Air Djibouti (DJ, Djibouti) has taken delivery of its first jet and passenger aircraft, B737-400 9H-VVB (msn 24901), chartered from Cardiff Aviation affiliate, VVB Aviation Malta (Malta International).
The twinjet will be used to inaugurate the start-up's maiden scheduled passenger flights as well as Hajj charter operations effective August 16.
Air Djibouti plans to introduce two BAe 146-300s by mid-September and mid-October respectively, as well as B767-200(ER) msn 23624 in December this year, initially operating between Djibouti and London Gatwick.
Air Djibouti commenced freight operations late last year using a Fokker 27 freighter sourced from Astral Aviation (8V, Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta) to serve towns in neighbouring Somalia.
For its part, Cardiff Aviation will assist Air Djibouti, as well as the country's Directorate of Civil Aviation & Meteorology, to secure and manage an EASA-compliant Air Operator's Certificate (AOC). Once secured and once Djibouti has been removed from the European Union's Banned Operators' List, the relevant aircraft will then be transferred to Air Djibouti's AOC.
