The government of Burundi has revealed plans to launch a national carrier dubbed Burundi Airlines. The government launch comes 11 years after the failure of Air Burundi, the previous national airline.
The country cabinet says that Burundi Airlines will be a merger of the fallen predecessor, Air Burundi, and Société Burundaise de Gestion des Entrepôts et d’Assistance des Avions en Escale (SOBUGEA), a state agency that runs Burundi’s airports.
The Burundi government will own 92% of the national airline. Consequently, the state insurer, Societe d’Assurances du Burundi (SOCABU), will own 4%, while the estate of defunct Belgian Airline Sabena will take the remaining 4%. Meanwhile, a team will investigate the liability among other implications which the Air Burundi and the SOBUGEA will have for the state.
Last year, Uganda Airlines revived its national carrier after almost 20 years, hoping to reduce connectivity issues to and from the country and enhance the country’s competitiveness. Uganda Airlines ceased operations in 2001.
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