Air Gabon

Libreville Leon M'ba

Air Gabon was a Gabonese national airline based in Libreville and based on the Libreville Leon M'ba airport.

History

In 1948, the French entrepreneur Jean -Claude Brouillet, who ran a trucking company in Gabon, an aircraft of the type de Havilland Tiger Moth, to transport airmail within the colony acquired. The aircraft was damaged in a storm, so that the start of flight operations under the name Transgabon ( officially Transports Aériens du Gabon ) could take place until a year later with a machine of the type De Havilland Dragon Rapide and other small aircraft. Initially, the company sold its aircraft on a mail flights as well as on behalf of mining companies. From 1951 Transgabon first offered to passenger flights and carried 2300 passengers in the same year. In the 1950s, the company also conducted feeder flights for Air France. After the colony received its independence in August 1960, sold the Air France three of its stationed in Africa Douglas DC-3 to the Company, which used them on national routes and on flights to neighboring countries, Spanish Guinea and Congo.

In 1961 the Republic of Gabon joined the international consortium Air Afrique. At the same time, the Air Afrique involved in the Transgabon, which remained as a national airline and carried feeder services for the Air Afrique. Jean -Claude Brouillet sold its remaining shares in the company in 1964 to the French airline UTA, which thereby until 1968 owned a majority stake in the company. The Transgabon was nationalized in part, in 1968, with the airline Compagnie Aerienne Gabonaise ( trading as Air Gabon ) joined forces that had emerged in 1951 as a charter airline and operated domestic routes with propeller aircraft types Beechcraft and de Havilland Canada. The merger of the two companies, the Societe Nationale Transgabon (SNT ) showed at the Air Afrique and the state of Gabon were involved in half each. The SNT continued its flight operations from 1968 to the year 1977 under the name Transgabon continued.

At the beginning of 1977, the Republic of Gabon ended its association with the multinational Air Afrique consortium and took over the SNT completely. After the nationalization of the company was named Societe Nationale Air Gabon and changed its name in outer appearance under the new name of Air Gabon.

The Air Gabon resulted from the 5th October 1978 by international flights to Paris with a Boeing 747-200. At national and regional routes, the Company adopted among other aircraft of the Boeing 737 (from 1978 ) and Fokker F- 28 (from 1974) a. In 1996, the fleet was supplemented by a Boeing 767, which henceforth was used among other things to Paris.

In 2006, an agreement between Royal Air Maroc and the Gabonese government led to the Air Gabon dissolve and should be re-established as Air Gabon International. However, this was succeeded by the Gabon Airlines. This company ceased its activities in 2011.

Destinations

Air Gabon served next to some domestic destinations principal international long distance, for example, to Rome and Paris.

Fleet

Last operated fleet

Before setting of flight operations in 2006, the fleet of Air Gabon consisted of four aircraft:

Naval History

Air Gabon and its predecessor translated, inter alia, the following aircraft types:

  • ATR -42
  • ATR -72
  • Boeing 727
  • Boeing 737-300, -400
  • Boeing 747-200
  • Bristol 170
  • Canadair CL -44
  • Douglas DC-3
  • Douglas DC-4
  • Douglas DC-6
  • Douglas DC-8
  • Fokker 100
  • Hawker Siddeley HS 748
  • Lockheed Hercules
  • NAMC YS -11
  • Vickers Vanguard
IATA-Code International Civil Aviation Organization airport code ATR 42 Canadair CL-44 NAMC YS-11 List of defunct airlines
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