CEIBA Intercontinental (C2, Malabo) is planning to develop Malabo into an international hub connecting Africa with Europe and South America. Managing Director, Bienvenido Esono Engonga Okomo, told Jeune Afrique magazine that the Equatoguinean carrier intends to expand its international footprint with the launch of services to Lisbon and Johannesburg O.R. Tambo before the end of the year.
With the arrival of its second of three B737-800s on order from Boeing (BOE, Washington National), CEIBA is also looking to increase its services to West Africa where it currently serves Abidjan, Accra, Cotonou Cadjehoun, Dakar Yoff-Léopold Sédar Senghor International and Lomé.
In the long run, Okomo says he wants to target traffic between South America and Europe, which at present, is limited to Madrid Barajas flights.
Through shrewd use of the White (WI, Lisbon) Air Operator's Certificate (AOC), CEIBA has been able to circumvent the European Commission's blanket ban on all Equatoguinean operators. At present, it maintains its B777-200(LR) and its latest B737-800 on the Portuguese carrier's AOC allowing it to operate flights to Europe using its "own" metal.
CEIBA is the latest Central African carrier to move to establish the region's first major transit hub along with that of ECAIR - Equatorial Congo Airlines (EQR, Brazzaville). While technically a part of southern Africa, TAAG Angola Airlines (DT, Luanda 4 De Fevereiro) has also alluded to plans to develop Luanda's new Angola International Airport into its own major international hub with particular interest in boosting connectivity between Africa and Europe.
With these recent developments, it remains to be seen, however, whether the regional-bloc airline - Air CEMAC (Brazzaville) - whose intended purpose is to connect the CEMAC region (Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, DR Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, São Tomé & Príncipe) not only with each other, but also with the international community, will ever actually launch.
