AIR TRANSPORT

Having developed a thriving network from its Togolese home base,

Asky Airlines is cautiously evaluating a new satellite hub in
Ghana. Martin Rivers talks to chief executive Yissehak Zewoldi.

Zewoldi plans for a

home from Lom...
S

ince launching operations in 2010,

Togos Asky Airlines has cemented its
status as the dominant home-grown
entity in west Africas fragmented aviation
market.
The airline was founded at the behest of the
Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS), an alliance of 15 nations that
correctly identified air connectivity as a
potential catalyst for the sub-regions fortunes.
Today, Asky deploys an eight-strong fleet
four Bombardier Dash 8 Q400s, three Boeing
737-700s, and one 737-400F freighter to 22
points in west Africa, stretching from Dakar on
the westernmost tip of the continent to the
central African metropolis of Kinshasa.
And although 60% of its traffic is routed
through the Togolese capital Lom, chief
executive Yissehak Zewoldi is not blind to the
economic powerhouse across his western
border.

Ghanas gross domestic product (GDP) was
more than 10 times higher than Togos in 2013,
according to the World Bank, totalling $103
billion when measured by purchasing power
parity. The countrys well-established reputation
as a magnet for foreign investment has delivered
four consecutive years of GDP growth above
7%, and capital inflows are being accompanied
by a steady influx of foreign businesspeople.
The Ghana Airports Company recorded 1.67
million international passengers last year a
modest dip on the 2012 figure, but enough for
Accra to retain its title as the busiest west
African hub outside of Nigeria.
Little wonder that Star Alliance members
Ethiopian Airlines, South African Airways
(SAA) and EgyptAir, are all evaluating Accra as
a springboard for the sub-region.
For Asky, however, which is under a five-year

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management contract with 40% stakeholder

Ethiopian Airlines, Ghanas rising star is
becoming a double-edged sword.
Zewoldi may be keen to expand the airlines
presence in Accra envisioning a secondary base
that can tap into Ghanaian traffic flows but he
refuses to do anything which could undermine
the primary hub in Lom.
Absolutely no, the chief executive said, when
asked if he would relocate Asky to Ghana. Lom
will remain our hub. But we have the capacity to
develop a satellite hub in Accra.
We can use the aircraft down-time during
the night to operate out of Accra. With or
without partners, this is an on-going project for
Asky. We have formulated some ideas and, in a
couple of months, we will go for the
implementation Its not only Accra, we are
also considering Cotonou [across the eastern
border with Benin].
Askys existing and future partners are
undoubtedly pushing Zewoldi towards the
Ghanaian capital. At present, Ethiopian
Airlines uses Lom as its west African base,
codesharing with the Togolese carrier while also

operating fifth-freedom flights to Sao Paulo and

Rio de Janeiro.
But chief executive Tewolde Gebremariam last
year revealed that the Star Alliance is calling on its
Addis Ababa-based member to re-route traffic
through Accra. Most of our partners fly to Ghana
and, therefore, that will be a good meeting point,
he said, referring to transfer opportunities with the
likes of Lufthansa and SAA.
The Star Alliance is encouraging us to operate
a second [west African] hub in Accra, so we are
examining that.
Yet SAA has also publicly encouraged Asky to
re-evaluate Accras role. Chief executive
Monwabisi Kalawe recently said he would
consider investing in the Togolese carrier if it
shifted operations to Ghana. Zewoldi shot down
that suggestion, however, saying there are no
direct talks between Asky and South African
Airways at this point in time.
Insisting that the clarion calls about Accra are
nothing new within African aviation circles, he
noted that various proposals had been floated
around the turn of the decade.
There was a Star Alliance initiative three or

TOGO

If there are
market
opportunities,
I am sure we
will jump on
them.
YISSEHAK ZEWOLDI

Togolese home base. The capitals of Guinea,

Sierra Leone and Liberia had also been used for
onward connections before the outbreak of
Ebola, and Zewoldi is constantly looking for new
linkages.
If there are market opportunities, I am sure
we will jump on them, he said, predicting that
the satellite hub in Accra will evaluate non-stop
services to destinations like Bamako, Brazzaville,
Dakar, Kinshasa, Ndjamena and Niamey.
Entirely new regional points are also on the
agenda, with Nouakchott in Mauritania, Luanda
in Angola, and Equatorial Guinea all being
considered. Progress may be slow on these
fronts, however, as Zewoldi admitted that there
are some bilateral issues in this part of Africa
even for an airline as well connected politically as
Asky.
four years ago, where African members
developed an African strategy, Zewoldi recalled.
Based on that guideline, the three airlines
Ethiopian Airlines, EgyptAir and South African
Airways were exploring areas of mutual interest
where they can cooperate and extend their
market reach. This project was aimed at forming
a partnership in west Africa and central Africa.
SAA had previously devoted much of its
attention to the long-running Air CEMAC
project, which took its name from the Central
African Economic and Monetary Community.
Air CEMAC was conceived as a successor to Air
Afrique, the transnational carrier for Frenchspeaking parts of west and central Africa that
ceased operations in 2002.
After failing to agree on the planned hub for
Air CEMAC SAA favoured Douala, while the
start-ups regional backers wanted CongoBrazzaville the South African airline, together
with Egypts flag-carrier, began exploring
opportunities further west.
So EgyptAir and SAA came to Lom, saw the
hub, and they found it to be very interesting,
Zewoldi continued. Unfortunately, EgyptAir

and South African fly into Accra, not Lom. So

an idea emanated from the discussions that Asky
will have a Lom hub, but also extend some of its
flights from Accra to points of interest for
EgyptAir and South African.
Ultimately, however, the idea was not
entertained at the speed that was expected and it
fell by the wayside. EgyptAir, instead, decided to
acquire 50% of defunct Ghanaian operator
CiTylinK, while Ethiopian raised its stake in Asky
from 25% to 40%.
SAAs hunt for a west African partner,
meanwhile, continues, and Zewoldi does not rule
out some form of Asky cooperation in the future.
Togo, like Ghana, is investing in a new
terminal for its capitals airport, lifting annual
capacity at Lom to two million passengers. But,
despite Askys centralised network, it would be
wrong to describe the airline as a traditional huband-spoke operator.
Poor connectivity across west Africa has
created myriad opportunities to link up foreign
countries with fifth-freedom flights. Thus, routes
such as Abuja-NDjamena and Bamako-Dakar
allow Asky to develop traffic flows far beyond its


In the meantime, Johannesburg and Beirut are
both in the pipeline for early 2015. Launching
medium-haul routes will be a significant
milestone for Asky, which has, hitherto, focused
solely on the sub-region. Their addition will be
made possible by the delivery of another four
aircraft over the coming five years, most likely
including 737-800s.
Zewoldi is candid when discussing the
competitive landscape across west Africa,
accepting that other start-ups, such as Air Cte
dIvoire and Gambia Bird, are also filling the void
left by Air Afrique.
But he insists that Asky remains in pole
position due to its entrenched network and
strong support from the Togolese authorities.
We have the first-mover advantage in west
Africa, and we have also developed a very strong
reputation with the travelling public, the chief
executive concluded. With completion of the
new terminal building, Lom will be even more
attractive.

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