Former Gambia Airways chief Salifu Jallow is to head a new privately owned national carrier, re-establishing direct scheduled flights between the African country and the UK after 15 years.
RedAir, which started services in early May, is operating a 267-seat McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30, wet-leased from Uganda-based Africa One Airways, to connect Banjul and London Gatwick twice weekly (Flight International, 2-8 April). Each time it returns to Banjul, the aircraft will then fly a round trip to Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Private Gambian investors majority-own the airline, while commercial director Lynn Wilson, operations director Philip Thompsett and finance director Lloyd Burroughs hold the balance.
Wilson is "confident" it can make a profit in the "near future", after which RedAir plans to add frequencies to the UK and launch services to Belgium, France and Germany. Further down the line, it may start services to the USA.
Source: Flight International
