Tunisia’s new charter air carrier, Karthago Airlines, took off last month. The airline plans to focus on domestic tourism, aiming for a 10 percent market share in the domestic chartering market, currently dominated by foreign operators.
The carrier’s initial fleet is comprised of three aircraft, two of which are B737-300’s aircraft, built in an all-economy 148-seat configuration, leased from Ansett Worldwide. According to the airline’s business plan, one new aircraft is to be acquired each year.
Based in Djerba, the airline will also operate flights from Tunis, Monastir, Tozeur and Tabarka, offering tour services to Germany, France, Italy and several eastern European destinations.
Established in 2001, with a 12 million Tunisian dinar ($8.2 million) capital, Karthago Airlines’s majority stockholder is businessman Belhassen Trabelsi, holding a 58 percent interest. Trabelsi, who is the brother-in-law of Tunisian President Zine Al-Abidine Ben Ali, recently inaugurated also the Paradise Beach, a $50 million five-star hotel in Djerba.
The remaining shares are held by Tunisie-voyages’ Adel Boussarsar, Carthage-Tours’ Mongi Loukil and El-Kateb. Three other airlines currently operate in the Tunisian aviation market: Tunisair, Tuninter and Nouvelair. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
