Africa

Royal Air Maroc has become the first African airline to join oneworld. Why did you wait so long to take this step? Rob Gurney - It was a question of finding the right candidate and being able to identify mutual benefits. I think there was a sort of confluence of events. Royal Air Maroc entered...

The Radisson Hotel Group is stepping up its growth in Africa with the announcement of five new hotel openings since the start of the year. Already well-established on the continent - its latest developments include the opening of a Radisson Red in Johannesburg, a triple inauguration in Madagascar and the appearance of the luxurious Radisson Collection in Bamako - the hotel group...

You could see the pride in the eyes of the crew of flight AT555, as the Royal Air Maroc Boeing 737 was showered with the traditional "water salute" of major events on Friday 25 March. It has to be said that the Moroccan airline and its crews had to show patience and resilience...

Coincidentally, Royal Air Maroc is celebrating its integration into Oneworld and its arrival in Tel Aviv in March. Is it possible to prioritise these two major events? Karim Benchekroun - We had integrated Oneworld as early as April. Unfortunately, the health crisis intervened, and we weren't able to complete the integration...

Cairo, Africa's best city for doing business? Those already familiar with the Egyptian capital may be surprised by this result. The city is notorious for its pollution, traffic jams and infrastructure problems. The surprises of the InterNations ranking of the best cities for expats Despite this, the Egyptian metropolis offers a...

As in the rest of the world, 2021 saw the start of a recovery in air transport in Africa. But this recovery was relatively moderate. According to the Association of African Airlines (AFRAA), the number of passengers handled by the region's airlines reached 42.3% of its 2019 volume. During the...

To make its entry into Madagascar, the Radisson group has not done things by halves with a triple inauguration in the capital Antananarivo. "We are delighted to open our first three hotels, showcasing two of our fastest growing brands and a diverse offering ranging from hotels to flats with...

The avid and voco brands are vying for the status of the fastest growing brand within the IHG group. While the avid budget brand has just passed the 50-hotel mark with the opening of a hotel at Fort Lauderdale airport, and is continuing to expand in North America with the opening of a new hotel at the...

For once in the Middle East, Qatar will be stealing the show from Dubai when it comes to spectacular hotels. Not that this emirate, which is hosting the Universal Exhibition until the end of March, has set aside its Pharaonic ambitions, as demonstrated by the expected opening in the second half of the year of Atlantis The Royal, a new...

Hilton has announced the imminent arrival of a hotel in N'Djamena, signalling its return to Chad after suspending its presence in the country at the end of 2019. To this end, the American group's brand will move into a newly-built hotel, the Hilton N'Djamena Toumaï Palace, located in the 2nd district of N'Djamena, in the...

40 new residences to be opened by 2021 by the world leader in extended-stay hotels, Ascott Limited, and 10 new addresses by Adagio Aparthotels, the leading player in this segment in Europe: the extended-stay specialists continued to show strong growth momentum last year. And this despite a period that was not very conducive to...

Mali is more isolated than ever, and the sanctions imposed on Sunday by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are being echoed in Europe. ECOWAS announced the closure of borders and a trade embargo to put pressure on the military junta. The junta was planning to postpone the return of...

Since mid-December, passengers have been able to book their flights to Africa on Brussels Airlines. The airline is offering more intercontinental flights for next summer. This increase in capacity is accompanied by the entry into service of a ninth Airbus A330. Commenting on the reinstatement of this ninth aircraft, the CEO of Brussels...

So La Compagnie has finally turned to Libreville, banking on Gabon if it cannot fully exploit the potential of the Paris-Tel Aviv route. This route is certainly promising, but given the health and regulatory context, it does not offer enough short-term guarantees to the French carrier. "The opening of our...

Accor will be offering two hotels in Conakry by 2024, under the Novotel brand and its long-stay variant Novotel Living. Until now, the French group, one of the leading hotel groups in Africa, has not yet had a presence in the Republic of Guinea, and will therefore be adding a new destination on the continent. "This project marks not only the introduction of the...

The new variant, called Omicron, is considered dangerous because of its very high number of mutations. Current vaccines may therefore be ineffective against this variant. Speaking to the BBC, Professor Tulio de Oliveira, Director of the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation in South Africa, said that there was a...

The crisis must have seemed very long to the teams at Brussels Airlines, which was particularly weakened for many months by this period of turbulence. Nailed to the tarmac for months, the airline's aircraft are gradually returning to service, gradually expanding the network. The winter programme unveiled on 30 September confirms this renewed ambition,...

Known for its five-star boutique hotels in Paris and the provinces, Maison Albar Hotels is preparing to take a major step in Africa with the announcement, on World Tourism Day in Abidjan, of three establishments due to open in Côte d'Ivoire over the next few years. These hotels are part of the country's tourism strategy...

Pure chance? Probably not. Last April, Qatar Airways announced the launch in June of three weekly flights between Doha and Abidjan by Boeing 787, inaugurating its fourth route since the pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa. The Qatari carrier also took the opportunity to sign an interline agreement with local carrier Air Côte d'Ivoire....

The Indigo brand is preparing to make a remarkable arrival in Egypt. IHG has just announced that it will be opening four new sites across the country. Among them, the Indigo Mountain View icity New Cairo project will be aimed squarely at business customers. This establishment will have a total of 200 rooms. It is due to open in early 2026. The economy...