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Société Nationale Malgache de Transports Aériens, Société Anonyme, operating as Air Madagascar, is an airline based in Antananarivo, Madagascar. It is the national airline operating services to Europe, Asia and neighbouring African and Indian Ocean island destinations. It also operates an extensive domestic network. Its main base is Ivato International Airport, Antananarivo.

The airline was formed in 1947 to feed into flights by Transports Aériens Intercontinentaux and Air France, and upon the independence of Madagascar, it became the national airline. Initially operating services on domestic routes, the airline saw expansion in the late 1960s and 1970s, when it began international flights to destinations such as France and South Africa.

In recent years the airline has been a subject of failed privatisation measures. These are now on hold and the airline is majority owned by the Madagascar government.

History

Formative years

Air Madagascar was formed in March 1947 by Transports Aériens Intercontinentaux in order to feed into flights by TAI and Air France. The airline began operations with two Air France Douglas DC-3s and six de Havilland D.H.89 Dragon Rapides. In 1957 TAI and Messageries Maritimes acquired shares in the airline, and in 1958 a third DC-3 was added to the fleet. In 1961 the Malagasy government, Air France and TAI reorganised the airline. In April 1961 the airline was renamed Madair and became the flag carrier for the newly independent republic. On 23 August 1961, the status of Société Nationale Malgache des Transports Aériens, MADAIR was approved by decree. On 20 October 1961 a service from Antananarivo-Paris, via Djibouti, with a Douglas DC-7 leased from TAI was inaugurated. Société Nationale Malgache des Transports Aériens, MADAIR was created on 13 November 1961, with a working capital of 400 million CFA Francs, 447 employees, and a fleet comprising two Douglas DC-4s, seven DC-3s and four Dragon Rapides. The government held 20%, Air France 44% and TAI 36% shareholdings, and the government held an option to increase its shareholding to some 65%.

On 1 January 1962, Madair took over service to some 58 points in Madagascar, and on 14 October the name of the airline was changed to Air Madagascar, because of a negative image of the name Madair. In 1962 Air Madagascar carried 103,000 passengers, 7,500 tons of freight and 375 tons of mail and flew a distance of 2,400,000 kilometres (1,500,000 mi). On 31 December 1962, the company was renamed to Société Nationale Malgache des Transports Aériens — Air Madagascar. A DC-3 of the airline crashed at Farafangana on 15 July 1963, killing five people. Flights to the Comoro Islands with DC-4s began in 1963. On 14 May 1963, the Malagasy government increased its share capital to 460 million CFA frances, and its shareholding from 20 to 30.44%.

Jet age

In October 1963 the airline signed an agreement with Air France, which saw Air Madagascar beginning a service to Paris, via Djibouti, in July 1964 with a Boeing 707, which was painted in Air Madagascar, and operated by Air France crews. In 1965 the Dragon Rapides began to be replaced by light aircraft, mainly Pipers, and a Nord 262 was ordered in 1966. On 19 July 1967, an Air Madagascar DC-4, on a scheduled flight from Antananarivo to Tamatave and Diego Suarez, crashed after take-off from Ivato International Airport, killing 42 people, including Albert Sylla, the Malagasy Foreign Minister. The airline began scheduled flights to Rome in 1968, and the airline acquired its first Boeing 737-200 in September 1969. The aircraft was maintained by South African Airways, and on 15 October, Air Madagascar began flights to Johannesburg, and in December began flights to Dar es Salaam and Nairobi via Majunga. On 14 February 1970, flights to Johannesburg operated via Lourenço Marques, and on 1 November, the 737 replaced the DC-4 on flights to the Comoros.

In 1971 four de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otters were acquired, allowing the airline to retire some DC-3s which were transferred to the Malagasy military. By 1972, the airline was operating 737s on domestic flights to Tamatave, Nosy Be, Diego Suarez and Sambava, allowing for the retirement of two DC-4s. A second 737 was delivered in December 1972, seeing the expansion of routes and frequencies on the airline's network. In April 1974, service with the 737s was extended to Mananjary, Tuléar and Fort Dauphin.

In the late 1970s, services to Johannesburg were suspended as a result of apartheid in South Africa. In 1979 the airline acquired its first wide-body aircraft when a Boeing 747-200B Combi was delivered, with maintenance being handled by Air France. In early 1986 the airline joined the International Air Transport Association, and in the same year placed an order for ATR 42 to replace the HS-748s, which had been delivered to the airline in January 1980. Services to Johannesburg were resumed in 1990. In 1994, the airline leased a Boeing 737-300 from ILFC, which was delivered on 12 September, and was introduced on routes from Antananarivo to Johannesburg, Comoros, Mauritius, Nairobi, Réunion and Seychelles. Air Madagascar lost its monopoly on domestic flights in 1995, when the government liberalised the market, although few competitors have yet emerged. Flights to Munich and Rome began in 1996.

In September 1997, the airline ordered an additional three ATR 42 for delivery in October. Services to Singapore began in October 1998, and were suspended in 2002.

Towards privatisation

As part of reorganisation plans to get the airline ready for privatisation, in January 1998, the airline announced that it would phase the Boeing 747-200 Combi out of operation and would replace it with a Boeing 767-300ER. The airline purchased a new 767-300ER from Boeing with an April 1999 delivery date, and leased another aircraft from GE Capital Aviation Services from March 1998. Government plans for privatisation of the airline in 1999 to a consortium which include Air France was suspended when the Central Bank of Madagascar defaulted on payments to Exim Bank for the airlines' Boeing 747.

In 2002, Lufthansa Consulting was awarded a management contract with Air Madagascar, with a view to improving the airlines' efficiency and making it an attractive enterprise for privatisation. The airline's creditors in November 2002 agreed to forgive half of the company's debts and rescheduled the rest over a three year period. Because of the political crisis, the first half of 2001 saw a 66% drop in passenger traffic and a 71% drop in freight, which damaged the airline's revenues. The airline resumed flights to Paris from Antananarivo on 27 April 2003, taking over from Blue Panorama Airlines which had been operating on its behalf since the crisis began.

The first ATR 72 was delivered to the airline on 14 November 2005, followed by the second which was delivered to the airline at the Dubai Air Show a few weeks later.

On 17 June 2009, the airline introduced non-stop flights between Nosy Be and Paris, and in the lead up to the World Cup in 2010 in South Africa, the airline is improving services into Antananarivo for passengers coming to and from Paris and Johannesburg.

Destinations

Air Madagascar serves destinations in Africa, Asia and Europe.

Codeshare agreements

Air Madagascar has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:

• Air France (SkyTeam)

Fleet

As of September 2011, the Air Madagascar fleet comprises the following aircraft:

References

1. ^ "REGLEMENT GRAND TIRAGE AU SORT AIR MADAGASCAR." Air Madagascar. Retrieved on 3 February 2011. "La Société Nationale Malgache de Transport Aérien, Société Anonyme au capital de 33 885 440 000 Ariary ayant son siège social au 31, Avenue de l’Indépendance Analakely 101 Antananarivo"
2. "Your Advantages." Air Madagascar. Retrieved on 21 June 2010. "NAMAKO AIR MADAGASCAR 17, Avenue de l'indépendance Antananarivo 101"
3. "Home." Air Madagascar. Retrieved on 21 June 2010. View the page source of this page, and the text "<strong>- Air Madagascar Head Office</strong> (Analakely - Avenue de l’Indépendance)</p>" exists within the source-->
4. Flight International 27 March 2007
5. ^ Guttery, Ben R. (1998). Encyclopedia of African airlines. Ben Guttery. pp. 113–115. ISBN 0786404957. Retrieved 14 October 2009.
6. ^ Pénette; Lohau Le livre d'or de l'aviation malgache, pp.78
7. Pénette; Lohau Le livre d'or de l'aviation malgache, pp.45
8. ^ Thompson, Virginia (1965). "The Economy". The Malagasy Republic: Madagascar today. Stanford University Press. p. 292. ISBN 0804702799. Retrieved 19 October 2009. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
9. Pénette; Lohau Le livre d'or de l'aviation malgache, pp.46
10. Pénette; Lohau Le livre d'or de l'aviation malgache, pp.47
11. Pénette; Lohau Le livre d'or de l'aviation malgache, pp.49
12. "55 dead in Malagasy air crash". Tananarive: The Age. 20 July 1967. Retrieved 19 October 2009.
13. Pénette; Lohau Le livre d'or de l'aviation malgache, pp.50
14. Endres, Gunter0760311250 (2001). The illustrated directory of modern commercial aircraft. Zenith Imprint. p. 219. ISBN 0760311250. Retrieved 20 October 2009.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
15. Pénette; Lohau Le livre d'or de l'aviation malgache, pp.56
16. Europa Publications (2004). "Madagascar — Economy". Africa South of the Sahara 2004. Vol. 33. Routledge. p. 639. ISBN 1857431839. Retrieved 20 October 2009.
17. "Air Madagascar a acheté 3 ATR 42 d'occasion" (in French). Les Echos. 17 September 1997. Retrieved 20 October 2009.
18. Pénette; Lohau Le livre d'or de l'aviation malgache, pp.58
19. "Air Madagascar aims to replace 747". Flight International. 14 January 1998. Retrieved 19 October 2009.
20. "Air Madagascar receives first new 767-300ER on lease". Flight International. 30 June 1999. Retrieved 19 October 2009.
21. Morrell, Peter S. (2007). "Airline privatisation". Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 147. ISBN 0754670007 http://books.google.com.au/books?id=AbSohpvS_RAC. Retrieved 20 October 2009. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
22. International Monetary Fund (2003). "Structural reforms". Washington, D.C.: International Monetary Fund. p. 12 http://books.google.com.au/books?id=r9FPTBzB3HwC. Retrieved 20 October 2009. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
23. Cadasse, David (17 November 2002). "Air Madagascar sauvé" (in French). Afrik.com. Retrieved 20 October 2009.
24. ""Air Madagascar" retoma voos para Paris" (in Portuguese). Saint-Denis, Réunion: Panapress. 30 March 2003. Retrieved 20 October 2009.
25. Castaing, Simon (22 November 2005). "Salon de Dubaï: Air Madagascar prend livraison d'un ATR 72-500 neuf" (in French). Aeroweb-fr.net. Retrieved 20 October 2009.
26. "Nouvelles correspondances d'Air Madagascar dans l'Océan indien" (in French). Malango Actualité. 4 October 2009. Retrieved 19 October 2009.
27. "Aircraft News". Air Transport World. 19 September 2011. Retrieved 22 September 2011. Air Madagascar leased a Boeing 777-200ER from Portugal's Euro Atlantic Airways for one year replacing a 767-300ER previously leased from Air Italy.

Bibliography

• Pénette, Jean Pierre. Le livre d'or de l'aviation malgache (in French). Jean Pierre Pénette. ISBN 2952364605. Retrieved 19 October 2009. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

External links

• Air Madagascar
• Air Madagascar Template:Fr icon
• Air Madagascar North America
• Air Madagascar at ATDB: profile, history and events, contacts and management, historical/current/planned aircraft in fleets
• 64 avis certifies de passagers sur Air Madagascar

• Use dmy dates from September 2010
• Airlines of Madagascar
• IATA members
• African Airlines Association
• Antananarivo
• Government-owned airlines
• Airlines established in 1962