Air Madagascar, the second Airbus A340-300 delivered

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Who is the genuine Air Madagascar airline company’s boss? He is Rajaonarimampianina Hery, the Minister of Finance, the HAT’s chancellor of the checker, and incidentally the Chairman of the national airline company’s board. The man has some of his faithful lieutenants deeply involved in the management of state finances by his sides.

It’s always weird to have a Finance Minister talk about planes and aircrafts. Hery Rajaonarimampianina recalled that the second Airbus A340-300 is a second hand device purchased from Air France. The lease-purchase contract lasts six years. “This is the available type on the market which technically matches Madagascar’s needs,” argued the board’s president.

Air Madagascar keeps on straining to deflect the attention from the politically motivated choice of the European and incidentally French aircraft manufacturer. The purchase process goes back to November 2011 and has been lasting many months of negotiation. Air Madagascar even launched its own Airbus Project and appointed a manager supposed to reach the six years long deal. “Neither the Malagasy nor the French governments have a thing to do with this deal which was signed by two private and independent companies” emphasized Barijaona Rakotomahaly, the manager of the Airbus Project.

Did Air Madagascar really reached a bargain when purchasing a 12 and a 14 years old aircraft with a six years long deal? A brand new Airbus A340-300 worths some US$ 150 millions. Both aircraft will be rented to Air Madagascar and cost respectively US$369,000 and US$403,000 per month, that is to say less than US$ 60 million in all for the most expensive of them both. Reactions were vivid enough as the expenses reached US$ 30 million.

“I insure you that the rental of these Airbus is cheaper than the Boeing 767 which we use,” declared Air Madagascar’s boss. The 20 years old American aircraft actually costs US$ 480 000 per month.

The national airline company appears more than satisfied by getting a couple of twice younger aircrafts against less money. The Airbus’ fuel consumption seems equally advantageous, namely 250 kg of fuel per passenger against 260 kg per passenger for a 767, or nearly 3 tons of fuel saved on each flight between Antananarivo and Paris.

The second Airbus A340-300 can carry 275 passengers, 30 of them in Baobab business class, 21 in Vanilla premium class and 224 in Ylang economic class. The aircraft registered as 5R-EAA will carry a Malagasy crew in the run of its first flight on July 6th, 2012. The aircraft will fly to Asia, including Bangkok and Guangzhou and equally serve domestic flights in order to promote tourism into the island.

The company’s reputation dramatically needs to be restored. That is the purpose of the purchase of these planes. “Everything is going well in the process of removing Air Madagascar from the Appendix B,” said the Minister in charge of Transportation. “Air Madagascar and the ACM are confident, considering the result of the latest audit. We even received congratulations from ICAO about the progress made by the Civilian Aviation of Madagascar ” added Benjamina Ramanantsoa

The national company recorded a positive 10%  growth of the number of its passengers flying to international destinations. Minister Ramanantsoa equally noticed a certain rise in freight transport. “Comfortably carrying this freight is highly relevant,” he said. The first Airbus A340-300 experienced technical problems considered as casual incidents. The transfer of skills between Air France and Air Madagascar is supposed to be held as a pledge for a larger security with the second jet