Air Djibouti
Template:Short description Template:Redirect Template:Infobox airline
Air Djibouti, also known as Red Sea Airlines, is the flag carrier of Djibouti.<ref name="Africa’s Air Djibouti continues re-fleeting" /> It first flew in 1963 and ceased all operations in 2002. In 2015, the airline was relaunched, first as a cargo airline and then, in 2016, with passenger services as well. It is headquartered in the capital, Djibouti.<ref name="F1967">"World Airline Survey", Flight International, 13 April 1967, p.554 (online archive version) retrieved 6 April 2011</ref><ref>Air Djibouti entry at airlineupdate.com Template:Webarchive</ref>
History
Air Djibouti (1963–1970)
Air Djibouti was set up as Compagnie Territoriale de Transports Aériens de la Cote Française des Somalis in Template:Start date by B. Astraud, who had been operating an air ambulance service in Madagascar and believed Djibouti was in condition to support an airline that would help boost the country's economy.<ref name="FI1966-609" />Template:Sfnp Operations commenced in Template:Start date with a fleet of a Bristol 170, a De Havilland Dragon Rapide and two Beechcraft Model 18 aircraft, initially serving Dikhil, Obock and Tadjoura. A brand new Douglas DC-3 helped the airline starting services between Dire Dawa and Aden, Addis Ababa and Taiz. The successfulness of this service prompted the airline to buy five more DC-3s from Air Liban, which rapidly replaced the smaller aircraft in the fleet. The carriage of mail and personal for the government and charter and Hajj flights complemented the carrier's revenues. A five-seater Aérospatiale Alouette III helicopter was purchased in 1969.Template:Sfnp
Air Djibouti–Red Sea Airlines (1971–2002)
Air Djibouti–Red Sea Airlines was formed in Template:Start date as a result of Air Somalie (founded by Air France and Les Messagéries Maritimes in 1962) taking over the former Air Djibouti founded in 1963. In 1977, following the independence of Djibouti, the government boosted its participation in the carrier to 62.5%; Air France held 32.29% and banks and private investors held the balance. At July 1980, the number of employees was 210 and the fleet consisted of two Twin Otter aircraft. At this time, a domestic network was served along with international flights to Aden, Hodeida and Taiz; Addis Ababa, Cairo and Jeddah were also served in conjunction with Air France.<ref name="FI1980-274" /> With a fleet of two DC-9-30s and two Twin Otters, at March 1990 Air Djibouti had Abu Dhabi, Aden, Addis Ababa, Cairo, Dire Dawa, Hargeisa, Jeddah, Nairobi, Paris, Rome and Sana'a as part of the airline's international network, and flew domestically to Obock and Tadjoura. The president was Aden Robleh Awaleh, who employed 229.<ref name="FI1990-54" /> The airline ceased operations in 1991.<ref name="FI1993-53" />
The carrier was refounded in 1997 and operations started again in Template:Start date using a leased ex-Kuwait Airways 194-seater Airbus A310-200.<ref name="FI1999-52" /><ref name="Air Djibouti takes A310-200 for long haul services" /> At March 2000, the A310 was deployed on scheduled routes to Addis Ababa, Asmara, Cairo, Dar-es-Salaam, Dubai, Jeddah, Johannesburg, Karachi, Khartoum, Mogadishu, Mombasa, Muscat, Nairobi, Rome and Taiz.<ref name="FI1999-52" /> Operations ceased in 2002.<ref name="Africa’s Air Djibouti continues re-fleeting" />
Relaunch
Air Djibouti was set to relaunch service in late 2015 and 2016Template:Update inline with Chairman Aboubaker Omar Hadi and CEO Mario Fulgoni. The company is also supported by South Wales-based Cardiff Aviation.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="atwonline.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In late 2015 Air Djibouti relaunched service with a Boeing 737 freighter. The government wishes to establish the country as a regional logistics and commercial hub for trade in East Africa, and chose to relaunch the airline as part of this plan.<ref name="atwonline.com"/><ref name="businessinsider.com">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The airline started regional services with the Boeing 737-400 on 16 August 2016 and planned to introduce two British Aerospace 146-300 aircraft before the end of 2016.<ref name="AW">Template:Cite journal</ref>Template:Update inline
Destinations
Template:As of, Air Djibouti served the following destinations.
| Country | City | Airport | Notes | Ref(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Djibouti | Djibouti City | Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport | Template:Airline hub | <ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| Ethiopia | Addis Ababa | Addis Ababa Bole International Airport | — | <ref name=":0" /> | |
| Ethiopia | Dire Dawa | Dire Dawa International Airport | — | <ref name=":0" /> | |
| Somalia | Mogadishu | Aden Adde International Airport | — | <ref name=":0" /> | |
| Somalia | Hargeisa | Hargeisa Airport | — | <ref name=":0" /> | |
| Yemen | Aden | Aden International Airport | — | <ref name=":0" /> |
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Fleet
Current
Air Djibouti relaunched service in 2015 using a wet-leased Fokker 27. In 2016, the company leased a Boeing 737-400 from Cardiff Aviation, which was the first aircraft the new airline operated. Air Djibouti later entered a wet-lease for a BAe 146-300.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> By September 2017, all three aircraft had been returned to their lessors.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Historic fleet
In the 1960s, the airline operated Douglas DC-3s, a Beechcraft Model 18, and a Beechcraft Musketeer.<ref name="F1967"/> In the early 1970s, the fleet also included a Douglas DC-6; the two Beechcraft aircraft had been replaced by a Bell JetRanger helicopter, and a Piper Cherokee Six.<ref>"World Airline Survey", Flight International, 22 March 1973, p.435 (online archive version) retrieved 6 April 2011</ref>
Before operations were suspended Air Djibouti operated one Airbus A310 and five Boeing 737-200 aircraft.Template:Fact
Accidents and incidents
- On 23 July 1969, an Air Djibouti Douglas C-47 (registered F-OCKT) ditched Template:Convert off Djibouti after having collided with several cranes at an altitude of Template:Convert. The aircraft was operating a domestic flight from Tadjoura Airport to Djibouti–Ambouli International Airport. All four people on board survived.<ref name=ASN230769>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- On 17 October 1977, two gunmen entered an Air Djibouti de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter at Tadjoura Airport shortly before the aircraft's planned take-off, shooting the pilot and one passenger.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- On August 17, 1986, a leased Boeing 737-200 (OO-SBQ) was intercepted by two fighter aircraft from the South Yemeni Air Force and forced to land in Aden. There it was ransacked by security forces and one person was arrested. Due to the incident, the Republic of Djibouti broke off diplomatic relations with South Yemen.Template:Citation needed