Struggling Cameroonian flag-carrier Camair-Co (QC, Douala) is rebuilding its fleet with the return to service of one of its two MA-60s and plans to acquire more regional turbo-props, according to local media reports.
Director-General Louis Georges Njipendi Kuotu told Newsaero that one of the carrier’s two MA-60s - TJ-QDA (msn 903) - had re-entered service on domestic routes on December 6 after having received its airworthiness recertification from the Cameroonian civil aviation authority (Autorité aéronautique du Cameroun) on December 2. The aircraft had been grounded for several months as it had required spare parts from China.
This enabled the re-opening on December 6, 2020, of flights to N'Gaoundéré, the regional capital of Adamaoua, with 3x weekly flights from Yaoundé Nsimalen and Douala; and 2x weekly services from Garoua and Maroua, according to the airline’s social media posts. With this, the state-owned carrier reinstated flights to all three capitals of northern Cameroon, reconnecting the northern and southern parts of the country.
Kuotu said Camair-Co’s two B737-700s – TJ-QCA (msn 34480) and TJ-QCB (msn 33920) - would undergo maintenance soon and that the acquisition of DHC-8-Q400s were in the pipeline. "It is also planned, shortly, to send our two owned B737-700 aircraft for overhaul and the entry into the fleet of new acquisitions such as Q400 type aircraft during the same period,” he was quoted as saying by Newsaero. Camair-Co operated two Q400s - TJ-QJD (msn 4222) and TJ-QDC (msn 4491) in 2018 and 2018-2020 respectively, the ch-aviation fleets history module revealed.
The Cameroonian government has stated it planned to fund Camair-Co's fleet renewal, but specifics have yet to be announced.
This would mean a significant boost to the state-owned airline, which has been struggling with a lack of own serviceable aircraft. Camair-Co has been operating a single wet-leased aircraft since the resumption of post-Covid domestic operations on October 18. B737-300 UR-CQW (msn 29130), wet-leased from Jonika Airlines (JNK, Kyiv Igor Sikorsky), has been serving domestic routes between Douala, Garoua, Yaounde, and Maroua.
According to the ch-aviation schedules module, Camair-Co on December 7 was operating 4x weekly frequencies from Douala to Garoua; and 2x weekly flights between Garoua and Yaounde. By December 10, it was also operating 2x weekly rotations between Maroua and Douala; 2x weekly return flights between Maroua and Yaounde; and added 6x weekly services between Douala and Yaounde Nsimalen on December 11.
According to the airline’s social media, Camair-Co's other MA-60, TJ-QDB (msn 901), returned to the company’s maintenance facility in Douala on December 4, 2020, where it remains stored. The fuselage of the aircraft was damaged when it was shot at during its approach into Bamenda in the north-west of the country a year ago. The airport is located in the secessionist Ambazonia region of Cameroon.
Kuotu did not comment on the fate of the airline’s B767-300ER, TJ-CAC (msn 28138), stored at Addis Ababa International since January 12, 2018.
