The Novou brothers presenting the project. Photo LNM
This time the project, announced in our columns last December, is being taken seriously. The brothers Régis and Julien Novou, both aviation professionals, had launched this 100% Mahoran project with the support of Airbus, and the DGAC (Direction Générale de l’Aviation Civile) had given the green light for the CTA (Certificat de Transport Aérien).
It was yesterday in a videoconference with the experts of Airbus Consulting in Toulouse, that the project leaders were able to detail their business plan, supported by Airbus Consulting. After a detailed study of the competition (or rather the absence of competition put forward as the cause of excessive tariffs), the birth of a new real airline would logically have its place, according to the study. After a reversal of position by the Departmental Council, which had suddenly stopped supporting this project, the Novou brothers worked in the shadows and above all in discretion, as “discretion in Mayotte allows things to be done which, if they are overexposed, fail miserably”, according to our colleague Denis Herrmann in his 3685 edition. According to the experts at Airbus Consulting, Zena will be entitled to charge prices 10 to 30% lower than those currently charged by Air Austral and its subsidiary Ewa. How can it do this? “Simply by applying realistic operating costs. High-performance, fuel-efficient aircraft, selection of technical partners and a desire to operate routes in line with demand, in this case Paris, Marseille and Pierrefonds, in the south of La Réunion. With a significant announcement: “Pierrefonds, an airport that is largely underused, offers interesting capacities, so why not offer a Mayotte-Pierrefonds-Paris flight” explained Julien Novou. If the choice of aircraft has been announced with aircraft “in semi-final” before a final choice, either a B 737 Max or an A 321 Neo, nothing has filtered on the financing of this company which has planned its takeoff in early 2022. To be continued in our columns.
