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Asky Airlines

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Asky Airlines
IATA ICAO Call sign
KP SKK ASKY AIRLINE
FoundedJune 2008; 16 years ago (2008-06)
Commenced operations15 January 2010; 14 years ago (2010-01-15)
HubsLomé–Tokoin International Airport
Frequent-flyer programASKY Club
Fleet size14[1]
Destinations29[2]
HeadquartersLomé, Togo
Key people
Employees700 [5]
Websitewww.flyasky.com

ASKY Airlines is a private multinational passenger airline serving West and Central Africa, with its head office in Lomé, Togo, and its hub at Lomé–Tokoin International Airport.[6]

The airline is a strategic partner of Ethiopian Airlines, and has been consistently profitable since 2017.[7]It has been awarded the title of ‘Best Airline in West Africa 2023’ at the seventh Accraweizo event held in Accra, Ghana. The airline was recognized for its outstanding contributions to the aviation sector in the region.[8]

History

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Foundation

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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.[9]

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.[10] Ethiopian Airlines became the technical and strategic partner under a management contract for the first five years of operation, holding a 40% stake.[11][12]

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).[citation needed]

Corporate affairs

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An Asky Airlines Boeing 737-700 at Kotoka International Airport, Accra, Ghana in 2019.

Ownership

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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 as well as the Togolese government having a minority stake of 14.39%.[13][14]

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Asky Airlines has been reported as being profitable,[15] although accounts do not seem to have been published. The airline states that it first registered a profit in 2015 and has been consistently profitable since 2017.[7] In the 2021 fiscal year, Asky made a profit of over 12 million dollars, and in 2022, it made a profit of 30 million dollars.[16] The airline has carried over 1.2 million passengers in 2019 alone with 15 aircraft serving 28 destinations across west, central, south and eastern Africa with a plan to expand to north Africa.[17][18]

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 >500
Number of passengers (000s) 488 488 559 1,200
Passenger load factor (%) 63.2 61.5 61.0
Number of aircraft (at year-end) 8 7 8 8
Notes/sources [19] [20] [13] [21][7]

Destinations

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As of 2023, Asky airlines serves 28 destinations in 26 countries within Africa, focusing on developing a strong intra-Africa network that fosters regional development, tourism, economic growth, and regional integration as a major economic catalyst within the continent with its long-term goal of a sustainable business focused on profitability.[22] The Airline served the following 19 scheduled destinations throughout West and Central Africa from its hub at Lome until October 2017.[23]

Hub
Future
Terminated route
City Country IATA ICAO Airport Refs
Abidjan Côte d'Ivoire ABJ DIAP Félix-Houphouët-Boigny International Airport [23]
Abuja Nigeria ABV DNAA Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport [23]
Accra Ghana ACC DGAA Kotoka International Airport [23]
Bamako Mali BKO GABS Bamako-Sénou International Airport [23]
Bangui Central African Republic BGF FEFF Bangui M'Poko International Airport [23]
Banjul Gambia BJL GBYD Banjul International Airport [23]
Bissau Guinea-Bissau OXB GGOV Osvaldo Vieira International Airport [23]
Brazzaville Republic of the Congo BZV FCBB Maya-Maya Airport [23]
Conakry Guinea CKY GUCY Conakry International Airport [23]
Cotonou Benin COO DBBB Cadjehoun Airport [23]
Dakar Senegal DSS GOBD Blaise Diagne International Airport [23]
Douala Cameroon DLA FKKD Douala International Airport [23]
Freetown Sierra Leone FNA GFLL Lungi International Airport [23]
Johannesburg South Africa JNB FAOR O. R. Tambo International Airport [23]
Kinshasa Democratic Republic of Congo FIH FZAA N'djili Airport [23]
Lagos Nigeria LOS DNMM Murtala Mohammed International Airport [23]
Libreville Gabon LBV FOOL Léon-Mba International Airport [23]
Lomé Togo LFW DXXX Gnassingbé Eyadéma International Airport [23]
Luanda Angola LAD FNLU Quatro de Fevereiro Airport [23]
Malabo Equatorial Guinea SSG FGSL Malabo International Airport [23]
Monrovia Liberia ROB GLRB Roberts International Airport [23]
Monrovia Liberia MLW GLMR Spriggs Payne Airport [23]
N'Djamena Chad NDJ FTTJ N'Djamena International Airport [23]
Nairobi Kenya NBO HKJK Jomo Kenyatta International Airport
(begins 1 October 2023)		 [24]
Niamey Niger NIM DRRN Diori Hamani International Airport [23]
Nouakchott Mauritania NKC GQNO Nouakchott-Oumtounsy International Airport [23]
Ouagadougou Burkina Faso OUA DFFD Thomas Sankara International Airport [23]
Pointe Noire Republic of the Congo PNR FCPP Agostinho-Neto International Airport [23]
Praia Cape Verde RAI GVNP Nelson Mandela International Airport [23]
Yaoundé Cameroon NSI FKYS Yaoundé Nsimalen International Airport [23]

Alliances and codeshare agreements

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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.[25]

Fleet

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ASKY Airlines Q400 at Douala, Cameroon (2013)

The ASKY Airlines fleet comprises the following aircraft as of November 2023:[26]

Asky Airlines fleet
Aircraft In service Orders Passengers Notes
C Y Total
Boeing 737-700 1 — 16 99 115
Boeing 737-800 9 — 16 138 154
Boeing 737 MAX 8 4 — 16 144 160
Total 14

Accidents and incidents

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References

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  1. ^ "Togo's ASKY Looks To Add Its First Boeing 787s In 2026". Victoria Moores. Aviation Week Network. October 28, 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  2. ^ "Togo acquires minority stake in ASKY for about $10mn". ch-aviation. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  3. ^ "Asky: the challenges of Esayas Woldemariam, new general manager".
  4. ^ "Asky appoints new Chief Commercial Officer".
  5. ^ "Asky: future plans towards Europe and Italy". T and A Advtraining. November 28, 2023. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
  6. ^ "Ethiopian and ASKY Airlines Sign MoU on Strategic Partnership and Investment". Ethiopian Airlines. 1 July 2008.
  7. ^ a b c Nelly Fualdes (22 April 2021). "Asky remains determined to make its mark despite Covid-19". The Africa Report.
  8. ^ "Asky named Best Airline in West Africa". The Nigerian Observer. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  9. ^ "Reasons to be". flyasky.com. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  10. ^ "ASKY A new African airline - eTurboNews.com". eturbonews.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  11. ^ "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.
  12. ^ "ASKY Airlines eyes expansion to Southern Africa and Europe as it celebrates its third birthday". centreforaviation.com. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  13. ^ a b "AFRAA Annual Report 2019" (PDF). AFRAA. 2019.
  14. ^ "Togo Acquires Stake in ASKY Airlines as Momentum Grows with Boeing 737-Max Addition". Airspace Africa. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  15. ^ "Togo's Asky Airlines open to South African Airways buy-in". ch-aviation. 9 June 2014.
  16. ^ "Scrapping multiple destinations'll be disservice to Nigerians –Tasew, Ethiopian Airline CEO". The Sun. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  17. ^ "ASKY Airlines signs lease for 2 Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft". Aviation Source. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  18. ^ "Aviation: ASKY is the Pan African Airline,it is Profitable within 13 years with 15 Planes flying to 28 cities – CEO Esayas WoldeMariam Hailu". atqnews.com. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  19. ^ "AFRAA Annual Report 2017" (PDF). AFRAA. 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-01-15. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
  20. ^ "AFRAA Annual Report 2018" (PDF). AFRAA. 2018.
  21. ^ "AFRAA Annual Report 2020" (PDF). AFRAA. 2020.
  22. ^ "ASKY launches flight to Nairobi (Kenya) from Lomé hub (Press release)". NO'OCULTURES. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  23. ^ 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.
  24. ^ "ASKY AIRLINES ADDS LOME – NAIROBI IN 4Q23". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  25. ^ "Current Airline Members".
  26. ^ "Asky Airlines Fleet Details and History". Plainspotters.net. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  27. ^ "ASKY Airlines". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
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