Afrijet launches Libreville - Paris codeshare service with La Compagnie
Afrijet is now positioned as one of the most efficient companies in Central Africa. By joining forces with La Compagnie, the Gabonese carrier intends to democratise business flights to Europe.
The private company Afrijet is going international. From 16 December, the Gabonese carrier will inaugurate a new rotation between Libreville and Paris-Orly, in code-share with La Compagnie, the French 100% business class carrier.
The flights will be operated by Airbus A321Neo "full business" with a capacity of 76 seats, twice a week on Thursdays and Sundays. On this aircraft in business configuration, Gabonese and international customers will be offered a tailor-made service (In-flight Entertainment system, Wifi, seat convertible into a bed...)
The two carriers will market the route in their respective markets and will be in indirect competition with Air France, which monopolises the Libreville-Paris Charles de Gaulles route, with one daily rotation.
Afrijet has committed to offering competitive prices on the route, with call fares of CFAF 1.9 million (€2900). "Until now, in business class, the price of a return trip from Libreville to Paris could reach and even exceed €7,500. In all humility, we are going to try to demonstrate that quality of service is not necessarily synonymous with prohibitive pricing," maintains Marc Gaffajoli, Afrijet's director. "It was urgent to move the lines, and we took on this mission for the Gabonese side. This innovative approach, based on partnerships with specialist operators, is part of a strategy aimed at regaining control of the "price" lever, on the Gabonese side, without investing heavily and at the wrong time in a long-haul fleet.
The Company, for its part, said it was delighted with this partnership which allows it to access the African business market which has proved resilient despite the crisis. "We have the perfect product to satisfy this demanding clientele and Afrijet has the knowledge of the market that it already addresses in the region. This new route is a perfect complement to our historical Paris - New York route," said Christian Vernet, President of La Compagnie.
Afrijet is planning two additional flights on 21 December and 3 January 2022 to meet the strong demand for Christmas and the end-of-year holidays. And for 2022, the Gabonese carrier plans to serve this route in regular service, in economy class.
As a reminder, Afrijet's current network includes Sao Tome, Cameroon (Douala, Yaoundé) and Equatorial Guinea (Malabo). On the domestic front, the company also serves Port-Gentil and Franceville from Libreville. It has a fleet of four ATR72-500s, including a cargo aircraft, an ATR42 and an ATR72-600.IOSA certified since February 2020, it employs about 250 employees.
