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Gambia Bird’s inability to gain trafficrights to Lagos remains a major setback,forcing a rethink of early plans for a

high-frequency service to the Nigerianmetropolis.

The prospect, however remote, of Islamistrebellions spreading from Mali across the widerSahel region is another cause for concern,rattling some European travellers.

But for Gambia Bird’s management team –comprising chief executive officer ThomasWazinski, chief commercial officer KarstenBalke, and chief administration officer MallehSallah – the dream of unifying and expandingwest Africa’s fragmented air infrastructure isinching ever closer to reality.

With a fleet of two new Airbus A319s and anEASA-certified line station manned by GermaniaTechnik Brandenburg (GTB), they hope totransform this sliver-shaped country into a majorplayer in west African aviation.

“In the short and medium-term our vision is toraise the aviation industry to a level that is A-classwithin the sub-region,” explained Sallah. “Long-term, we want to turn Gambia into one of themajor hubs in the sub-region; Banjul (Gambia’scapital) has the opportunity based on its locationto be an intercontinental hub.”

The idea for Gambia Bird spawned from

Since launching regional and intercontinental servicesin October 2012, Gambia Bird, west Africa’s newest flag-carrier, has encountered more than its fair share ofobstacles. Martin Rivers reports on the company’scontinuing hopes of unifying west Africa’s fragmentedair infrastructure.

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Wazinski’s earlier, unsuccessful attempt toestablish a new carrier in Ghana – a country thathas since given rise to the likes of Starbow andAfrica World Airlines.

After teaming up with Sallah and securing thepolitical backing of Gambia’s president, YahyaJammeh, Wazinski oversaw a deal that grantedGermania 90% ownership of the new airlineventure. President Jammeh’s willingness to handover majority control of his flag-carrier to aforeign partner was a shrewd move, side-steppingmany of the pitfalls faced by other African start-ups.

EASA certification lies at the core of GambiaBird’s proposition as a west African airline withEuropean safety standards. “To set up a linestation here, you have to fulfil certainrequirements,” explained Wazinski, who is alsodirector of GTB. “The competent authority forthe operator and the technical division is theGerman CAA. Gambia Bird has audits from theGambian authorities too, but they don’t auditGTB because it is EASA-approved.”

Regulatory oversight by EASA gives the airlinea free hand in selecting European destinations,though to date it serves just two routes outsideAfrica. London Gatwick Airport is operated twiceweekly – including one flight that picks uppassengers in Freetown, Sierra Leone – while, at

the time of writing, Barcelona was operated onceweekly. Both routes have recorded load factors inexcess of 65%, motivating the launch of a secondBarcelona frequency in late March, plusconsideration of a third or even fourth Londonflight at some point in the future.

“We had great success on our Europeanroutes,” Balke said. “London Gatwick was pickedup by the market quite easily and Barcelona was agood choice because Spanair left a big gap when itpulled out of the market.” He acknowledged,however, that the forthcoming entry of Spanishlow-cost carrier Vueling on the Barcelona-Banjulroute presents competitive challenges.

Scandinavian destinationBeyond Spain and England, the airline has heldtalks with airports in Holland, Italy and countries“close to Germany and covering Frenchcatchment areas”. But talks have advancedfurthest with an unspecified Scandinaviandestination, which is expected to become theairline’s third European route in summer 2013.

Balke emphasised that Gambia Bird’sintercontinental links fulfil a vital function for theflag-carrier, saying: “We can feel the pride of westAfricans flying into London Gatwick, comingwith an African airline, on-time, with a modernaircraft.”

But closer to home, it is the carrier’s regionalfootprint that will ultimately determine Banjul’spotential as a hub for west Africa.

Though handicapped by delayed traffic rightsto Lagos, the airline has deployed a combinationof point-to-point and fifth freedom flights to servemany of the sub-region’s key urban centres.

In March, it added Bamako in Mali,Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, and Abidjan inthe Ivory Coast to its network. These routescomplemented pre-existing services to Conakryin Guinea, Monrovia in Liberia, Freetown inSierra Leone, Accra in Ghana, and Dakar inSenegal.

Plans for a link to Douala in Cameroon are onhold until access to Lagos is secured, as theNigerian city will be used as a fifth-freedomstopover on the route.

Commenting on the launch of Bamako flights,Balke downplayed the relevance of a possibleguerrilla war between Islamist rebels and Frenchforces north of the city. “We are not scared of thepolitical situation in Mali,” he said. “We havebeen there and felt how safe it is [in the capital].”

An onward connection to Barcelona may alsobe considered, he said, as Spanair had previouslyserved that route with somesuccess.

Other possible destinations of

Continuedon Page 28

Team work: From left, Mallen Sallah, Thomas Wazinski and Karsten Balke.

Gambie Bird, nouvelle compagnie aérienne de l'ouest africain, a franchi beaucoup d'obstacles depuis le lancement de sesservices en octobre 2012. Martin Rivers nous retrace son épopée et livre ses espoirs pour créer un véritable hub dans la région.

Une équipe de rêvechez Gambia Bird

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Même si Gambia Bird n’a pas encore obtenu des droitsde trafic pour Lagos, cette nouvelle compagnie afranchi beaucoup d‘obstacles depuis son lancementen octobre 2012. Dotée de 2 Airbus A319 et d’unecertification EASA via son partenariat avec Germania,la compagnie souhaite devenir un acteur majeur enAfrique de l’ouest.

Le rêve de l’équipe dirigeante de Gambia Birdd’unifier et de développer le trafic aérien dans cetterégion se réalise progressivement.

« Notre vision est de permettre à l’aviation de cetterégion d’atteindre un niveau d’excellence », aexpliqué Malleh Sallah, directeur administratif deGambia Bird.

« Nous projetons à long terme de créer à Banjul(capitale de la Gambie), un véritable hub régional. »

Thomas Wazinski, directeur commercial deGambia Bird, a trouvé un accord garantissantGermania d‘être actionnaire à 90% de la compagnie.Même si Yahya Jammeh, Président de la Zambie, asoutenu le projet et a renoncé au contrôle de GambiaBird, cela lui a permis d’éviter de nombreusesembûches rencontrées par les nouvelles compagniesaériennes africaines.

La certification AESA est au cœur de la stratégie deGambia Bird qui lui donne ainsi les mains libres pourchoisir et opérer ses destinations européennes.L’aéroport de Londres Gatwick est ainsi desservi deuxfois par semaine (incluant une escale pour les

passagers de Freetown en Sierra Leone) et désormaisun vol hebdomadaire à Barcelone. Les deux routes ontenregistré un taux de remplissage supérieur à 65%, cequi a permis le lancement d’un deuxième vol àBarcelone fin mars ainsi qu’une étude de faisabilitépour un troisième voire un quatrième vol vers Londres.

« Notre route pour Londres Gatwick a été acceptée parle marché et la destination Barcelone est un bon choixgrâce au retrait de la compagnie Spanair », a déclaréKarsten Balke, directeur commercial de Gambia Bird.

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Il a toutefois reconnu que l’entrée prochaine enopération de la compagnie espagnole à bas coûtVueling sur cette route Barcelone-Banjul sera unvéritable défi. Gambia bird mène également desdiscussions avec des aéroports en Hollande, en Italieet des pays proches de l’Allemagne et de la France.Cependant, un aéroport scandinave pourrait être latroisième destination européenne de la compagnie enété 2013.

« Nous pouvons ressentir la fierté des Africains del’ouest qui arrivent à Londres Gatwick, à l’heure, àbord d’un avion moderne d’une compagnie aérienneafricaine », a ajouté Karsten Balke.

Gambia Bird a étoffé son réseau en intégrantBamako au Mali, Ouagadougou au Burkina Faso etAbidjan en Côte d’Ivoire. Ces destinations complètent

les lignes existantes comme Conakry en Guinée,Monrovia au Libéria, Freetown en Sierra Leone, Accraau Ghana et Dakar au Sénégal. La mise en place d’uneligne vers Douala au Caméroun est en attente jusqu’àce que l’accès à Lagos soit garanti. Karsten Balke aminimisé l’impact d’un éventuel affrontement entreles rebelles islamistes et les forces françaises sur lelancement des vols sur Bamako. Les perspectivesd’ouvrir des routes dans la région du Sahel restentcependant lointaines.

Selon Karsten Balke, le développement du réseaude la compagnie comprenant par exemple Cotonou auBénin, Lomé au Togo et en Guinée équatoriale n’estpas la priorité absolue. La compagnie doit d’abordentrer dans un processus de consolidation par le biaisd’une politique de marketing et de distribution.

Cette expansion exigerait également une plusgrande flotte d’avions. Germania doit prendrelivraison de deux A321 d’ici fin 2014. Elle décidera deplacer ou non un avion à Banjul. L’exploitation d’unA319 ne sera également pas nécessaire tant queGambia Bird ne pourra accéder au Nigeria.

« Nous avions prévu quatre fréquences parsemaine sur Lagos et nous sommes encore et toujoursdans l’attente », a ajouté karsten Balke.

Cette frustration s’explique par le fait que lacompagnie Arik Air au Nigéria dispose d’un monopolesur la route Lagos-Banjul.

Bénéficier d’une compagnie autonome est

interest in the sub-region include Cotonou inBenin, Lomé in Togo, and Equatorial Guinea. ButBalke said further expansion is not the top priority,insisting the airline must first “enter a process ofconsolidation, increase our seat load factors, andfocus on marketing and distribution”.

As scheduled frequencies grow, the airline willgradually reduce its charter operations. “For now,if there are possibilities to have additional revenueof course we will take them,” he said. “Butscheduled flying comes first.”

Significant expansion, either in the sub-regionor in Europe, would also require a larger fleet.Though this is not on the cards at present,Wazinski noted that Germania is due to takedelivery of two larger A321s in November 2013and November 2014. Acknowledging that theeconomics of flying A319s from west Africa toEurope are not optimal, he said the parentcompany would carefully consider whether torelocate one A321 to Banjul.

Additional A319s are unlikely to be requireduntil Gambia Bird gains access to Nigeria. “We

planned four frequencies a week to Lagos earlyon, and since then we are just waiting, waiting,waiting,” complained Balke. With bilateral trafficrights enshrined in the Banjul Accord – to whichboth countries are signatories – he said the matteris being pursued “government to government”.But he added his frustration that Nigeria’s ArikAir enjoys a monopoly on the Lagos-Banjul route.“They are flying here, but we cannot fly overthere,” Balke noted. “This unfair competition willhave a major impact.”

Seasonal withdrawalsFor Gambia, having an autonomous flag-carrier,which maintains year-round links to its partners,is vital. This applies to European leisure traffic asmuch as to free trade in the sub-region. Withtourism accounting for nearly 20% of thecountry’s GDP, Sallah said seasonal withdrawalsby European airlines are damaging to theGambian economy.

“For a long time we did not have a nationalairline operating out of Banjul InternationalAirport,” he recalled. “Traditionally, during the

winter months we have been flooded withThomas Cook, Monarch, Condor and all theEuropean charter flights.

“But then in the summer we are stuck withnothing. Gambia Bird gives Gambia theopportunity to continue linking very importantEuropean destinations all year round.”

Balke agreed, saying that the government doesnot want to be “dependent” on foreign leisurecarriers. Developing this point, he said a strongflag-carrier with a deep regional footprint andregular links to European centres of commercewould advance Banjul’s hub aspirations. This, inturn, stood to benefit neighbouring countries asmuch as Gambia.

The stopover in Freetown on Gambia Bird’ssecond London-bound service underscores thepotential benefit that it can bring to regional partners.

“We have really given Freetownians theopportunity to go back home,” Sallah said. “I’mvery proud, as a Gambian, to see the Gambiancarrier facilitating not only travel for Gambians,but also for other people in the sub-region. Thishas been our vision from day one. We will not only

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essentiel pour la Gambie. Cela facilite le libreéchange et assure un trafic aérien vers l’Europe, cequi est également bénéfique pour l’ensemble decette région d’Afrique. Le tourisme représente prèsde 20% du PIB du pays et le retrait saisonnier descompagnies aériennes européennes est néfastepour l’économie gambienne. Le gouvernement neveut pas être dépendant des transporteurs étrangersdans le domaine du tourisme et des loisirs.

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« Des opérateurs européens opèrent pendant lesmois d’hiver, mais il n’y a plus rien en été. GambiaBird donne la possibilité de relier l’Europe tout aulong de l’année », tient à rappeler Karsten Blake.

Il est donc nécessaire de coopérer avec les paysvoisins, protéger ses droits de trafic et explorer denouveaux marchés.

Karsten Balke évoque son scepticismeconcernant le développement et la viabilité descompagnies aériennes à bas coûts (LCC) sur lecontinent africain notamment avec FastJet et safiliale Fly540. Cela représente un véritable défi carles autorités en Sierra Leone ont par exemple

proposé d’augmenter les taxes de 24 $ à 69 $. Ilestime que Gambia Bird propose des tarifs pouvantaller jusqu’à 80$ moins cher par rapport aux LCC.

Bien que les travaux de MRO soient réalisés àBerlin, la maintenance quotidienne est effectuée àBanjul. Un accord sur la distribution de pièces derechange a été conclu avec AJ Walter Aviation.Gambia Bird utilise également les logiciels AIMS etAMOS pour ses rapports techniques.

Gambia Bird recherche des opportunités dedéveloppement à l’international et en Afrique. Elle mènedes négociations en Afrique de l’ouest mais égalementavec des compagnies du Moyen-Orient et d’Europe.Germania et Gambia bird procèderont à des partages decodes au départ de Londres Gatwick cet été.

Le fait que le gouvernement du Niger envisageégalement de créer une compagnie nationaleprobablement en partenariat avec Turkish Airlinesmontre les changements rapides de l’aviation enAfricaine de l’ouest. La compagnie ASKY connaîtégalement une croissance rapide. Gambia Birdfigure ainsi dans le peloton de tête pour assurer laconnectivité dans la région grâce à l’expertiseopérationnelle et technique de Germania et lesoutien politique du Président Jammeh.

be the gateway to the Gambia. We will also be thegateway to west Africa.”

Cooperating with neighbouring countries –both to secure traffic rights and to explorepotential partnerships – is therefore critical.

The airline is already in talks with one otherwest African carrier, Balke confirmed, adding:“We have to convince all the other states withinthe sub-region that we are actually helping themhave permanent growth in the tourism market.”

Renewed airport investment is another pre-requisite, and Sallah said the Gambian CAA hasalready drawn up plans to improve facilities.

However, Gambia Bird’s status as a flag-carrier and symbol for national pride necessitatesdivergence from the low-cost carrier (LCC)model being trialled elsewhere on the continent,notably by FastJet and its affiliate Fly540.

Balke voiced scepticism about the viability of

the LCC model in Africa where, he said, highairport taxes and challenging infrastructurecurtail fare discounting.

In Sierra Leone, for example, authorities haveproposed increasing the airport development feefrom $24 to $69. “How can you be low-cost inthat environment? “FastJet and Fly540 say theyare low-cost carriers but when I look at the faresactually we are sometimes $80 cheaper thanthem.”

Instead of minimising base fares andintroducing ancillary charges, Gambia Bird aimsto balance price with product. “Of course we tryto cut down our costs but for some services wecannot,” Balke said. He singled out GambiaBird’s complimentary in-flight meals, insisting:“There is a market for this and people pay for it.”

The airline is also reconfiguring its dual-cabinfleet when the aircraft undergo their first C-

checks in April. It will withdraw one row fromeach of the A319s, extending the seat pitch ineconomy to 31 inches.

Though that work will be completed in Berlin,most of the day-to-day MRO work is conductedby the two engineers that GTB has stationed inBanjul. It has a spare part pool agreement with AJWalter Aviation, amassing components as diverseas hydraulic pumps, windscreens and weatherradar transceivers.

The MRO firm also stores its own tools on-site.“Being so far away from the headquarters inBerlin, you have to be prepared,” Wazinski said.“This station has accumulated more equipmentthan any of our stations in Germany or Europe.”

From their office at Banjul InternationalAirport, the on-site GTB staff use softwareincluding airline information managementsystem (AIMS) for troubleshooting, andintegrated maintenance management system(AMOS) for compiling technical reports. “We geteverything online,” explained aircraft engineerSven Lütkehölter. “Our technical manuals aredirectly linked to Airbus, so they are always up todate. But because they’re brand new aircraft,most of the time the only post-flight issues arethings like software updates or wheelreplacements. Nothing serious.”

Middle Eastern carriersDespite being in its first year of operations, GambiaBird is already looking at opportunities to developoverseas partnerships far beyond the sub-region.Alongside talks with one unspecified west Africanpartner, it has held negotiations with two MiddleEastern carriers and four European airlines.

One of the European carriers is Germania,with whom Gambia Bird will begin codesharingout of London Gatwick this summer. Butmanagement were tight-lipped when asked aboutthe other negotiations, stressing that numerousdifferent models are being explored and talksremain in the nascent stages. Additionalcodeshares and interlines would be logical nextsteps, Balke admitted, though a broader pan-African alliance cannot be ruled out as a long-term aspiration.

One option not being considered, however, isrelinquishing Gambia Bird’s European networkin favour of solely operating feeder flights. “Wewant to be independent, and cooperation shouldnot go that far,” Balke insisted. “We want to befree to decide when and how we fly to Europe.”

News that Niger’s government also plans tocreate a flag-carrier – purportedly in cooperationwith Turkish Airlines, though Istanbul denies this– underscores the rapid pace of change in westAfrican aviation.

Ethiopian Airlines-backed Asky is also fastextending its reach across the sub-region. Butwith operational expertise from Germania,technical expertise from GTB, and politicalbacking from President Jammeh, Gambia Bird isamong the front-runners in the race to developwest Africa’s fledgling connectivity.

Aircraft engineer Sven Lutkeholter. / Sven Lutkeholter, ingénieur aéronautique.