Djibouti commissions national airline after it went bankrupt in 2002

Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh Thursday presided over the commissioning of the country’s national airline after it went bankrupt more than ten years ago.

President Guelleh said the acquisition of the airline was not only a sign of national pride but critical for the country’s development.

“Besides the pride related to leave our mark in the global arena of civil aviation, the acquisition of our own airline was a sine qua non for the development that is already well under way, of our country into an international hub,” said Guelleh.

Expected to gradually increase its services, the company Air Djibouti will start its flights with an apparatus that can accommodate a preliminary total of 150 passengers, divided into 138 seats in economic class and 12 seats in business class.

In May this year, Air Djibouti signed a deal with the British company Cardiff Aviation to help it provide airline support to the carrier, including management, maintenance and staff training.

Djibouti — which hosts several foreign military bases, including those of the United States, France and Japan — aims to become a regional hub for air cargo transport, to forward sea cargo arriving in its port.

The strategic port is in a key position on one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, the gateway to the Suez canal, and offers an African base across from the Arabian Peninsula at the crossroads for cargo traffic between Asia and Europe.

A flight from Djibouti to Jeddah, devoted entirely to the transport of Djibouti pilgrims will mark the entry into service of the new airline which will, as part of its operations, serve nearly all capitals and major cities of neighboring countries, including Addis Ababa, Dire-Dawa, Mogadishu, Bossaso and Hargueisa, the Presidency said in a statement Thursday.