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]
 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Founded | June 2008 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commenced operations | 15 January 2010 | ||||||
| Hubs | Lomé–Tokoin International Airport | ||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | ASKY Club | ||||||
| Fleet size | 14[1] | ||||||
| Destinations | 29[2] | ||||||
| Headquarters | Lomé, Togo | ||||||
| Key people |
| ||||||
| Employees | 700 [5] | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
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
editFoundation
editAfter 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
edit
Ownership
editThe 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]
Business trends
editAsky 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
editAs 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 |
Alliances and codeshare agreements
editAsky 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
edit
The ASKY Airlines fleet comprises the following aircraft as of November 2023:[26]
| 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
edit- 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.[27]
References
edit- ^ "Togo's ASKY Looks To Add Its First Boeing 787s In 2026". Victoria Moores. Aviation Week Network. October 28, 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
- ^ "Togo acquires minority stake in ASKY for about $10mn". ch-aviation. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
- ^ "Asky: the challenges of Esayas Woldemariam, new general manager".
- ^ "Asky appoints new Chief Commercial Officer".
- ^ "Asky: future plans towards Europe and Italy". T and A Advtraining. November 28, 2023. Retrieved 17 December 2023.
- ^ "Ethiopian and ASKY Airlines Sign MoU on Strategic Partnership and Investment". Ethiopian Airlines. 1 July 2008.
- ^ a b c Nelly Fualdes (22 April 2021). "Asky remains determined to make its mark despite Covid-19". The Africa Report.
- ^ "Asky named Best Airline in West Africa". The Nigerian Observer. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ "Reasons to be". flyasky.com. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
- ^ "ASKY A new African airline - eTurboNews.com". eturbonews.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "ASKY Airlines eyes expansion to Southern Africa and Europe as it celebrates its third birthday". centreforaviation.com. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
- ^ a b "AFRAA Annual Report 2019" (PDF). AFRAA. 2019.
- ^ "Togo Acquires Stake in ASKY Airlines as Momentum Grows with Boeing 737-Max Addition". Airspace Africa. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ^ "Togo's Asky Airlines open to South African Airways buy-in". ch-aviation. 9 June 2014.
- ^ "Scrapping multiple destinations'll be disservice to Nigerians –Tasew, Ethiopian Airline CEO". The Sun. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- ^ "ASKY Airlines signs lease for 2 Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft". Aviation Source. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "AFRAA Annual Report 2017" (PDF). AFRAA. 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-01-15. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
- ^ "AFRAA Annual Report 2018" (PDF). AFRAA. 2018.
- ^ "AFRAA Annual Report 2020" (PDF). AFRAA. 2020.
- ^ "ASKY launches flight to Nairobi (Kenya) from Lomé hub (Press release)". NO'OCULTURES. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "ASKY AIRLINES ADDS LOME – NAIROBI IN 4Q23". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ "Current Airline Members".
- ^ "Asky Airlines Fleet Details and History". Plainspotters.net. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ^ "ASKY Airlines". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
