Air Centrafrique

Air Centrafrique was the flag carrier of the Central African Republic from 1966 to the late 1970s. The company operated domestic services. It had its headquarters in Bangui.[2]

Air Centrafrique
Founded1966 (1966)
Commenced operations1967 (1967)
Ceased operations1979[1]
HeadquartersBangui, Central African Republic

History

The carrier was formed as Compagnie Centre Africaine Air Bangui in 1966 in association with Air Afrique and Union de Transports Aériens (UTA),[3][4] with the latter providing management and technical assistance.[5] It was conceived to provide feeder services to Air Afrique.[5] Operations started in early 1967, linking Bangui with Berberati[nb 1] using Douglas DC-3 aircraft.[3][4] In July 1967 (1967-07), a Beech 95 Baron was acquired for flying new routes to Bakouma and Bangassou.[5]

One DC-3 and one Beech Baron made up the aircraft park at March 1970 (1970-03).[7] Gaining flag carrier status, the company was renamed Air Centrafrique in mid-1971 following reorganisation after the government attempted to withdraw from the Air Afrique consortium earlier that year.[8]

The launching of Air Centrafrique as an independent airline was one of the moves of the proclaimed Emperor Bokassa I that indebted the country, to the point that banks began to refuse loans to the state in the same year.[9] Following the rupture with Air Afrique, agreements were signed with Zaire, Congo and Chad for Air Centrafrique to fly to those destinations.[10] On 1973-2-13, Bokassa issued a decree suspending operations of Air Centrafrique, due to a conflict with French navigation staff.[11]

By March 1975 (1975-03), passenger scheduled services to Bangui, Bambari, Bangassou, Birao, Bouar, Bria, Carnot, M'Boki, Ouadda and Zemio were operated; seasonal flights were also undertaken during the safari hunting period.[12] A Caravelle 3 entered the fleet in the late 1970s.[5][nb 2]

The airline ceased operations between 1978 and 1979.[nb 3] The collapse of Air Centrafrique, along with other debacles of the Bokassa legacy, contributed to undermining the prestige of the Central African Republic internationally.[14]

Destinations

Following is a list of destinations served by Air Centrafrique all through its history:

Country City Airport Notes Refs
Central African RepublicBakoumaBakouma Airport—[8]
Central African RepublicBambariBambari Airport—[12]
Central African RepublicBangassouBangassou Airport—[12]
Central African RepublicBanguiBangui M'Poko International AirportHub[12]
Central African RepublicBatangafoBatangafo Airport—[8]
Central African RepublicBiraoBirao Airport—[12]
Central African RepublicBossembeleBossembélé Airport—[8]
Central African RepublicBouarBouar Airport—[12]
Central African RepublicBoucaBouca Airport—[8]
Central African RepublicBriaBria Airport—[12]
Central African RepublicCarnotCarnot Airport—[12]
Central African RepublicKoumbalaKoumala Airport—[8]
Central African RepublicNdeleN'Délé Airport—[8]
Central African RepublicOboM'Boki Airport—[12]
Central African RepublicOuaddaOuadda Airport—[12]
Central African RepublicRafaiRafaï Airport—[8]
Central African RepublicZemioZemio Airport—[12]

Fleet

Air Centrafrique operated the following aircraft throughout its history:

See also

Notes
  1. It was also informed that the first services flown by the company linked Bangui with Birao.[6]
  2. An aircraft of the type was included in the airline's fleet in 1972.[8]
  3. Air Centrafrique appeared in the World airline directory compilation published by Flight International in April 1978 (1978-04),[2] but the entry was removed from that directory in April 1979 (1979-04).[13] It is assumed that the carrier ceased operations at some time within that period.

References
  1. "Air Centrafrique". Airline History. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  2. "World airline directory – Air Centrafrique". Flight International. 113 (3605): 1127. 22 April 1978. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013.
  3. "World airline survey – Compagnie Centre Africaine Air Bangui". Flight International. 95 (3135): 568. 10 April 1969. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014.
  4. "World airline survey – Compagnie Centre Africaine Air Bangui". Flight International. 93 (3083): 529. 11 April 1968. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014.
  5. Guttery (1998), p. 33.
  6. "World airline survey – Compagnie Centre Africaine Air Bangui". Flight International. 91 (3031): 565. 13 April 1967. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013.
  7. "World airlines 1970 – Compagnie Centre Africaine Air Bangui". Flight International. 97 (3184): 478. 26 March 1970. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013.
  8. "World airlines – Air Centrafrique". Flight International. 101 (3296): 8. 18 May 1972. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014.
  9. Titley, E. Brian. Dark Age: The Political Odyssey of Emperor Bokassa. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University press, 2002. p. 69
  10. Červenka, Zdenek. Land-Locked Countries of Africa. Uppsala: Scandinavian Institute of African Studies, 1973. p. 151
  11. Année africaine. Éditions A. Pedone., 1974. p. 410
  12. "World airline directory – Air Centrafrique". Flight International. 108 (3445): 465. 20 March 1975. Archived from the original on 3 January 2014.
  13. "World airline directory – Air Burundi to Air Charter". Flight International. 115 (3658): 1333. 28 April 1979. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013.
  14. Decalo, Samuel (1998). Psychoses of power: African personal dictatorships. Gainesville, Fla: Florida Academic Press. p. 223. ISBN 978-1-890357-02-3.
  15. "World airline directory – Air Centrafrique". Flight International. 111 (3552): 926. 9 April 1977. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013.

Bibliography
  • Guttery, Ben R. (1998). Encyclopedia of African Airlines. Jefferson, North Carolina: Mc Farland & Company, Inc. ISBN 0-7864-0495-7.
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