The General Manager also announced during a press briefing Tuesday September 14 in Yaounde that the company will start with 420 staff to provide a modern airline service at very competitive prices.

The General Manager of the Cameroon Airlines Company, Camairco, Alex Van Elk, told journalists in Yaounde, on Tuesday September 14, 2010, that the first flight to Paris is scheduled for March 28, 2011. He also disclosed that CamairCo will start with the Boeing 767 aircraft “The Dja” before the arrival of three more aircrafts to make a total fleet of two Boeing 767s and two Boeing 737s. The acquisition through lease agreements of the new modern aircraft, he said, will be in line with CamairCo’s mission to provide a new generation airline with the highest quality product offering, supported by a high performing organisation excelling in safety, customer service and financial management. “We want aircraft with maximum 10 years of age, glass cockpits and modern technology to meet up with international flight safety standards. We will operate a very modern fleet of aircraft that will be equipped with winglets to help save fuel and increase load capacity with 3000 kilograms,” he said.

In addition to the Paris destination that will have six flights a week, Nairobi, Dubai and Johannesburg are likely to receive CamairCo flights within the first year of operations. Daily domestic flight schedules will include Yaounde, Douala, Maroua and Garoua, for a start while other destinations like Brazzaville, Libreville, Malabo, Cotonou, Abidjan, Bamako and Dakar will be served with the extension of the flight network during first year of operation.

Concerning staff, Alex Van Elk said that the recruitment is ongoing and invited more skilled Cameroonians to apply through the company’s website for lots of quality staff will be needed to meet the ambitions of the company. “We will start with 420 staff and this number will grow in future. We need between 80 to 120 staff members per aircraft. We know that there are 25 licensed pilots in Cameroon and we are determined to get them although our need for cockpit crew will stand at 60, so we will have to hire more from the rest of the world until more Cameroonians are trained to take up the positions,” he said.

The pressmen also learned that CamairCo will count on a better service, competitive prices, more space and free flights to faithful clients, to beat competition.

The disclosure of the company’s new colours and logos will be officially made soon while the company is now going through different procedures in Cameroon and abroad to obtain the necessary certifications from the International Air Transport Association, IATA. The Press briefing was attended, among others, by the company’s top executives and representatives from government ministries involved in the company’s Board of Directors