South Supreme Airlines (Juba) has suspending operations with immediate effect. Formerly Feeder Airlines (Juba), the South Sudanese carrier blamed the country's scarcity of foreign currency for the move.
Speaking to local media in Juba last week, founder and CEO Ayii Duang Ayii said the Bank of South Sudan's decision to deny the airline access to GBP Pounds Sterling, currently deposited with Ivory Bank, meant it could not pay off impending aircraft insurance premiums, staff wages, and MRO dues.
“The pilots and engineers are paid in dollar. They have gone unpaid since the last six months because they are foreigners, they are not South Sudanese," he was quoted by Radio Tamazuj. “The international insurance of the company needs to be paid in dollars, and we couldn’t transfer the money. So the aircraft will not be allowed to fly.”
Duang Ayii did however state the airline may resume operations provided there are enough locals willing to pay for flights in hard currency as opposed to South Sudanese Pounds.
South Supreme Airlines had operated throughout South Sudan employing a B737-300 and a CRJ100 wet-leased from Gambia's Jupiter Airlines (Banjul), a Fokker 50, and a Let 410.
Kenya's JetLink Express (Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta) was forced to cease operations in 2012 after it was unable to repatriate over USD2 million in funds locked up in the troubled Central African nation.
Two years after seceding from Sudan in July 2011, South Sudan deteriorated into a civil war which has pitted the oil-rich country's president Salva Kiir against his former deputy and now rebel leader, Riek Machar Teny. A ceasefire was recently signed between the sides though doubts continue to linger as to its effectiveness given that eight previous deals have failed to stop the fighting.
