Congolese and Central African authorities are considering the possibility of reopening the Brazzaville-Bangui air link, suspended since the covid-19 health crisis. But this desire to re-establish direct flights between the two capitals soon risks coming up against many constraints, particularly economic ones.
There are no direct flights between the Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic. To get to Bangui from Brazzaville or vice versa, passengers must make a long stopover in West or East Africa. The lack of direct flights and the many connections have an impact on airfare prices. A one-way ticket (1h30mn) can cost between 300,000 and 350,000 FCFA.
A brake on the free movement of people and trade between the two countries that finally seems to be finding an echo among governments. During a one-on-one meeting on August 19 in Brazzaville, the Congolese Minister of Transport, Honoré Sayi, and his Central African counterpart in charge of Private Sector Promotion, Jean Paul Ngate, expressed their commitment to speed up the process of reopening the air bridge between Brazzaville and Bangui.
For the Central African minister, the resumption of the airlift opens up economic opportunities favorable to both countries. ” There was a company, Trans air Congo (TAC), which served Bangui and Brazzaville, but since the covid-19 epidemic, it is no longer active on this route. To get here, I had to spend the night in Kigali for a flight that normally only takes less than two hours. You see what our two states lose in this transaction ,” explained Jean Paul Hyppolyte Robard Ngate.
As members of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC), Congo and the Central African Republic are hoping to increase their trade. With the arrival of the African Continental Free Trade Area, the two countries should remove all barriers to the image of the West African community, while facilitating the free movement of goods and services within CEMAC. ” We must succeed in the challenge of regional integration ,” said the Central African minister.
For his part, Minister Honoré Sayi expressed the wish to see the air link re-established by the end of the week. According to sources close to the case, in addition to TAC, the regional company Africa Airlines has the required capacity to serve Bangui. But many observers are skeptical about the future of this new airline. Some companies were unable to overcome the obstacles related to the number of passengers and the adapted ticket price, before closing the line. A challenge that the airline involved must be able to take up.
