During my fifty-two (52) days stay in
Cameroon from November 2015 to January
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| by Jackson W Nanje |
2016, I did not only hear stories of
lamentation about our only airline in Cameroon, Camair-Co, I received similar
disappointment from the airline which confirmed my fears that the company
might be heading to the dustbin if emergency measures are not taken to rescue
it. It appears the inefficiencies of the defunct Cameroon Airlines, Camair, is
being replicated in an alarming rate by Camair-Co. This is the assessment of Africa Intelligence, a West Africa
Newsletter (http://www.africaintelligence.com/LCE/power-players/2015/08/20/camair-co-same-old-story,100179320-ART). After a period of dormancy, the Cameroon
government revived Cameroon Airlines through a Presidential degree in
September of 2006 and renamed it Camair-Co, which stands for Cameroon Airlines
Corporation. The airlines took off in March 2011 five (5) years later with the
acquisition of three (3) aircrafts. One would think that the revival would
bring the necessary changes that had crippled Camair. Far from it! When
companies go through a restructuring phase, it is normally a period to revive
its image and put its acts together. This is not the case with Camair-Co; and,
something must be done to completely over-haul the dampened image of this
flagship (company) airline. Nanje School of Creative Thinking’s
investigation of the airline is complete now as we present the studies of our
findings to the authorities, who should be capable of bringing required changes to
polish the image of the airline, which
is basically flying on its last wings. These investigative findings have two
parts: problems and recommendations. We have re-examined what many have written
in newspaper articles about the airline and also from interviews and
experiences obtained from Cameroonians and non-nationals about the airline.
It is safe to say that even though Cameroon
Airlines lost its last wings the last time around and re-emerged years later
assuming a different name (Camair-Co), to its credit; this problem appears to
be synonymous with the way Francophone African countries with meagre resources
operate their airlines. Air Afrique, which was based in Ivory Coast suffered a
similar fate and went out of business. State-run Senegalese airline is also
swarmed in a 45billion FCFA debt due to poor management decisions.
Unbelievable!
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| Camair-Co Airline |
Problems Plaguing Camair-Co
The primary goal of this
investigation is to point out the inefficiencies inherent in Camair-Co with the
hope that the authorities shall make required changes that would enable the
airline to compete with other very efficient African airlines not only in the
Central African hub but elsewhere in the African continent at least, for now.
The very first person we interviewed in Douala did not call the airline by its
name--Camair-Co; instead, she called it Air Peut-être---meaning, maybe or maybe
not the airlines will fly at the scheduled date and time. This uncertainty
in the take-off and landing times is one of the major reasons why the airline
is losing even its Cameroon-based market to foreign competitors daily, at the
expense of tax payers who must continue to foot its bills. Something has to be
done; and fast too, to save the airlines from insolvency. Since when the
airline launched its first flight in March 2011 it has been running on a deficit
year in year out with expectations that, the government shall continue to bail
it out of its financial woes. The corporation is on her fourth General Manager,
the first two being Dutchmen (Alex Van Elk and Boertien Matthijs Johannes). Mr
Jean Paul Nana Sandjo (husband to the
renowned Cameroon artist, Grace Decca), is the second Cameroonian and
current General Director of the airline, replacing Federic Mbotto Edimo, in
just under four (4) years. Incredible! Sandjo’s optimism appears to be
promising for the shaky airline. At least, he has outlined a list of to-do
things top of which is a Business Plan for which, he has contracted
American-based Boeing Company to draw with the hope that it will enable the
airline stay afloat. (http://www.businessincameroon.com/transport/1904-5406-jean-paul-nana-sandjo-managing-director-of-camair-co-we-re-30-billion-fcfa-in-debt).
It is important to note that the government of Cameroon shall come to the
airline’s rescue again, financially, when this plan is finally submitted and
approved. The following are stacks of problems our investigations revealed:
a) Financial dependence on the government and
over-staffing
b) Lack of leadership and Management (Marketing)
strategy
c) Uncertainty in flight departure and arrival
d) Shortage of equipment and Passenger overflow
Problem
A) Financial
dependence on the government and over-staffing
As reported on March 28,
2012 by Christopher Jator of Cameroon Tribune exactly one year after Camair-Co
took to its wings, the company that was tipped to flourish did not only incur
deficits (9billion FCFA) but had to cancel some of its African routes in its
first year. The Cameroon government had initially invested 32billion FCFA and
it only realized 15billion FCFA of its initial investment. And in spite of
assurances that the company made to lift itself out of desperate measures, it
found itself asking for another 25billion FCFA subventions from the government
in 2015 to keep the airline afloat. The then General Manager of Camair-Co, Van Elk, had assured that, “we are very much aware of the fact that
we are using State money, and everything is being done to ensure that the least
franc is spent wisely”. He continued that, ‘the management team
tenaciously holds to the values of integrity, transparency and prudence in
financial management.’ We later found out that his promises were not kept
and the company finds itself in even deeper financial difficulties. The company
must break the cycle of over-dependence on the government for its financial
bail-outs and thrive on her own financial strengths. Victorine
Biy Nfor also of Cameroon Tribune stated that, 'Camair problems stem from
limited finances, suspension of pilots, mechanical and a litany of other issues.
In addition to fewer fleets which are prone to mechanical wreckage, Camair-Co
created more routes than its few planes could accommodate thereby leaving many
passengers disgruntled when there is a mechanical failure and the planes are
unavailable.' The other disturbing issue about the way Camair-Co conducts its
airline repair is through the hiring of Lufthansa engineers (who demand extortionate
repair wages) to repair its fleet than use Cameroon engineers who are ranked
amongst the world’s best (unsure of how they determined Cameroon engineers
amongst the world’s best) and would cost less. The defunct Cameroon Airlines went through similar problems when they had to take their planes abroad for annual maintenance, which in the most part were/is very expensive.
Another very serious issue that’s draining the
coffers of the airline is the fact that government riders ride for free to pay
later. Its (government) riders owe the airline more than 60million FCFA for
previous use of the airline. This is indeed a lot of money for an airline that
is yet to find its wings. http://www.camair-co.cm/en.html
Furthermore, the new General Manager of
Camair-Co, Jean Paul Nana Sandjo,
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| Jean Paul Nana Sandjo (GM Camair-Co) |
has the highest staff (700) amongst any African
airlines (which he inherited from his predecessors) but can only boast of three
aircrafts. Many of the air hostesses are foreigners, lamented Pius Ottou, an
Economist and a frequent flyer of Camair-Co. The question is whether there are
no competent, beautiful, and handsome Cameroonians who could be trained to
handle the exigencies of air travel?! Happily, the new boss has identified
over-staffing as one of his problems to address. The privately-owned Togolese
airline, ASKY, has a staff of 250 with seven fleets. And, Air Cote d’Ivoire
holds a fleet of six with 290 staff. These airlines run quite efficiently with
the staff they have and they even have more routes than the Camair-co. And based
on the problems cited above, we can now trace where most of Camair-Co’s
financial problems are coming from. Fixing it therefore cannot be too
demanding.
Recommendation:
For
the company to be profitable, it must drastically reduce its flight and
administrative staff to acceptable numbers and levels. Our hopes are that, Boeing, a
trusted name in the flight business, which has been contacted by Camair-Co to
draw a new Business Plan for airline will address this moderne problem once and for
all. Also, with the high rate of unemployment in Cameroon, the airline should
strive to train Cameroonians to man the flight crew and manage the airline rather
than use foreign nationals who cost way too much. Ethiopian airlines, like many other airlines of
other countries, employ their citizens. We should be able to do same and curb
unemployment in our country and showcase the efficacy of our flight crew.
The government of Cameroon should consider its latest approach of demanding a Business Plan from Camair-Co management as the last resort aimed at keeping the agency afloat. If this last attempt does not work, they should consider selling the business to private ownership, which usually runs things better.
B) Lack of leadership and Management
(Marketing) strategy
The
poor management style of Camair-Co could be seen in its everyday lacklustre
operations. It could also be exemplified by the numerous managers the company has
had (four) in under five years since its re-engagement. The airline has become
an example that most African countries point to on how not to run a business.
It is not dependable, not dedicated to satisfying its customers even though its
mantra states so, and, it is not determined to succeed amidst the busy
competitive airways. In most businesses nowadays, maintaining a continuous
trend in customer satisfaction is what they strive for. Not Camair-Co! The word
lamentation cannot substitute for the embarrassment it subjects its customers
to. Read this story below:
On Monday November 23, 2015, a family
friend flew in from Lagos, Nigeria. Her flight was scheduled to leave Lagos at
7:15PM but it was delayed until 9:15PM. This is however normal practice in the
airline business. The flight was a direct flight to Cameroon but when it took
off it announced its next destination in mid-air to Cotonou. A flight which was
scheduled to land in Douala International Airport at 8:15PM ended up in Yaoundé
Nsimalen Airport with family members and loved ones bemused at the lack of any sense
of purpose by the airline management team. The authorities however provided a
hotel stay and fed the passengers rather, reluctantly. They only succeeded in
bringing the stranded, angry and confused passengers the following day at
9:30PM shamefully without any apologies. On her return to Lagos, Nigeria a week
later on Monday, December 1, 2015, they shockingly sent a message that the
flight has been cancelled while we were already at the airport. Normally, what
most airlines would do when confronted with this type of situation is to
accommodate the customers by providing transportation, lodging and food for
them so as to encourage them fly with them again. But Camair-Co would hardly do
this; and in the case of this family friend as with others on that miserable
day, they asked her to come back and catch another Camair-Co flight six (6)
days later on the December 7, 2015. This was pure heartless and inconsiderate
of a customer who was not even from Cameroon. I demanded to see or speak to the
supervisor or a manager rather than deal with their subordinates, to address
the situation of this family friend immediately. I stayed at the airport with
her for up to six hours until they resolved her situation. The management
decided to accommodate my initial requests and the next day the family friend
was put in a Nigerian flight back to her country.
One of the reasons that Nanje School of
Creative Thinking went into this investigative expedition of the airline is
because most Cameroonians were not even aware that the country, Cameroon, was
still in the airline business. The airline does not fly in all regions of the
country. The Anglophone region is not aware of the presence of a Cameroon
airline in the country. For an airline called Cameroon airline, it must and
should devise a strategy to fly in all regions of the country. Throughout the
investigative period, not one of our investigators saw one advertisement
bulletin on any of the numerous television stations in the country or in
newspapers or on the internet aggressively competing for customers.
Recommendation:
First,
adopt an aggressive advertising scheme of the different destinations of its
flights, the different prices the airline offers, and the different times of
its various flights, are important ways to inform the citizens of what the
airline offers. Second, the airline must avoid what Canon Lloyd Morgan coined
as ‘trial and error’ or ‘trial and failure’ style of management in which
attempts are made until they get it right. The government of Cameroon has spent
billions of francs to bankroll the airline failures and it is important for the
airline to get it right this time around on its fourth General Manager.
C)
Uncertainty in flight arrival and departure
One of the biggest problems that Camair-Co
has faced over the years which have indeed affected its profit margin is the
uncertainty in its departure and arrival of its flight programs. No one knows
for certain when its airplanes will take-off and also if the airplanes would arrive
at scheduled time. The fact that Camair-Co is not dedicated to its customers
because of the looming problem of unreliability, the customers also do not see
the airline as dependable for use. The former CEO, Alex van Elk, attributed the
airline’s financial woes due to its inability in regaining passenger confidence
amid fierce competition from international carriers. This is partially true;
however, the main reason for its financial problems is as a result of the
uncertainty of its arrival and departure schedules. The coinage, Air Peut-être is how many have come to describe the Camair-Co
airline. And this is a very poor image for any customer to hold about any
product of value. Camair-Co has maintained this appalling image shortly from
inception in 2011.
The three Ds (determined, dedicated, and
dependable), is a slogan often used to assure customers that, with their money,
any business will do anything to accommodate them. It is good for Camair-Co to
have a Business Plan; however, no such plan shall be achievable if management
cannot win the trust of its customers. The prognoses on Camair-Co vis-à-vis
customer trust, is zero. This is the area that needs tremendous resources
dedicated to it if it is to stay in the competition.
Recommendation:
When
management of Camair-Co decides to build an airline based on trust, it will win
the confidence of its former travellers. Their planes must leave at scheduled
time and arrive at scheduled time as well. Determined, dependable and
dedication are not mere slogans; these words are matched with actual commitment
of the staff, to make its customers happy and bring them back as repeat customers.
d)
Shortage of equipment and Passenger
overflow Problems
The lack thereof of
airplanes have been one of the reasons that many who ought to have been
frequent flyers are moving away from Camair-Co to its competitors. For over
five years, the company has operated on three airplanes but has surprisingly
expanded its routes to include Paris and Lyon in addition to numerous other
African routes. While Camair-Co has identified this as a major reason for the
decline in its market, fixing the problem has been a more complicated issue. Also, while
the
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| Recently Purchased MA60 |
number of airplanes have been recently increased from three to five with the purchase
of two MA60 purchased from a Chinese manufacturer (AVIC International Holding),
these planes are not certified to fly in Europe (EASA) or in the USA (FAA)
partly because of its known mechanical problems. The CameroonJournal.com and
Hon. Joshua Osih (of the SDF party) have chronicled the mechanical history of
these newly acquired planes (prone to mechanical failures), which have been prohibited
to fly in Europe and in the United States of America and have advised the
government of Cameroon accordingly not to purchase these planes. Yet, the
Minister of Transport is encouraging Cameroonians to have trust in these planes
simply because he flew in one of them during a 30 minutes test-flight from
Douala to Yaoundé and therefore, the Chinese manufactured airplanes should be
trusted. Click on the link below to read for yourself the compiled history of
these newly acquired troubled airplanes (http://cameroonjournal.com/national-news/before-cameroonians-begin-to-die-in-ma60-planes-heres-their-broken-record/). With
the known mechanical problems that Camair-Co has faced since its comeback in
2011, buying planes with established mechanical failure history it is believed,
explains the lack of tact or aggressiveness in addressing the problems of the
past and have instead increased the dangers of potential future problems.
The mechanical failures of this embattled
airline have created two major problems: passenger dissatisfaction and the loss
of confidence to make the airline the airline of choice. Passenger
dissatisfaction and loss of confidence should be addressed adequately if
Camair-Co is to bring back their lost customers. The other problem witnessed is
that of customer overflow. The company does a poor job handling stranded
passengers. The combination of inadequate flights and problems emanating from
mechanical errors are lessons learnt for management to create better solutions
to accommodate stranded Camair-Co passengers.
Recommendation:
Mechanical
issues must be anticipated and back-up plans should be put in place to handle
unforeseen contingencies when they occur. The airline must evaluate passengers’
problems and address them properly so as to encourage repeat customer.
Provision of accommodation for stranded customers should be encouraged when
flights are cancelled or negotiate with other sister airlines to transport the
stranded customers when an emergency occurs that prevents passengers from
flying with the airline. No customer should ever be left stranded at any
airport under no circumstance. That is why a Contingency Planning Team within
the airline should be put in place to address emergencies when they occur.
As Camair-Co walks through this dark
period of its existence, it should do so with the hope of not returning to this
period never again. The revitalization and revamping process should be properly
planned in order to restore confidence, the airline can become a profitable
business for the first time in its history, and finally, it will restore the
faith of its travellers and build a positive image of the country (which has
been severely dampened as they Boeing prepares its Business Plan being so as to
write a new chapter of the failing airline.
