Asky Airlines

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.[4]

Asky Airlines
IATA ICAO Callsign
KP SKK ASKY AIRLINE
FoundedJune 2008
Commenced operations15 January 2010
HubsGnassingbé Eyadéma International Airport
Frequent-flyer programASKY Club
Fleet size12
Destinations27[1]
HeadquartersLomé, Togo
Key peopleEsayas WoldeMariam (Managing Director),[2] Nowel Ngala (Commercial Director)[3]
Websitewww.flyasky.com

The airline is a strategic partner of Ethiopian Airlines, and has been consistently profitable since 2017.[3]

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.[5]

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.[6] Ethiopian Airlines became the technical and strategic partner under a management contract for the first five years of operation, holding a 40% stake.[7][8]

Originally planned for April 2009, the first revenue flight took place on 15 January 2010.

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).[9]

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.[10]

Asky Airlines has been reported as being profitable,[11] 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.[3]

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 [12] [13] [10] [14][3]

Destinations

Asky Airlines serves the following 19 scheduled destinations throughout West and Central Africa from its hub at Lome (October 2017):[15]

Hub
Future
Suspended route
City Country IATA ICAO Airport Refs
Abidjan Côte d'IvoireABJDIAPFélix-Houphouët-Boigny International Airport[15]
Abuja NigeriaABVDNAANnamdi Azikiwe International Airport[15]
Accra GhanaACCDGAAKotoka International Airport[15]
Bamako MaliBKOGABSBamako-Sénou International Airport[15]
Bangui Central African RepublicBGFFEFFBangui M'Poko International Airport[15]
Banjul GambiaBJLGBYDBanjul International Airport[15]
BissauGuinea-Bissau Guinea-BissauOXBGGOVOsvaldo Vieira International Airport[15]
Brazzaville Republic of the CongoBZVFCBBMaya-Maya Airport[15]
Conakry GuineaCKYGUCYConakry International Airport[15]
Cotonou BeninCOODBBBCadjehoun Airport[15]
Dakar SenegalDSSGOBDBlaise Diagne International Airport[15]
Douala CameroonDLAFKKDDouala International Airport[15]
Freetown Sierra LeoneFNAGFLLLungi International Airport[15]
Johannesburg South AfricaJNBFAORO. R. Tambo International Airport[15]
Kinshasa Democratic Republic of CongoFIHFZAAN'djili Airport[15]
Lagos NigeriaLOSDNMMMurtala Mohammed International Airport[15]
Libreville GabonLBVFOOLLéon-Mba International Airport[15]
Lomé TogoLFWDXXXGnassingbé Eyadéma International Airport[15]
Luanda AngolaLADFNLUQuatro de Fevereiro Airport[15]
Malabo Equatorial GuineaSSGFGSLMalabo International Airport[15]
Monrovia LiberiaROBGLRBRoberts International Airport[15]
Monrovia LiberiaMLWGLMRSpriggs Payne Airport[15]
N'Djamena ChadNDJFTTJN'Djamena International Airport[15]
Nairobi KenyaNBOHKJKJomo Kenyatta International Airport
(begins 1 October 2023)		[16]
Niamey NigerNIMDRRNDiori Hamani International Airport[15]
Nouakchott MauritaniaNKCGQNONouakchott-Oumtounsy International Airport[15]
Ouagadougou Burkina FasoOUADFFDThomas Sankara International Airport[15]
Pointe Noire Republic of the CongoPNRFCPPAgostinho-Neto International Airport[15]
Praia Cape VerdeRAIGVNPNelson Mandela International Airport[15]
Yaoundé CameroonNSIFKYSYaoundé Nsimalen International Airport[15]

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.[17]

Fleet
ASKY Airlines Q400 at Douala, Cameroon (2013)

The ASKY Airlines fleet comprises the following aircraft as of October 2023:

Asky Airlines fleet
Aircraft In service Orders Passengers Notes
C Y Total
Boeing 737-700 4 — 16 99 115
Boeing 737-800 9 — 16 138 154
Boeing 737 MAX 8 2 — 16 144 160
Total 15 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

References
  1. Simply Flying. "27 Destinations: Togo's ASKY Adds Nairobi Boeing 737 Flights". Simply Flying. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  2. "Asky: the challenges of Esayas Woldemariam, new general manager".
  3. Nelly Fualdes (22 April 2021). "Asky remains determined to make its mark despite Covid-19". The Africa Report.
  4. "Ethiopian and ASKY Airlines Sign MoU on Strategic Partnership and Investment". Ethiopian Airlines. 1 July 2008.
  5. "Reasons to be". flyasky.com. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  6. "ASKY A new African airline - eTurboNews.com". eturbonews.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  7. "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.
  8. "ASKY Airlines eyes expansion to Southern Africa and Europe as it celebrates its third birthday". centreforaviation.com. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  9. Curran, Andrew (26 April 2020). "What Are The World's Shortest International Routes?". Simple Flying. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  10. "AFRAA Annual Report 2019" (PDF). AFRAA. 2019.
  11. "Togo's Asky Airlines open to South African Airways buy-in". ch-aviation. 9 June 2014.
  12. "AFRAA Annual Report 2017" (PDF). AFRAA. 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-01-15. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
  13. "AFRAA Annual Report 2018" (PDF). AFRAA. 2018.
  14. "AFRAA Annual Report 2020" (PDF). AFRAA. 2020.
  15. "NEW SCHEDULE EFFECTIVE NOVEMBER 1, 2017". flyasky.com. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  16. "ASKY AIRLINES ADDS LOME – NAIROBI IN 4Q23". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  17. "Current Airline Members".
  18. "ASKY Airlines". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
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