Congolese delegation announces the opening of trade and commerce ties with the UAE.
DUBAI, UAE – Republic of Congo’s national airline, Equatorial Congo Airlines SA, trading as ECAir, has appointed Planet Travels & Tours LLC as its General Sales Agent (GSA) in the United Arab Emirates and will provide full sales and marketing services as well as customer support, ticketing and administrative facilities.
A signing ceremony was held with CEO of ECAir, Mrs. Fatima Beyina-Moussa and Chairman of Planet Group, Mr. Georges M. Moussa. Witnessing the ceremony are officials from the Republic of Congo namely Minister of Transport and Maritime Mr. Mokoki Gilbert, Chairman of the Board of Directors EC Air Mr Jean Louis Osso and other dignitaries.
Mokoki Gilbert, Minister of Transport and Maritime of Republic of Congo said “It is indeed an honor for us to be welcomed by HE Mohammed A. Ahli, Director General of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) at the Dubai airport. Our delegation is here in Dubai to strengthen economic ties with the UAE and we hope with the announcement of EC Air’s direct flights to Dubai will open new doors for more trade tie ups. We are also meeting with H.E. Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy of the UAE to further discuss more collaboration between two countries.”
He added: “Our operation in the Middle East is aimed at opening business and economic ties between the two countries. We will also work on making Brazzaville the hub for Central Africa and we invite investors to visit Brazzaville and see its potential.”
ECAir launched its maiden flight to Dubai, arriving from Brazzaville last night and was welcomed by Dubai Airports officials. The first flight marked the commencement of a three times a week service between Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Brazzaville, Congo (BZV). The new route will operate a Boeing 757 aircraft configured with 16 business class and 132 economy class seats, the first commercial flight starting on March 31st.
During the press conference, Chairman Osso said: “This is a historic event for ECAir because this will strengthen our Middle East network through one of the most important hubs in the world. We are also pleased to announce our partnership with Planet Travel & Tours LLC as our GSA in the UAE. This appointment was made for the purpose of ECAir’s expansion and strengthening its brand and sales amongst the UAE travelers and travel industry leaders. We are delighted to be working with such a well-established GSA, and look forward to growing our presence in the important UAE market. By opening this direct flight from Brazzaville, Congo, with direct connections to Pointe Noire and regional African destinations our customers will arrive in Dubai ready to enjoy their holidays or continue on to many other exciting destinations.”
George M. Moussa, Chairman, Planet Group, said: “We are indeed very happy and welcome ECAir as our first airline partner from Africa and we look forward to a successful partnership. This is a significant move and it shows our strength in representing airlines from around the world. Planet Travels & Tours LLC has dedicated a sales and operations team for this operation. This agreement is more than a GSA agreement between an airline and GSA because airline always plays the role of a bridge between two countries and this operation is the beginning of the cooperation between our countries. We as GSA understand that our role is to strengthen the relation between the two countries on all levels be it commercial, tourism and investment so we are committed to develop this.”
ECAir will fly to Dubai three times a week (Monday, Thursday and Saturday) departing Brazzaville, Congo at 3:05pm and arriving in Dubai at 01:40am the next day. Flight leaves Dubai every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday at 03:05am and arrives in Brazzaville, Congo at 07:45am. EC Air operates a fleet of five aircraft to seven destinations worldwide. The airline has significant expansion plans over the next five years.
Photo caption: HE Mohammed A. Ahli, Director General of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) welcomes Republic of Congo Minister of Transport and Maritime Gilbert Mokoki.
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
