Asky Airlines
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| Founded | June 2008 | ||||||
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| Commenced operations | 15 January 2010 | ||||||
| Hubs | Gnassingbé Eyadéma International Airport | ||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | ASKY Club | ||||||
| Fleet size | 10 | ||||||
| Destinations | 23 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Lomé, Togo | ||||||
| Key people | Esayas WoldeMariam (Managing Director),[1] Nowel Ngala (Commercial Director)[2] | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
ASKY Airlines is a private multinational passenger airline serving West and Central Africa, with its head office in Lomé, Togo and its hub at Gnassingbé Eyadéma International Airport.[3]
The airline is a strategic partner of Ethiopian Airlines, and has been consistently profitable since 2017.[2]
History
Foundation
After the pan-African airline Air Afrique went bankrupt in 2002, cross-border air transport in Africa became more difficult, especially in West and Central Africa. At a conference of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) at Niamey in Niger on 10 January 2004, it was decided to create a private, competitive, cost-effective airline offering all guarantees of safety and security for the region.[4]
In September 2005, under the initiative of Gervais Koffi G. Djondo, the company for the promotion of a regional airline (SPCAR) was set up, which led to various feasibility studies and market studies, and sought financial and strategic partners; this led to the establishment of ASKY Airlines in November 2007 with Gervais Koffi G. Djondo as President. On 17 January 2008, the General Meeting to establish the new international private airline was held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. 80% of shares were to be held by private investors, and 20% by public financial institutions whose mission is to support privately-owned development institutions.[5] Ethiopian Airlines became the technical and strategic partner under a management contract for the first five years of operation, holding a 40% stake.[6][7]
Originally planned for April 2009, the first revenue flight took place on 15 January 2010.[citation needed]
In 2020 ASKY Airlines was found to be operating the world's shortest international flight route, between Kinshasa and Brazzaville, at 13 miles (21 km).[8]
Corporate affairs
Ownership
The airline is privately owned. Main shareholders are Ethiopian Airlines (40%), Ecobank, BIDC, BOAD, Sakhumnotho Group Holding and other West and Central African private investors.[9]
Business trends
Asky Airlines has been reported as being profitable,[10] although accounts do not seem to have been published. The airline states that it was first profitable in 2015, and then again from 2017 to 2019.[2]
Recent available figures (largely from AFRAA reports) are shown below (for years ending 31 December):
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover (XOF billions) | 95.0 | |||
| Net profit / loss (XOF billions) | loss | profit | profit | profit |
| Number of employees (at year end) | 454 | 458 | ||
| Number of passengers (000s) | 488 | 488 | 559 | |
| Passenger load factor (%) | 63.2 | 61.5 | 61.0 | |
| Number of aircraft (at year end) | 8 | 7 | 8 | 8 |
| Notes/sources | [11] | [12] | [9] | [13][2] |
Destinations
Asky Airlines serves the following 19 scheduled destinations throughout West and Central Africa from its hub at Lome (October 2017):[14]
| Hub | |
| Future | |
| Suspended route |
Alliances and codeshare agreements
Asky is able to connect flights in its network to various points in the Ethiopian Airlines network, with whom it has codeshare arrangements, via Addis Ababa and beyond to the Middle East, Far East, and East Africa. In 2021, ASKY became a member of IATA.[15]
Fleet
The ASKY Airlines fleet comprises the following aircraft as of April 2021:
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Y | Total | ||||
| Boeing 737-700 | 5 | — | 16 | 99 | 115 | |
| Boeing 737-800 | 5 | — | 16 | 138 | 154 | |
| Total | 10 | 0 | ||||
ASKY was one of the first airlines in the world to operate dual-class Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 aircraft, with a completely separate cabin for business class passengers.
Accidents and incidents
- On 10 January 2015 an Asky Airlines Boeing 737-43QSF (leased from Ethiopian Airlines), was damaged beyond repair in a landing accident and runway excursion at Kotoka International Airport, Accra, Ghana. The aircraft was written off and there were no fatalities.[16]
References
- ^ "Asky: the challenges of Esayas Woldemariam, new general manager".
- ^ a b c d Nelly Fualdes (22 April 2021). "Asky remains determined to make its mark despite Covid-19". The Africa Report.
- ^ "Ethiopian and ASKY Airlines Sign MoU on Strategic Partnership and Investment". Ethiopian Airlines. 1 July 2008.
- ^ "Reasons to be". flyasky.com. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
- ^ "ASKY A new African airline - eTurboNews.com". eturbonews.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
- ^ "ASKY airline West Africa regional airline first flight in April 2009 - DWS Aviation". dancewithshadows.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
- ^ "ASKY Airlines eyes expansion to Southern Africa and Europe as it celebrates its third birthday". centreforaviation.com. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
- ^ Curran, Andrew (26 April 2020). "What Are The World's Shortest International Routes?". Simple Flying. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
- ^ a b "AFRAA Annual Report 2019" (PDF). AFRAA. 2019.
- ^ "Togo's Asky Airlines open to South African Airways buy-in". ch-aviation. 9 June 2014.
- ^ "AFRAA Annual Report 2017" (PDF). AFRAA. 2017.
- ^ "AFRAA Annual Report 2018" (PDF). AFRAA. 2018.
- ^ "AFRAA Annual Report 2020" (PDF). AFRAA. 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad "NEW SCHEDULE EFFECTIVE NOVEMBER 1, 2017". flyasky.com. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
- ^ "Current Airline Members".
- ^ "ASKY Airlines". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
External links
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| National | |
