At a signing ceremony of the partnership agreement at Iavoloha Palace, the official residence of the Malagasy president, Embraer Marketing Director Michael Novak said the aircraft would enable the airline to improve its domestic and regional connectivity and open the Indian Ocean island to new markets, such as Dubai Int'l, reported Orange Madagascar.
Domestically, the 96-seater E190-E2 will link Antananarivo to Nosy-Be, and Antananarivo to Antsiranana and Fort Dauphin in less than an hour, media were told.
Regionally, the Embraer will ply the Tulear – Johannesburg O.R. Tambo route with flights to South Africa to be re-opened soon, reported L'Express Madagascar. Other regional destinations on the radar include Mauritius, Moroni Int'l in the Comoros, and Addis Ababa in Ethiopia.
The aircraft will be on a long-term lease from US-based Azorra Aviation, whose Vice President of Marketing Scott Boardman said the company hoped to expand its collaboration with Madagascar Airlines in future.
Neither Madagascar Airlines, Embraer, nor Azorra Aviation was immediately available for comment.
The Malagasy government chose Embraer to rebuild the regional fleet of its flag carrier, and for the modernisation of air transport of the Indian Ocean island, reporters were told. Minister of Transport and Meteorology, Rolland Ranjatoelina, said the aircraft would enable the airline to up its frequencies, therefore improving revenue.
The Embraers are to complement the existing domestic, leased fleet of four ATR72-500s, of which two are active; two ATR72-600s, of which one is stored; and three stored DHC-6-300s, according to ch-aviation fleets advanced module.
Presented at the event was Madagascar Airlines' new chief executive officer, Thierry De Bailleul, who said his mission was to turn around the ailing national carrier. His background includes senior positions with Qatar Airways and Emirates in France.
The new regional fleet and new chief executive form part of the restructuring plan driven by President Andry Rajoelina, who has vowed to save the national carrier. The government also plans to acquire a B787 for long-haul flights.
Meanwhile, the government was at pains to put to rest political squabbles about the renaming of the flag carrier. Madagascar Airlines is the new brand combining the operations of Air Madagascar (MD, Antananarivo) and its domestic subsidiary Tsaradia (TZ, Antananarivo). President Rajoelina called on all stakeholders to work together: "Let's focus on what brings us together and move away from what divides us. This is our national company. We mustn't get bogged down in internal tensions. We need cohesion, to work together," he implored.
Air Madagascar and Tsaradia were placed in receivership on November 18, 2021, after they applied for bankruptcy protection in October 2021. The new brand name is part of the airline's business rescue plan. A new legal holding company is to take over the operations, leaving the two old entities -to pay off the airline's USD80 million debt.
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