• Cameroon's parliament has been called to ratify a January 2025 aviation agreement that positions the country as Qatar Airways' first direct CEMAC destination.
• Currently, Cameroon-Doha flights require connections via Rwanda, Ivory Coast, or Morocco; ratification will grant unlimited traffic rights for direct commercial services.
• The agreement challenges Ethiopian Airlines' dominance across Central Africa and could transform Camair-Co into a regional feeder airline for Qatar Airways' expanding network.

Cameroon is racing toward a landmark aviation milestone as its parliament prepares to ratify a bilateral air services agreement that would position the country as Qatar Airways' first direct destination in the CEMAC region, ending longtime reliance on circuitous connections and challenging Ethiopian Airlines' dominance over Central African routes to the Middle East and Asia.

The Cameroonian government has accelerated parliamentary procedures to ratify the January 2025 air services agreement, according to Investir au Cameroun. The bill, submitted for approval, signals Doha's strategic push to capture a market long underserved by direct links to the Gulf. The agreement, signed in January 2025 by Transport Minister Jean Ernest Masséna Ngallé Bibehe and his Qatari counterpart, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulla Al Thani, establishes unlimited, unrestricted traffic rights for passenger and cargo flights between the two territories.

The ratification would revolutionize travel patterns from Cameroon and neighboring states. Presently, passengers flying from Douala or Yaoundé to Doha must navigate complex, multi-stop itineraries via Kigali with code-sharing arrangements with RwandAir, via Abidjan with Air Côte d'Ivoire, or via Casablanca with Royal Air Maroc. The situation is even more acute for Gabonese travelers. Libreville-Doha connections currently rely entirely on Royal Air Maroc, leveraging Morocco's visa facilitation agreements with Gabon. This workaround underscores the absence of direct Gulf carriers in the sub-region.

Should the law pass, Cameroon would gain its first-ever direct air link to the Middle East and Asia, instantly becoming a competitive alternative to Addis Ababa's Bole International Airport. Ethiopian Airlines has long monopolized Central Africa's eastward connections, capturing premium business and diplomatic traffic. Qatar Airways' entry via Douala would disrupt this dominance, offering travelers seamless connections through Doha's Hamad International Airport – a central hub for Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Americas.

opportunities ahead

The agreement also opens the door for Camair-Co's evolution from a domestic operator to a regional player. During the January 2025 signing ceremony, executives from both carriers discussed opportunities for commercial and technical cooperation. While no formal partnership has been announced, industry sources suggest Qatar Airways could leverage Camair-Co's regional network and Douala's geographic advantages to feed traffic from the Central African Republic, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, and Equatorial Guinea – all CEMAC members lacking direct Gulf connections.

The move aligns with Qatar Airways' aggressive African expansion strategy. The carrier currently serves 31 cities across the continent, offering either direct flights or connections via Doha that link African markets to one another and to the world. The Cameroonian route would fill a critical gap in its Central African portfolio, which currently only includes Kinshasa (DRC) as a direct destination in the broader region.

For cash-strapped Cameroon, the stakes extend beyond connectivity.

The government sees Qatar Airways' arrival as a revenue booster, with increased airport taxes, tourism potential, and enhanced cargo capacity for agricultural exports to Gulf and Asian markets. With parliamentary ratification imminent, Yaoundé is poised to become Doha's premier gateway to CEMAC. This strategic pivot could redraw Central Africa's aviation map and loosen Ethiopian Airlines' grip on the region's most lucrative eastward corridors.

Idriss Linge