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Air Centrafrique was the flag carrier of the Central African Republic from 1966 to the late 1970s. The company operated domestic services. It had its headquarters in Bangui.[2]
| Founded | 1966 |
|---|---|
| Commenced operations | 1967 |
| Ceased operations | 1979[1] |
| Headquarters | Bangui, Central African Republic |
The carrier was formed as Compagnie Centre Africaine Air Bangui in 1966 in association with Air Afrique and Union de Transports Aériens (UTA),[3][4] with the latter providing management and technical assistance.[5] It was conceived to provide feeder services to Air Afrique.[5] Operations started in early 1967, linking Bangui with Berberati[nb 1] using Douglas DC-3 aircraft.[3][4] In July 1967, a Beech 95 Baron was acquired for flying new routes to Bakouma and Bangassou.[5]
One DC-3 and one Beech Baron made up the airline's aircraft lineup at March 1970.[7] Gaining flag carrier status, the company was renamed Air Centrafrique in mid-1971 following reorganisation after the government attempted to withdraw from the Air Afrique consortium earlier that year.[8]
The launching of Air Centrafrique as an independent airline was one of the moves of the proclaimed Emperor Bokassa I that indebted the country, to the point that banks began to refuse loans to the state in the same year.[9] Following the rupture with Air Afrique, agreements were signed with Zaire, Congo and Chad for Air Centrafrique to fly to those destinations.[10] On 1973-2-13, Bokassa issued a decree suspending operations of Air Centrafrique, due to a conflict with French navigation staff.[11]
By March 1975, passenger scheduled services to Bangui, Bambari, Bangassou, Birao, Bouar, Bria, Carnot, M'Boki, Ouadda and Zemio were operated; seasonal flights were also undertaken during the safari hunting period.[12] A Caravelle 3 entered the fleet in the late 1970s.[5][nb 2]
The airline ceased operations between 1978 and 1979.[nb 3] The collapse of Air Centrafrique, along with other debacles of the Bokassa legacy, contributed to undermining the prestige of the Central African Republic internationally.[14]
Following is a list of destinations served by Air Centrafrique all through its history:
Air Centrafrique operated the following aircraft throughout its history:
- Air Centrafrique appeared in the World airline directory compilation published by Flight International in April 1978,[2] but the entry was removed from that directory in April 1979.[13] It is assumed that the carrier ceased operations at some time within that period.
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