History". 24 July 2024.
  22. ^ "ECAir Fleet Details and History". 24 July 2024.
  23. ^ "N887BA | Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner | PrivatAir | Yochai Mossi". 26 August 2016.
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