New airline Gambia Bird commences operations

Gambia Bird’s launch

• The new Gambian national airline Gambia Bird started operations on 22 October, on its first day launching three West African routes. The airline is owned by Germania of Germany, ensuring that the airline is unaffected by the EU ban on Gambian airlines. With a single 144-seat A319 aircraft, Gambia Bird began its first day of operations launching flights from its base in the Gambian capital Banjul (BJL) to Senegal’s capital Dakar (DKR). The 180-kilometre route, which Gambia Bird will operate three times a week, competes with Senegal Airlines’ five and Arik Air’s three weekly flights. The airline also began serving Monrovia (ROB) from Banjul. Twice a week, the airline will operate between the Gambian and Liberian capitals in competition with Royal Air Maroc’s weekly operation. Once a week, Gambia Bird continues on the busy route from Monrovia to Ghana’s capital Accra (ACC), competing with ASKY’s four flights a week and each three flights a week on Delta, Kenya Airways and Arik Air, as well as Air Mali’s twice-weekly operations.