Jean Paul Sandjo Nana gave an interview to the daily newspaper l”Economie, edition of 8 April 2016. The CEO of the national airline company talks possible solutions for reviving CAMAIR-CO.

Question: At what level are we now with the restructuring of Camair-Co?

Nana Sandjo: It is progressing according to the instructions of the government. You know there was a time the government asked a firm of international level of expertise to take a look at our project to validate so that we can implement it. And this process is ongoing. That’s what Boeing is currently proposing, because there was a progress report, and it includes 14 aircraft.

Does this mean that with this certification Camair-Co is out of the trouble zone?

Our recovery plan had several axes. It is a set of things to do. The first is governance. The second is the organization, the third, setting international standards, and so on. In terms of setting international standards, we can say that we have completed this process. We are now internationally recognized. We also reorganized. There now remains the problem of the fleet.

We don’t have enough. And as the government informed Boeing to take a look at what we prepared, and that Boeing should propose to us the most suitable fleet, the most appropriate network, etc., and assesses the need for funding to acquire this fleet and serve this network there, the work of Boeing is being done.

By the end of April, they will tell us exactly what it is. And once it’s done, the necessary financing obtained especially from the Ecobank bank consortium, over what we have at our disposal will be available for us to roll out the program. So beyond the standards, because we did not want to wait until it is available before making this work, what we can do at our level, we do so that when funding arrives, there shouldn’t be much left to do. That’s basically the strategy that we have pursued since we’re here.

You have another project, the opening of internal lines, including Bafoussam, and the Dreamliner track for international flights.

The Dreamliner is the 787. It is not envisaged for Bafoussam. Bafoussam is an airport that is ready; it is under the management of the Cameroon Civil Aviation Authority. In the present circumstances, this airport can accommodate aircraft flight during the daytime without instruments. It is in these conditions that we, therefore, plan to go with the MA60, making daytime flights.

We think of 5 flights a week to start. The project is ongoing; we are in talks with the authority to stop the most appropriate time when all parties are ready for the assistance of regulatory approvals. We thought of the 15th, but it would be good that we have the green light from the Aeronautic Authority. This is also being done.

The other issue that was raised was overstaffing in Camair-Co. Is it settled?

It’s all relative. The perception that people have from their own analyses on Camair-Co’s staff is wrong. Let me remind that when they talk about the staff, they do not give figures; they say that relative to the number of aircraft. Whenever they say there are too many employees, it is because we can not understand that there are 750 people for three aircraft. Seen like that, they’re right. But the question I ask is whether Camair-Co is a project for three aircraft.

If this was a project of three aircraft, then we must sack some staff and reduce the effective. But as this is not a project for three planes, no need. This is a project, in relation to our recovery plan, for 11 aircraft, certainly compared to what Boeing is currently proposing, because there was a progress report of 14 aircraft.

So if you have 14 planes, let’s not even go at the level they are talking about an average of 150/planes, let’s go down to the lower ratio of 100/plane. With 14 aircraft, it makes 1400 employees. It means that Camair-Co will be understaffed.