Air Mauritius (MK, Mauritius) has rejected a proposal by the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) regarding the merging of Air Madagascar (MD, Antananarivo), Air Mauritius, Air Seychelles (HM, Mahé) and Air Austral (UU, St. Denis de la Réunion) into a combined regional carrier.
According to the terms of the proposal, the new regional carrier would serve the islands of Mauritius, Madagascar, Seychelles, Reunion, the Comoros and mainland Africa including Tanzania, Uganda and Burundi.
However, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Air Mauritius, Dass Thomas, poured cold water on the idea.
"Air Mauritius is in a difficult situation right now. If we had reached cruising speed, we would consider this idea," Dass told L'Express. "Anyway, this decision has more to do with government. At the moment, our priority is to consolidate bases that have been run down in recent years. We can not allow Air Mauritius to perish while we create this regional company."
Air Austral's Managing Director, Marie-Joseph Malé, echoed Thomas' sentiments adding that he would be in favour of a better understanding between the airlines before any additional cooperation.
Jean-Claude Estrac, the Secretary General of the IOC, disputed these claims stating that the formation of a new regional carrier was no longer an option, but a necessity.
Estrac also bemoaned the cost of intra-island travel noting it to be among the most expensive routes to operate in the world in terms of cost per kilometre.
