Asky Airlines
Introduction '''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.The airline is a strategic partner of Ethiopian Airlines, and has been consistently profitable since 2017.
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.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. Ethiopian Airlines became the technical and strategic partner under a management contract for the first five years of operation, holding a 40% stake.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 .
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 as well as the Togolese government having a minority stake of 14.39%.===Business trends===Asky Airlines has been reported as being profitable, 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.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. 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. Recent available figures (largely from AFRAA reports) are shown below (for years ending 31 December):2016201720182019 Turnover (XOF billions) 95.0 Net profit /  (XOF billions)  profit profit profit Number of employees (at year end)454458>500 Number of passengers (000s)4884885591,200 Passenger load factor (%)63.261.561.0 Number of aircraft (at year-end)8788 ''Notes/sources''
Destinations 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. The Airline served the following 19 scheduled destinations throughout West and Central Africa from its hub at Lome until October 2017.HubFutureTerminated routeCityCountryIATAICAOAirportRefs Abidjan  Côte d'Ivoire ABJ DIAP  Félix-Houphouët-Boigny International Airport  Abuja  Nigeria ABV DNAA  Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Accra  Ghana ACC DGAA Kotoka International Airport Bamako  Mali BKO GABS  Bamako-Sénou International Airport  Bangui  Central African Republic BGF FEFF  Bangui M'Poko International Airport   Banjul  Gambia BJL GBYD   Banjul International Airport  Bissau Guinea-Bissau OXB GGOV  Osvaldo Vieira International Airport  Brazzaville  Republic of the Congo BZV FCBB Maya-Maya Airport  Conakry  Guinea CKY GUCY   Conakry International Airport  Cotonou  BeninCOO DBBBCadjehoun Airport Dakar  Senegal DSS GOBD   Blaise Diagne International Airport Douala  Cameroon DLA FKKD   Douala International Airport Freetown  Sierra Leone FNA GFLL   Lungi International Airport  Johannesburg  South Africa JNB  FAOR O. R. Tambo International Airport Kinshasa  Democratic Republic of Congo FIH FZAA  N'djili Airport  Lagos  Nigeria  LOS  DNMM  Murtala Mohammed International Airport Libreville Gabon  LBV  FOOL Léon-Mba International Airport  Lomé  Togo  LFW  DXXX Gnassingbé Eyadéma International Airport Luanda  Angola LAD  FNLU  Quatro de Fevereiro Airport  Malabo  Equatorial Guinea SSG FGSL Malabo International Airport  Monrovia  Liberia ROBGLRB  Roberts International Airport  Monrovia  Liberia MLWGLMR  Spriggs Payne Airport  N'Djamena  ChadNDJ FTTJ N'Djamena International Airport  Nairobi  Kenya NBO HKJKJomo Kenyatta International Airport  (begins 1 October 2023)  Niamey  Niger NIM  DRRN   Diori Hamani International Airport  Nouakchott  Mauritania NKC  GQNO  Nouakchott-Oumtounsy International Airport  Ouagadougou  Burkina Faso  OUA  DFFD  Thomas Sankara International Airport  Pointe Noire  Republic of the Congo PNR FCPP   Agostinho-Neto International Airport  Praia  Cape Verde  RAI  GVNP  Nelson Mandela International Airport  Yaoundé  Cameroon  NSI  FKYS  Yaoundé Nsimalen International Airport ===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.
Fleet ASKY Airlines Q400 at Douala, Cameroon (2013)The ASKY Airlines fleet comprises the following aircraft as of November 2023:+ Asky Airlines fleetAircraftIn serviceOrders PassengersNotesCYTotalBoeing 737-7003—1699115Boeing 737-80011—16138154Boeing 737 MAX 82—16144160De Havilland Canada DHC-8-4001—76471Total17
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.
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