Camair Resumes Paris Flights After Ban


The Post (Buea)

September 19, 2005
Posted to the web September 19, 2005

Bouddih Adams


Cameroon Airlines, CAMAIR, Sunday, September 18, resumed flights to Paris after French civil aviation authorities Friday, September 16, banned its flights from France's skies for security reasons.The decision to resume the flights was taken after a meeting in Douala on Saturday, September 17.

The meeting came at the behest of President Paul Biya, who is on a visit to the US. Sources said Biya instructed the Ministers of the Economy and Finance, Polycarpe Abah Abah, Transport, Daikole Daisala and Communication, Pierre Mukoko Mbonjo, to meet with the Provisional Administrator of CAMAIR, Ngamo Hameni and the Director of the


Civil Aviation Agency, Ignatius S. Juma, to resolve the crisis. According to a release made public after the meeting, it was resolved that air transport between Cameroon and France should resume Sunday . A chartered flights with 209 passengers on board, left for Paris by mid day, yesterday.

They also resolved that CAMAIR can be audited at any time by any company that wishes to while workers reportedly pledged to render their services dutifully.

The French civil aviation authorities banned CAMAIR following failed technical tests on the airline.

It is reported that at the beginning of this year, technical tests were conducted on CAMAIR and it was found wanting. French civil aviation (DGAC) and Cameroon Airlines authorities reached an agreement on how to check the problems but a recent test revealed that the situation had not improved; thus the DGAC banned CAMAIR as a high risk in French airspace.

CAMAIR is the sixth airline banned by French authorities form flying their skies. The others are; International Air Service - a Liberian airline, Air Mozambique, Phuket Airlines - Thailand, Air Koryo - North Korea and Air Saint Thomas - US. The French government started blacklisting airlines as a security measure when about 148 people, mostly French citizens died in January last year when an airline banned from flying over Swiss territory crashed.

Belgium and Switzerland have also blacklisted certain airlines while the United Kingdom, UK, has also banned CAMAIR from flying its skies. The European Commission is working on an agreement to have blacklists of unsafe airlines through out the European Union.

Many countries have been wary about air security since the September 11 terrorist attacks on the US led by Osama Bin Ladin and subsequent attacks on her allies.

The 27-year-old airline in recent years has moved from one crisis to the other.

It was due to theis that the Biya government put it under a provisional administration. But CAMAIR has remained in the news because its crises have never ceased. It was due to this that thee Provisional Administrator, Ngamo Hameni, has not been happy with the media.

He maintains that: "Following the decision by the government in February to put CAMAIR under a provisional administration, a not-well-informed media has always talked of liquidation of the company and the end of its activities." He said thuis has engendered confusion within the workers and their clientele.

Air France Lifts Suspension

In reaction to the ban, a CAMAIR workers delegate reportedly said they will give Air France an unhealthy treatment at the Douala airport. When the Air France authorities got wind of this, they suspended their flights to the Douala and Yaounde airports for three days.

By Sunday afternoon, the issues had however been sorted out and Air France lifted the suspension disclosing that they would resume flights to and from Cameroon.

The friction in air communication between France and Cameroon took many unawares due to the fact that the former was a colonial master over the latter, and even after independence Cameroon government has remained under some sort of French protectorate and subservient to her.


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