French overseas departments and territories: Air Austral, the recovery in the making

Present in Paris for the IFTM Top Resa trade fair, Air Austral Chairman Marie-Joseph Malé does not usually express himself much. However, he outlined the foreseeable changes that Air Austral will undergo in the coming months. " We are on a upward trendafter a year and a half of a rebounding pandemic" he explains. Like the other French overseas departments and regions, Réunion has benefited from territorial continuity with mainland France. This has enabled Air Austral to maintain its activity, a necessity for the Indian Ocean territory.

During the summer season, Air Austral operated flights between Paris and La Réunion, Paris and Mayotte and between La Réunion and Mayotte. Flights never stopped, even at the height of the pandemic, with at least two flights a week. This territorial continuity has resulted in two state loans of 30 and 20 million euros.

Resumption of regional services this winter

This winter, the international is in the process of regaining some of his colours. " We are once again serving Mauritius with the reopening of the borders and regional flights are gaining momentum. Before the end of the year, we will also be resuming our services to Madagascar, initially to Tananarive and possibly Nosy Be. India and Southern Africa, with Thailand to follow in the longer term." says Marie-Joseph Malé, who is cautiously optimistic.

However, the route to Guangzhou in China, operated in partnership with Air Madagascar, will not be resumed. " Firstly, because our cooperation with Air Madagascar has ceased. And the potential of the route from Réunion alone is no longer sufficient to justify a resumption." said the Chairman of Air Austral.

The Air Austral/Corsair joint venture will create an even more powerful airline offering

Air Austral has high expectations of its agreement with Corsair on the Réunion-Metropolitan France route. "This is more than just a code-sharing agreement. In fact, it's a genuine joint venture with joint exploitation and revenue sharing. This JV will be set up before the end of the year. It will enable us to offer a comprehensive range of flights between France - Paris CDG and Orly, but also Lyon and Marseille - to Réunion, with aligned fares and greater flight flexibility for passengers" explains Marie-Joseph Malé. The combined strengths of the two airlines should account for between 55% and 60% of total traffic at the airport. In 2019, Air Austral's market share at Saint-Denis reached 45.2% of traffic, and Corsair's 11%.

Air Austral is nevertheless looking to the future with optimism, especially as the company benefits from the unconditional support from the region and its new majority. Traffic is due to resume in 2022, and the company received its Airbus A220-300 introduced on its regional routes. According to Marie-Joseph Malé, the company will have withstood the crisis generated by the pandemic thanks to prudent management.