With Air Madagascar's (MD) Airbus A340-300s too big for Nosy-Be's (Fascene) Airport, the Malagasy Government is attempting to lure French carrier Corsair International (SS) back to Madagascar's largest and busiest tourist resort, as they are the only carrier with the equipment (Airbus A330s) capable of operating a direct Paris - Nosy Be flight from the airport, at this time.  |
| Nosy Be (Fascene) Airport (P Lipinski) |
Air Madagascar's Boeing 767s are understood to be optimum for the route, if only for their Banning from European airspace.
With Air France apparently showing no interest in the route, Jean Max Rakotomamonjy, Madagascar's Minister of Tourism, has had to court Pascal de Izaguirre, the CEO of Corsair, who were the first carrier to establish direct Paris - Nosy Be flights, but later abandoned the route due to lack of profitability.
During the
recent International Tourism Fair, Top Resa, in
Paris, senior Malagasy officials held a meeting with Corsair executives to explore the possibility of Corsair resuming the route:
Nicolas Lehoucq, head of the Corsair's Foreign Market, reported that a return to the route is not yet a priority for the company. Whilst it could be done, it is not yet under consideration. "We're studying the case of Nosy Be, amongst others, but have still not yet decided. We will study the possibility of resuming the flight one day, " he said.
Corsair previously operated Antananarivo - Nosy Be - Paris flights until tourism took a dive following the political unrest of 2009/2010, in which case, the airline switched its flights to Mayotte, a French protectorate in the Comoros island group.
