A direct air link between Tunisia and Cameroon
Tunisia and Cameroon put back on the table the plan to open a direct flight between the two countries.
The subject, in discussions for 4 years, was again discussed on the occasion of the hearing of February 09, 2021 in Yaoundé, granted to HE Karim Ben Becher, Ambassador of the Tunisian Republic in Cameroon by the Minister of Commerce, Luc Magloire Mbarga Atangana.
"He was in the program before the covid-19 crisis, setting up a first flight from Tunis, Yaoundé, Douala, perhaps with stopovers in Ndjamena, Libreville unfortunately. We have been affected by the pandemic, which has affected all airlines in the world,”explains the diplomat. Already in June 2017, the then Tunisian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Khemaïes Jehinaoui, announced the imminent opening of Tunisair's first commercial agency in Douala, Cameroon's economic heartland. He made this statement during the Tuniso-Cameroonian economic forum, held in the capital Yaoundé. That year, Tunisair was expanding rapidly in sub-Saharan Africa where it had notably opened two new routes to Conakry in Guinea and Cotonou in Benin.
For 2018, it planned a direct line between Tunis and Douala with an extension to Libreville (Gabon) and Ndjamena (Chad). Its growth plan also called for Addis Ababa in Ethiopia and Nairobi in Kenya. Since then, Tunisair has reviewed its growth ambitions. With the appointment of a new general manager in early January, the struggling carrier is working on a new recovery plan.
But Central Africa is still in the sights of the Tunisian authorities. "Now, there is a new reflection to see if there is the possibility of revitalizing this project, and of setting up an air link directly connecting Tunisia in Cameroon, either through the national company or via the private sector [Nouvelair, editor's note]”, reassures HE Karim Ben Becher.
