Gambia has launched a new national carrier, “Gambia Bird Airlines Ltd.” The airline has started operations with a single A319 to a handful of destinations in Africa and Europe. The capital, Banjul, is also home of the country’s busiest airport, Yundum International, which for much of the past decade has handled around 300,000 annual passengers. There are non-stop scheduled services to five other African countries, as well as three European countries. With the assistance of Germania, the German airline the airline will focus on leisure and ethnic traffic. Gambia Bird has begun operations from Banjul with a single 144-seat Airbus A319-100. The plane, which is branded with the national colours of  Gambia, will seat 138 passengers in Premium and Economy Class and offers a full range of in-flight hospitality.A second aircraft will join the fleet in December. At present, bookings can only be made through travel agents, but a website booking tool is promised for later in the year. According to the airline’s website, the initial network will consist of flights from Banjul to Accra (two flights per week), Barcelona (one), Conakry (one), Dakar (three), Freetown (two), London Gatwick (one), and Monrovia (two), as well as service between Accra and Monrovia, Conakry and Dakar, Conakry and Freetown, and Freetown and London Gatwick.

 

Thomas Wazinski, will be the Chief Executive Officer of Gambia Bird Airlines Ltd. Gambia has a population of under two million people, covering an area around the same size as Qatar, Gambia is the smallest country in mainland Africa. It is almost completely surrounded by Senegal apart from a short stretch of coast on the Atlantic Ocean.