Interesting read, but where does this leave our very own Gambia
International Airline?

Malanding


http://www.observer.gm/artman/publish/article_2604.shtml

President to launch major air operator
By Abdul Hamid Adiamoh
Jul 16, 2004, 09:14


President Yahya Jammeh has been invited to commission a new airline
company in The Gambia as part of activities marking the 10th anniversary
of the 22 July 1994 revolution.

The certification of the new air operator, Slok International Airlines
Gambia Limited, by the Gambia Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) is said to
mark a watershed in The Gambia's aviation and transportation history.

GCAA officials said Slok is the first major Gambian registered air
operator with the capacity and capability to fly directly from Banjul
into every major city in the world, including the USA. The new airline
operator was granted an air operator's certificate on Friday, 25 June
2004 at the GCAA headquarters, following a thorough and demanding
verification and certification.

Ms Senor Thomas, managing director and CEO of International Insurance
Company, who served as Gambia's representative of Slok Airlines during
the registration period, expressed her admiration for GCAA's hard work
and collaborative spirit in facilitating Slok Airlines in The Gambia and
thanked the government for creating the environment that has enabled
substantial inward investments like Slok Airlines into the country.

"The entry of companies like Slok Airlines into The Gambia is a clear
testimony that the Gambia government has not misplaced its priorities by
committing enormous resources into building and developing the country's
infrastructure base. We must commend the government for this foresight,"
she said. She said Slok Airlines would help catalyse the achievement of
Banjul airport's goal of becoming the regional hub for airline logistics
in West Africa and beyond.

Abdoulie Jammeh, GCAA's deputy director-general, said his institution
regards the entry and successful certification of Slok Intentional
Airlines as a dream come true for the Gambian aviation industry. "We
(the GCAA) take Slok very seriously. This is the kind of investor we
have been looking forward to for a very long time. Since 1994, the
government of The Gambia has made substantial investments into
developing aviation infrastructure to the highest possible standards
with a view to creating an attractive environment for big-time investors
that would happily choose to register as Gambian carriers. Apparently,
Slok Air's entry into the country is a vindication of the
appropriateness of government's strategic commitment to infrastructure
development in the Gambia," he said.

With 12 Boeing 737-200 series in its kitty, Slok International Airlines
Gambia Limited is by far the largest airline operator to ever register
and operate in The Gambia. In the initial phase, Slok Air will fly from
Banjul to all the major capital cities in West, Central and East Africa.

Freetown, Dakar, Bamako, Accra, Lagos, Ouagadougou, Douala, Abidjan,
Nairobi and other African capitals are expected to feature prominently
on the company's itinerary. In the later phases, the airline will draw a
direct connecting line in the skies from Banjul to all major world
cities in Africa, the United States, Europe and the Middle and Far East.

Captain Ernest Iyerefa Bell-Gam, managing director and CEO of Slok
Airlines, told the Daily Observer: "Slok Air is here to stay. We intend
to be the people's airline; we know all the concerns about cost, lack of
connectivity and poor cabin service that presently plague the airline
industry. And you can be sure that with Slok Air, all this will become
history. We have the strategies in place to radically change things for
the better. We'll offer excellent services with safety, reliability,
timeliness, and affordability as the major features."

With a capacity of 12 Boeing 737-200 series aircraft, all of which are
Stage 3 Hoshkit with Dash 15 engines, Slok Airlines' entry into the West
African skies is exceptionally bold and superlative.

Another major differentiation for Slok Air is that while most aeroplanes
plying the West Africa route are Stage 2 Hoshkit meaning that they can
only travel within the continent, all of Slok Air's twelve planes are
Stage 3 Hoshkit with Dash 15 engines, meaning that each and every one of
them would qualify to fly to any part of the world. Ten out of the 12
planes, each with 106 seats, would be used for scheduled flights while
the remaining two, reserved for charter services, are configured into
circa 40-seat executive aircraft with three presidential lounges.

Paul Bass, GCAA director of flight safety standards whose office
coordinated the certification of Slok Air also commended Slok's capacity
adequacy and high technical standards.

"The air operator's certificate involves a thorough and stringent
five-stage process. Slok Air's certification success is an indication
that it has satisfactorily met all the technical requirements of
providing air transportation services for the benefit of the people in
The Gambia and elsewhere," he said.

The maiden flight is expected to take off immediately after the
commissioning by President Jammeh.
© Copyright 2003 by Observer Company

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