Air Madagascar (MD) has entered into an agreement with Icelandic ACMI specialists Air Atlanta Icelandic (CC) which will result in Air Madagascar transferring
its Airbus A340 onto Air Atlanta Icelandic's registry. The aircraft will therefore fall under the supervision of the Icelandic Civil Aviation Authorities and will allow the Malagasy national carrier to resume flights to Europe using its "own" equipment, despite its categorization as an "Annex B" class carrier on the EU No Fly List.
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| Air Madagascar A340 (AMFP) |
According to Air Madagascar, its A340 is currently in Paris awaiting recertification and transfer onto the Icelandic registry. The A340's maintenance will still, however, be contracted to Air France Industrie KLM Engineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M).
The carrier has insisted that, despite the transfer of the Airbus A340 to Air Atlanta Icelandic's registry, the aircraft will eventually be manned by an entirely Malagasy/Air Madagascar crew, once necessary training formalities are completed
To ensure no delays or cancellations are incurred for the duration of the recertification and re-registry phase, Air Madagascar will charter a EuroAtlantic Airways (YU) Boeing 777 for flights to Paris and Marseille from 22 February onwards.
Air Madagascar is not the first banned African carrier to take the "re-registry" route in circumventing the EU No-Fly Ban. Equato-Guinean carrier, CEIBA Intercontinental (C2) last year transferred its Boeing 777 onto the Portuguese registry of leisure/charter carrier White Airways (WI), thereby allowing it to launch Malabo - Madrid flights.
