Elysian Airlines Takes To Cameroonian Skies

By Ernest Sumelong

It took only 30 minutes from the Douala International Airport to the Nsimalen International Airport in Yaounde for a new national airline, Elysian Airlines, to establish itself as the latest sensation in the Cameroonian air industry.

Elysian Airlines:Ready to fly

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Elysian Airlines, which prides itself as the African Dream, made its inaugural flight on Monday, August 6, with a cream of journalists, business people and crewmembers on board.

Both Tourism and Transport Ministers and huge delegations from their Ministries, that could hardly wait to see the new aircraft fly its first, welcomed the first passengers and crewmembers on board Elysian Airlines at the Nsimalen International Airport.

An elated Tourism Minister, El Hadj Baba Hamadou, told journalists, upon their arrival, that the new airline has come to meet the need of air transport facilities within the country, thereby boosting the tourism sector, which had been handicapped by the absence of such facilities. He said the airline would link the North and South of the country and would create enormous possibilities for tourism and expose Cameroon to the international business and travel markets.

The Secretary of State in the Ministry of Transport, who deputized for the Minister, corroborated the Minister of Tourism, stating that the new airline has come to solve the problem of lack of air transport facilities.

Speaking to an audience at the Nsimalen Airport, the Elysian Airlines General Manager, Michael O'Brien, said the goal of the company is to provide a safe world-class air service, lower the cost of travel and substantially reduce the time spent between destinations.

According to him, operations for domestic routes will start with an Embraer RT 30-seater aircraft, while additional aircrafts would be added as the operations grow.  He also assured journalists and concerned business people that the airline has come to stay forever.

Meanwhile, the founder of the airline, Dr Abayomi Ojetunde, said it is their intention to establish a world-class airline in Cameroon making it the hub of Central Africa. According to him, the possibilities for growth are excellent.

One of the first passengers on the inaugural flight, Victor Awasung, the Manager of the Corporate Department of Equatorial Tours Ltd, expressed excitement at the coming of the Elysian airlines. "With this new airline, it would be easier for businessmen and tourists to visit and discover Cameroon's touristic centres like the Waza Park in Garoua and other attractions, especially in the North."

The Post learnt that Cameroonian born Professor Julius Oben, Biochemist and Lecturer at the University of Yaounde I, heads the Cameroonian consortium that owns 51 percent shares of the company while Dr Abayomi heads a British/South African consortium that owns the other 49 percent.

The partnership has trained and employed many Cameroonians and hopes to provide Cameroonians with affordable possibilities of traveling within the country.According to an Elysian Airlines press release, the Douala based national airlines will operate passenger services initially within Cameroon; to Yaounde, Garoua and Ngaoundere.

On Tuesday, August 7, Elysian Airways effectively made successful trips to Yaounde and Garoua, and its schedule shows the various destinations it would be flying throughout August.

Flying The Elysian Airlines

We took off from the Douala Airport at 3pm with the flight captain, Van Wyk, announcing that we had 30 minutes to be in Yaounde. A flight attendant, Andri de Beer, briefed the passengers on basic safety rules - buckling the seat belt, using safety exits and air bags in case of trouble.

Some Elysian Airlines first passengers included Tricia Oben, Kingsley Ngange, Gisele Nnemi of CRTV Douala; Dr. Abayomi, Blaise Kalle Hofmann of EDEN Newspaper and Hilda Nsom, the Elysian Airlines Yaounde Station Manager.

The way the South African born flight captain flew the 30-seater airbus gave one the impression that he knew the Cameroonian skies like the back of his hand. Andri de Beer, on her part, was one lady you would want to meet all through your life whenever you are flying. She had this infectious smile that could disarm a hundred trigger-happy soldiers.

This is part of the crew we met on board and they seemed unbeatable and rightly geared. While we were five minutes from Yaounde, a cheerful crew popped champagnes to celebrate a successful arrival and by that same token, "the birth of a new airline in Cameroon." Another 30 minutes of flying much later and we once more soft-landed in Douala.

The small airbus would make trips to Yaounde, Garoua and Ngaoundere, and the crew said they are ready to fly Cameroonians in time, safety and comfort."How long will Elysian Airlines stay in Cameroon?" Kingsley Ngange, a journalist with CRTV Douala asked.
"Forever," Andri de Beer, the attendant replied with a broad smile.

Comments

[Che Sunday]

And when will make its virgin trip to Bamenda?

[Che Sunday]

Correction:And when will it make its virgin trip to Bamenda?

[Kumbaboy]

The No.1 enemy to Elysian Airlines is CORRUPTION and poor airport infrastructure in Cameroon.

SIX COMMANDMENTS TO ELYSIAN

(1) Thou shalt not fly government officers on state issued bonds - they are worthless and only redeemable upon paying bribes and side-kicks in Yaounde.

(2) Thou shall not delay a flight because a politician is late to the terminal.

(3) Thou shall not put thy cash in a Government bank lest politicians borrow it and never to repay.

(4) Thou shall maintain a separate foreign exchange account for purchases of spares to air crafts.

(5) Thou shall not fly at night if possible to regional airports.

(6) Finally, thou shall levy travellers heavily for excess luggage. West Africans have a crazy obsession with luggage.

AMEN.

[Tombele]

Elysian Airlines, if you don't fly to Bamenda, Limbe, Kumba,Bui, Nkambe,Wum and Mamfe you will not succeed that is where the brains in Cameroon are!!!! Most successful Cameroonians overseas come from these regions, have the money, the manpower and the know how to make the whole thing succeed. Talk to those stupid frogs to open those airports, where will a Beti, Ewondo, Douala Bassa fly to. A Bami will rather ride a bike, camel, goat, donkey or walk.

[Legima Doh]

Yeah Tombele,
The la republique regime closed down our airports in Tiko,Mamfe and the one that was in our compound in Bali.When i am on holiday at home I just walk around to see the ruins of the former airport wearing and tearing.This is an airport that would be good enough for us to fly from Heathrow directly there ie Heathrow International Airport to Bali International Airport,or Mamfe International Airport or Tiko International Airport.

The wrath of God is inevitable on la republique.

Legima Doh,
ScNc

[Legima Doh]

And the airports in Bali,Mamfe and Tiko would mean the entire Southern cameroons is linked by air.La republique saw it as a threat and so closed them down.Not enought,she closed the limbe seaport and built the rubbish in bonamukenge quarter in Douala.she concretized her plan of leaving the southern cameroons in a state of no transport by destroying all roads.she used large trucks to loot timber and other resources while ruining the roads to the present day state of potholes and potorpotor.

The wrath of God is upon la republique.

But peace shall reign in our motherland.

Legima Doh,
ScNc

[Julius T Johnson]

magnifique plan, but as said, you guys should fly more to the west and north west of Cameroon, people from that part love tourism and are wealthy seriously think again about your strategie of marketing . Cameroonian needs you.
maybe a bus collecting your clients from the city center of Yaounde would be great too, because Yaounde Cameroon do not have a national road to the airport so is fucking hard to get to the airport on time, and when you think that you have to go then 3 to 4 hours earlier and hang around an empty airport for 2hours OMG is depressing.
as far as i heard, Douala airport is doing very well to satisfy it's client with a better environment

long live, all the best
julius johnson