It seems the problem is that one charter company now has the monopoly on charter flights in Cameroon. One operator I spoke with, Pepe Chelet of Safaris-Chelet, laid it out this way in an e-mail he sent me:
"2010 was a disaster for many hunters. Honestly, this was an unusual situation caused by unforeseeable circumstances. In order to provide the full picture of this past season and a forecast for the 2011 season, I will first offer the following: There is only one official charter company in Cameroon, the company Jetfly, directed by Philippe Tomaszewski. This company currently operates all of the charter flights available in Cameroon, whereas in 2009, we had two companies. Jetfly has increased its prices, which has affected several safari companies. Prices range from 10,000 to 12,000 Euros per flight to the bush destinations.
"Earlier in the season came a company called AfricaConection. Based in Sao Tomme, this company is not allowed to fly within Cameroon, only international flights into Douala or Yaounde. But Africa is Africa, and a private agency in Douala began offering flights with this company at better prices........(continued)
