Air Mauritanie was the national airline of Mauritania from 1962 until it ceased operations in 2007 due to financial difficulties. It was based at Nouakchott International Airport, from where it operated domestic services, as well as flights to African destinations and Paris. The carrier had its headquarters in Nouakchott. History Air Mauritanie was established in as the national airline of the country. Operations started in the same year, with Spantax leasing DC-3 equipment, and also providing technical assistance. A Nord 262 was ordered in 1965. The airline was reorganised in 1967, and shareholding was divided between the government of Mauritania (60%), Air Afrique (20%) and Union de Transports Aériens (UTA) (20%). Two Ilyushin Il-18s were bought in 1969, with the Soviets providing training and technical assistance; these aircraft were flown to Dakar, Nouadhibou and Las Palmas. At , the airline had 120 employees and operated a domestic network plus international services to the Canary Islands and Mali using one DC-3, one DC-4, and an Il-18. In , a five-year contract was signed with Hughes Airwest for the provision of capacity building of the pilots and mechanics. The number of employees had grown to 170 by the same year, with a fleet comprising one DC-3, two DC-4s and one Navajo. At this time, Casablanca, Dakar and Las Palmas were part of the airline's list of international destinations, as well as domestic services radiating from Nouakchott and Nouadhibou. That year, the carrier acquired two 40-seater F-227As valued at million. In , the company was reorganised again and renamed Société d'Economie Mixte Air Mauritanie. By , the government of Mauritania was the major shareholder of the company (60%), with the balance evenly split between Air Afrique and UTA. Two Fokker F28-4000s entered the fleet in . These two aircraft made up the fleet in late ; at this time, there were 259 employees. On 1 July 1994, a Fokker F28 was lost in an accident while landing at Tidjikja Airport during a sandstorm. Two ATR 42s were ordered in 1996 for replacement of the Fokker F28 aircraft. These two aircraft were delivered to the company in and . Aimed at promoting African integration, Air Mauritanie extended its Nouakchott–Bamako route to the Ivory Coast in . At , the staff stood at 259. The fleet comprised a single Fokker F28-4000 that served Abidjan, Aioun el Atrouss, Atar, Bamako, Banjul, Casablanca, Dakar, Kiffa, Las Palmas,