Gabon is poised for a resurgence in its aviation sector with the launch of FlyGabon this August, following the closure of Air Gabon in 2006. The new national flag carrier is set to resume operations, with its inaugural flight scheduled for August 31.
According to iol.co.za, The carrier said the relaunch is part of the government’s strategy to revitalise Gabon’s air transport sector and strengthen connectivity across the country.
FlyGabon said it will initially focus on serving its domestic market across nine of Gabon’s provinces then extend beyond its border with the launching a route to Johannesburg in South Africa, using Airbus A320s by the end of 2024.
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“FlyGabon, which will offer travel to all of that country’s provinces in order to open up the interior of the country, improve the mobility of citizens, and stimulate economic exchanges will operate its first flight on Saturday August 31, 2024.
“To achieve these objectives, FlyGabon is offering a new range of attractive fares, targeting families, students, and senior citizens in particular,” the carrier said.
The emergence of the national flag carrier FlyGabon has reconfigured the air transport landscape in Gabon.
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The Republic of Gabon has acquired a majority stake in the airline Afrijet through the holding company Fly Gabon Holding. Afrijet now operates under two distinct brands: FlyGabon for domestic routes and Afrijet for regional flights.
Commenting on the airline’s return to the skies, Nyl Moret-Mba, managing director of Afrijet said: “The creation of FlyGabon is a real source of pride for our nation after the demise of Air Gabon a few years ago.
“This launch marks a significant revival in the Gabonese aviation sector and provides an opportunity to relaunch and boost air transport. With FlyGabon, we will be serving our country’s nine provinces as soon as the airport infrastructure has been modernised and brought up to commercial transport standards.
“This will make a significant contribution to efforts to open up the country while at the same time adopting a pricing policy that will help to combat the high cost of living,” Moret-Mba said.