Air Djibouti (DJ, Djibouti) is considering acquiring two A320-200s to support its gradual regional expansion, chief executive Abdourahman Ali Abdillahi told the African Business online news platform. The airline is also evaluating wet-leasing smaller propeller aircraft to serve unpaved runways in Djibouti and the near abroad.
The airline wants to "consolidate before investing", making sure it has a more consistent offer for regional routes. Air Djibouti currently connects Djibouti with Aden, as well as with Hargeisa and Mogadishu. The route to Yemen, operated up to 6x weekly, is currently its busiest and most lucrative given the scarcity of capacity into Aden.
Once those routes are "stabilised," Air Djibouti plans to add Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta, Cairo International, and Dubai International to its network. The prospective A320s would likely operate those routes.
In turn, the smaller aircraft would allow Air Djibouti to enter the domestic market, capitalising on the small but growing trickle of international tourism. Ali Abdillahi identified Tadjoura as a particularly attractive destination. The city is less than 40 kilometres from the capital, across the Gulf of Tadjoura. The existing road infrastructure necessitates a sizeable detour and means travel time can reach four hours, while a flight would take 10 minutes. Another domestic airport attractive to Air Djibouti is Obock. Both domestic airports have unpaved runways.
"The country wants to establish itself as a key link in the regional logistics chain, and in the long term we will have our role to play," the executive said of Djibouti's plans.
The airline's current fleet comprises two E145s and one VIP-configured B727-200. The identity of the aircraft is unknown, although the ch-aviation fleets module identifies one of the E145s as ET-AVV (msn 145795) operated by National Airways (Ethiopia). There is no evidence of any other aircraft in service with the carrier.
