Madagascar Airlines to resume Air Madagascar name on 31 October
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on L'Express de Madagascar
Madagascar Airlines plans to resume its historic name, Air Madagascar, on 31 October 2026, after using its commercial name since 2021. The rebranding comes as the airline seeks to improve its financial position and regain travellers’ trust, L’Express de Madagascar reports.
Madagascar Airlines is due to officially return to its historic name, Air Madagascar, on 31 October 2026, dropping the commercial name it has used since 2021. The Malagasy national carrier nevertheless has estimated liabilities of about $100 million, according to L’Express de Madagascar.
Founded in 1961 as Madair and renamed Air Madagascar in 1962, the airline had built a fleet of 12 aircraft and seen passenger numbers rise from 266,000 to 630,000 between 2002 and 2009, with support from Lufthansa Consulting. It was later affected by the 2009 crisis, its placement on the European blacklist in 2011 and persistent instability in its management, L’Express de Madagascar reports.
The Madagascar Airlines structure was created in 2021 to take over Air Madagascar’s business assets, as the airline was then under court-supervised restructuring. This procedure allows operations to continue and debts to be settled in an orderly manner, unlike judicial liquidation, which generally leads to the cessation of operations and the sale of assets, L’Express de Madagascar explains.
The name change follows the resumption of the route to Réunion, announced on 30 September 2026. The return aims to reconnect with the airline’s historic identity as its financial difficulties continue to weigh on its recovery.
