BY: Kebba AF Touray
Mid Africa Aviation Company Ltd, trading as Fly Mid Africa will start operations this month. This was revealed at a press conference at its head office on 32a Brusubi Phase 2 in the West Coast Region on Friday 28 April, 2017.
Speaking at the press conference the Managing Director, Mr. Bakary Nyassy, noted the airline company is in the business of air transportation based in The Gambia, Banjul, owned by three Sudanese investors and was incorporated in April 2014, initially as an assets management which has successfully engaged in: pre-financing aviation equipment purchase; leasing aviation equipment to third parties and lease purchases.
Mr. Nyassy explained that as at 31/12/2016, Mid Africa Aviation aircraft fleet counts thirteen(13)B737-Classic, three(3) Fokker 50 Turbo-prop, one(1)EMB 135Executive Jet, one Cessna Citation-3 Business Jet and one(1) DO328 Business Jet. Eleven(11) out of the thirteen B737-Classic aircrafts are currently operating dry lease with operators around the world, whilst two (2)are ready to be deployed for the scheduled flight operations out of Banjul, The Gambia.
He said the EMB 135, Cessna 650 and DO328, have also been placed with two different operators and are mainly engaged in VIP charter operations. The three (3) Fokker 50s he said are undergoing pre-delivery maintenance checks.
He said having concluded all operational and commercial arrangements for flight operations; Fly Mid Africa is poised to launch its maiden flight on 15 May with services from Banjul to Dakar, Freetown, Accra and Lagos. Services he stressed will be operated with two Boeing 737-Classic aircrafts; B737-300 with 8 Business Class and 124 Economy class seats and B737-400 with 16 Business class and 116 Economy class seats.
MD Nyassy further stated that on Tuesday 25 April, Fly Mid Africa approved a cutover with its global distribution partners SITA and AMADEUS to download the airlines products in the global distribution system (GDS). He said effectively, Fly Mid Africa’s air tickets are now sold at partner travel agencies in target markets namely; The Gambia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Nigeria. Air tickets are also available at the company’s headquarters on 32A Brusubi Phase 2 on Brusubi –Sukuta Highway.
When asked why Fly Mid Africa, he responded that it is premised on the desire to alleviate the suffering of travellers within West Africa, mostly within Anglophone countries. He opined that in addition to their air services in the target routes, the company is committed to providing safe, reliable and efficient air transport services to spur economic development and foster regional integration through the promotion of trade and regional tourism.
He boasted of the diversity of their workforce, coming from eight (8) African counties namely: The Gambia, Guinea Conakry, Ghana, Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Sudan. “This is why we are Fly Mid Africa- Leading the African Dream,” he remarked.
