Sierra Leone’s commercial airline, Air Sierra Leone has commenced flight operations from Freetown to Lagos, Nigeria’s biggest commercial city to connect one of the biggest markets in Africa. The airline also announced technical partnership with Xejet, one of Nigeria’s domestic carriers, which will provide aircraft for it’s operations.
The airline which marked its inaugural flight to Lagos on Wednesday recorded 36 passenger load factor on its 50-seaterE145 aircraft.
Speaking during its inaugural flight ceremony at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the General Manager, Air Sierra Leone, Edgard Lacle said the airline will operate three weekly flights to Lagos; Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
“We will be using the E145 aircraft, which has about 50 passenger seat capacity. There are about 36 passengers on this inaugural flight. We have our products and we are interested in pushing our products which is quite different from any other products out there,” Lacle said.
Speaking on the attraction to the Nigerian market, he said the connection between Sierra Leone and Nigeria remained very strong in terms of trade.
Also speaking at the event, Xejet’s CEO, Emmanuel Iza, said Air Sierra Leone’s inaugural flight, had always reminded him of the power of dreams, determination, and the collective effort of an entire nation.
“This day is more than just the launch of an airline; it is the rebirth of a national icon. After over 15 years, the Sierra Leonean flag again takes to the skies, a beacon of hope, progress, and resilience for our beloved nation,” Iza
