Vanilla Alliance

The Vanilla Alliance (French: Alliance Vanille) is an airline alliance formed in September 2015 to improve air connectivity within the Indian Ocean region by strengthening cooperation between the airlines of Indian Ocean Commission members.

Vanilla Alliance
Launch date21 September 2015 (2015-09-21)
Full members5
Destination airports89
Destination countries26
Annual passengers (M)2.3[1]
Fleet size46
ManagementMarie-Joseph Malé, president[2]

History

In August 2010, Seychelles, Mauritius, Madagascar, the Comoros, Réunion, and Mayotte united under the brand "Vanilla Islands" to promote tourism to the entire region.[3][4] In 2012, the Maldives Minister for Tourism was invited to discuss joining as a member of the Vanilla Islands tourism body. But after a meeting of ministers in 2016, the organization confirmed that the Maldives was not a member of the group. It is noteworthy that there are no direct flights between Velana International Airport in the Maldives, and any of the member islands. The initial goals of the Vanilla Alliance include increased air service between the islands, more attractive fares, and optimization of codesharing.[5][6] L'Estrac also suggested the creation of a new low-cost regional airline to attract more tourists.[7] Ultimately, the alliance wishes to increase tourism, trade, and business ties in the region. The founding members are Air Austral, Air Madagascar, Air Mauritius, Air Seychelles and Int'Air Îles.

In 2012 the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) hosted a conference on the state of air travel within the Indian Ocean region.[3][7] It was determined that the current business model of the airlines was unsustainable and that ticket prices for regional air travel were too high, compared to intra-Europe and intra-Caribbean fares.[5]

From 2–3 May 2013, the IOC held another conference in Mauritius on the problems with regional air travel. In January 2014, the Commission published a plea entitled "Wings of the Indian Ocean", in which it called for a joint strategy on regional air transport and noted the economic benefits it would have.[7][8] The IOC held another conference in July 2014 on tourism and air travel, after which a committee of airline officials and another of civil aviation authorities were created to form the alliance.[3][7]

On 20 May 2015, the Council of Ministers of the IOC met in Antananarivo to commit to signing an agreement for the creation of the alliance.[9] The airlines were expected to sign it on 18 June, however this date was postponed due to a strike at Air Madagascar.[5]

On 21 September 2015, founding airlines Air Austral, Air Madagascar, Air Mauritius, Air Seychelles and Int'Air Îles signed the pact in Antananarivo. The signing was attended by Secretary General Jean-Claude de l'Estrac of the Indian Ocean Commission and Malagasy president Hery Rajaonarimampianina.[1][2][3]

Member airlines
Member airline Joined Notes
Air Austral 21 September 2015
Air Madagascar 21 September 2015
Air Mauritius 21 September 2015
Air Seychelles 21 September 2015
Int'Air Îles 21 September 2015

See also

References
  1. "Vanilla Alliance agreements signed in Antananarivo". Ch-aviation. 24 September 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  2. "ALLIANCE VANILLE : coopération mutuellement bénéfique". Présidence de la République de Madagascar. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  3. Philo, Madiha and Uranie, Sharon (23 September 2015). "Indian Ocean airlines, including Air Seychelles, ink ‘Vanilla Alliance’ agreement for better regional travel options". Seychelles News Agency. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  4. "Marketing plan for tourism destinations of the Indian Ocean islands". Seychelles Tourism Board via eTurboNews. 9 August 2010. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  5. Dron, Alan (23 July 2015). "Vanilla Aims to be Flavor of Success". Airways News. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  6. "Indian Ocean airlines seal cooperation with Vanilla Alliance". Air Mauritius. 9 October 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  7. "ACCORD DE CRÉATION DE L’ALLIANCE VANILLE : L’opportunité d’une compagnie aérienne régionale low-cost évoquée". Le Mauricien. 22 September 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  8. "Les ailes de l'Indian Océanie: Plaidoyer pour une stratégie régionale du transport aérien". Indian Ocean Commission. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  9. Amla, Hajira (26 May 2015). "Indian Ocean airlines, including Seychelles, to sign ‘Vanilla Alliance’ cooperation agreement". Seychelles News Agency. Retrieved 2 January 2016.

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