Air Guinee
Encyclopedia
Compagnie Nationale Air Guinée was the national airline of Guinea
. The airline had its head office in Kaloum
, Conakry
. Founded in 1960, the airline had flights from Conakry International Airport
. The company was privatised in 1992, and was eventually dissolved in 2002.
was being mooted, Guinea
and Mali
opted not to join the consortium with other, mainly French West Africa
n, nations, and instead chose to form their own national airlines. In March 1960 the Guinean government
signed a series of agreements with the Soviet Union
, one of which provided for the supply of aircraft, crews and other technical assistance, ostensibly aimed at upgrading Conakry's airport
. The company was founded by decree N°048/PRG/ on 31 December 1960, with technical support from the Soviets, who also supplied an aircraft: an Ilyushin Il-14
. The aircraft originated from Czechoslovakia
and was crewed by Czechoslovakian crews. Operations began before the end of the year, with flights from Conakry
to Boké
and Kankan
, both of which had previously been operated by Union Aéromaritime de Transport. Service to Bamako
commenced shortly afterwards, and the route was shared between Air Guinée, UAT and Air France
. In April 1961, Air Guinée was nationalised.
Over the years services to Dakar
, Freetown
and Monrovia
were started, with plans to service Paris
and Moscow
also raised; however, these services were not implemented because Guinea failed to obtain traffic rights to France
. Before the relationship between Air Guinée and the Soviets concluded in 1963, the airline had obtained one Yakovlev Yak-40
, four Antonov An-24
s and two Antonov An-12
s. In December 1962 Air Guinée signed a contract with Alaska Airlines
which saw the American airline providing management expertise, in addition to two Douglas DC-6
s. The deal would have seen Alaska Airlines contracting with the airline over a seven-year period; however, the contract ended after only six months, leading to the United States Agency for International Development
paying a US$700,000 debt owed by the Guinean airline to Alaska Airlines.
Services from Conakry to Dakar with the Il-18 were inaugurated on 24 August 1962, and the route was later extended to Lagos
via Monrovia
, Abidjan
and Accra
. The Il-18 was later replaced by two Douglas DC-4
s which were purchased from Alaska Airlines, and the airline also obtained four LASA-60s. By mid-1963 the Air Guinée fleet comprised six Avia-14s, three Ilyushin Il-18
s, two Douglas DC-4
s, two LASA-60s, one Aero 145, one Mil Mi-14
helicopter, five Yakovlev Yak-18
s, three Antonov An-2
s and one Yodel.
In 1965 Pan American World Airways
was contracted to provide technical personnel and a DC-4 for the airlines' use; however, the agreement did not last for long, and the Soviets returned to the airline, supplying an Antonov An-24
for delivery in 1966-1967. In December 1965, the airline temporarily suspended operations as only one route was showing a profit, and the aircraft were suffering frequent breakdowns. On 9 July 1967 one of the airline's Il-18s was written off in an accident at Casablanca
. The aircraft was on a scheduled flight to Prague
when due to bad weather it was diverted to Casablanca. On landing, its left wing hit a building, causing the aircraft to crash into "rough ground". There were no fatalities amongst the 102 occupants on board, but the aircraft had to be written off.
In the 1970s the fleet was expanded with the addition of one Boeing 707
, one Boeing 727-100 and one Boeing 737-200. An Air Guinée Il-18 crashed at Conakry on 3 September 1978, killing 15 of the 17 on board.
In 1985 an Airbus A300
was delivered to the airline in order to allow it to commence services to Paris
and Brussels
. By the early 1990s, Air Guinée operated domestic services from Conakry to Boké
, Faranah
, Kankan
, Kissidougou
, Labé
, Macenta
, Siguiri
and Nzérékoré
, and international flights to Abidjan, Bamako, Dakar, Freetown, Lagos and Monrovia.
By the late 1980s, the airline had cost the country some US$4 million and had no prospects for turning a profit for its shareholder, the Guinean government. The company was privatised in 1992, and was eventually dissolved in 2002.
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
. The airline had its head office in Kaloum
Kaloum
Kaloum is an urban sub-prefecture in the Conakry Region of Guinea and one of five in the capital Conakry.Kaloum includes the city centre of Conakry.When Air Guinée existed, its head office was in Kaloum.-References:...
, Conakry
Conakry
Conakry is the capital and largest city of Guinea. Conakry is a port city on the Atlantic Ocean and serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea with a 2009 population of 1,548,500...
. Founded in 1960, the airline had flights from Conakry International Airport
Conakry International Airport
Conakry International Airport , also known as Gbessia International Airport, is an airport located in Conakry, the capital of the Republic of Guinea in West Africa. It is divided into domestic and international terminals...
. The company was privatised in 1992, and was eventually dissolved in 2002.
Formative years
When the idea of Air AfriqueAir Afrique
Air Afrique was a Pan-African airline, that was mainly owned by many West African countries for most of its history. It was established as the official transnational carrier for francophone West and Central Africa, because many of these countries did not have the capability to create and maintain a...
was being mooted, Guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
and Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
opted not to join the consortium with other, mainly French West Africa
French West Africa
French West Africa was a federation of eight French colonial territories in Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan , French Guinea , Côte d'Ivoire , Upper Volta , Dahomey and Niger...
n, nations, and instead chose to form their own national airlines. In March 1960 the Guinean government
Politics of Guinea
Politics of Guinea takes place in a framework of a presidential republic, whereby the President of Guinea is both head of state and head of government of Guinea. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the National Assembly.-History:A...
signed a series of agreements with the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, one of which provided for the supply of aircraft, crews and other technical assistance, ostensibly aimed at upgrading Conakry's airport
Conakry International Airport
Conakry International Airport , also known as Gbessia International Airport, is an airport located in Conakry, the capital of the Republic of Guinea in West Africa. It is divided into domestic and international terminals...
. The company was founded by decree N°048/PRG/ on 31 December 1960, with technical support from the Soviets, who also supplied an aircraft: an Ilyushin Il-14
Ilyushin Il-14
The Ilyushin Il-14 was a Soviet twin-engine commercial and military personnel and cargo transport aircraft that first flew in 1950, and entered service in 1954. Il-14 was also manufactured in East Germany by VVB Flugzeugbau, in Czechoslovakia as the Avia 14, and in China under the Chinese...
. The aircraft originated from Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
and was crewed by Czechoslovakian crews. Operations began before the end of the year, with flights from Conakry
Conakry
Conakry is the capital and largest city of Guinea. Conakry is a port city on the Atlantic Ocean and serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea with a 2009 population of 1,548,500...
to Boké
Boké
Boké is the capital city of Boké Prefecture within the Boké Region of Lower Guinea near the border with Guinea-Bissau. It is also a sub-prefecture of Guinea. Located along the Rio Nuñez which flows to its not-too-distant mouth on the Atlantic Ocean, Boké is a port. It is known for the Fortin de...
and Kankan
Kankan
Kankan is the largest city in Guinea in land area, and the third largest in population at 207,790 . The city is located on the Milo River in eastern Guinea and lying about 345 miles east of Conakry....
, both of which had previously been operated by Union Aéromaritime de Transport. Service to Bamako
Bamako
Bamako is the capital of Mali and its largest city with a population of 1.8 million . Currently, it is estimated to be the fastest growing city in Africa and sixth fastest in the world...
commenced shortly afterwards, and the route was shared between Air Guinée, UAT and Air France
Air France
Air France , stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, , and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance...
. In April 1961, Air Guinée was nationalised.
Over the years services to Dakar
Dakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
, Freetown
Freetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean located in the Western Area of the country, and had a city proper population of 772,873 at the 2004 census. The city is the economic, financial, and cultural center of...
and Monrovia
Monrovia
Monrovia is the capital city of the West African nation of Liberia. Located on the Atlantic Coast at Cape Mesurado, it lies geographically within Montserrado County, but is administered separately...
were started, with plans to service Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
also raised; however, these services were not implemented because Guinea failed to obtain traffic rights to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Before the relationship between Air Guinée and the Soviets concluded in 1963, the airline had obtained one Yakovlev Yak-40
Yakovlev Yak-40
The Yakovlev Yak-40 is a small, three-engined airliner that is often called the first regional jet transport aircraft...
, four Antonov An-24
Antonov An-24
The Antonov An-24 is a 44-seat twin turboprop transport designed and manufactured in the Soviet Union by the Antonov Design Bureau from 1957.-Design and development:...
s and two Antonov An-12
Antonov An-12
The Antonov An-12 is a four-engined turboprop transport aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. It is the military version of the Antonov An-10.-Design and development:...
s. In December 1962 Air Guinée signed a contract with Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines is an airline based in the Seattle suburb of SeaTac, Washington in the United States. The airline originated in 1932 as McGee Airways. After many mergers with and acquisitions of other airlines, including Star Air Service, it became known as Alaska Airlines in 1944...
which saw the American airline providing management expertise, in addition to two Douglas DC-6
Douglas DC-6
The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and transport aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, it was reworked after the war to compete with the Lockheed Constellation in the long-range...
s. The deal would have seen Alaska Airlines contracting with the airline over a seven-year period; however, the contract ended after only six months, leading to the United States Agency for International Development
United States Agency for International Development
The United States Agency for International Development is the United States federal government agency primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid. President John F. Kennedy created USAID in 1961 by executive order to implement development assistance programs in the areas...
paying a US$700,000 debt owed by the Guinean airline to Alaska Airlines.
Services from Conakry to Dakar with the Il-18 were inaugurated on 24 August 1962, and the route was later extended to Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
via Monrovia
Monrovia
Monrovia is the capital city of the West African nation of Liberia. Located on the Atlantic Coast at Cape Mesurado, it lies geographically within Montserrado County, but is administered separately...
, Abidjan
Abidjan
Abidjan is the economic and former official capital of Côte d'Ivoire, while the current capital is Yamoussoukro. it was the largest city in the nation and the third-largest French-speaking city in the world, after Paris, and Kinshasa but before Montreal...
and Accra
Accra
Accra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
. The Il-18 was later replaced by two Douglas DC-4
Douglas DC-4
The Douglas DC-4 is a four-engined propeller-driven airliner developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It served during World War II, in the Berlin Airlift and into the 1960s in a military role...
s which were purchased from Alaska Airlines, and the airline also obtained four LASA-60s. By mid-1963 the Air Guinée fleet comprised six Avia-14s, three Ilyushin Il-18
Ilyushin Il-18
The Ilyushin Il-18 is a large turboprop airliner that became one of the best known Soviet aircraft of its era as well as one of the most popular and durable, having first flown in 1957 and still in use over 50 years later. The Il-18 was one of the world's principal airliners for several decades...
s, two Douglas DC-4
Douglas DC-4
The Douglas DC-4 is a four-engined propeller-driven airliner developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It served during World War II, in the Berlin Airlift and into the 1960s in a military role...
s, two LASA-60s, one Aero 145, one Mil Mi-14
Mil Mi-14
|-See also:-External links:******...
helicopter, five Yakovlev Yak-18
Yakovlev Yak-18
|-See also:-External links:*...
s, three Antonov An-2
Antonov An-2
The Antonov An-2 is a single-engine biplane utility/agricultural aircraft designed in the USSR in 1946...
s and one Yodel.
In 1965 Pan American World Airways
Pan American World Airways
Pan American World Airways, commonly known as Pan Am, was the principal and largest international air carrier in the United States from 1927 until its collapse on December 4, 1991...
was contracted to provide technical personnel and a DC-4 for the airlines' use; however, the agreement did not last for long, and the Soviets returned to the airline, supplying an Antonov An-24
Antonov An-24
The Antonov An-24 is a 44-seat twin turboprop transport designed and manufactured in the Soviet Union by the Antonov Design Bureau from 1957.-Design and development:...
for delivery in 1966-1967. In December 1965, the airline temporarily suspended operations as only one route was showing a profit, and the aircraft were suffering frequent breakdowns. On 9 July 1967 one of the airline's Il-18s was written off in an accident at Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
. The aircraft was on a scheduled flight to Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
when due to bad weather it was diverted to Casablanca. On landing, its left wing hit a building, causing the aircraft to crash into "rough ground". There were no fatalities amongst the 102 occupants on board, but the aircraft had to be written off.
In the 1970s the fleet was expanded with the addition of one Boeing 707
Boeing 707
The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
, one Boeing 727-100 and one Boeing 737-200. An Air Guinée Il-18 crashed at Conakry on 3 September 1978, killing 15 of the 17 on board.
In 1985 an Airbus A300
Airbus A300
The Airbus A300 is a short- to medium-range widebody jet airliner. Launched in 1972 as the world's first twin-engined widebody, it was the first product of Airbus Industrie, a consortium of European aerospace companies, wholly owned today by EADS...
was delivered to the airline in order to allow it to commence services to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. By the early 1990s, Air Guinée operated domestic services from Conakry to Boké
Boké
Boké is the capital city of Boké Prefecture within the Boké Region of Lower Guinea near the border with Guinea-Bissau. It is also a sub-prefecture of Guinea. Located along the Rio Nuñez which flows to its not-too-distant mouth on the Atlantic Ocean, Boké is a port. It is known for the Fortin de...
, Faranah
Faranah
Faranah is a town and sub-prefecture in central Guinea, lying by the River Niger.Population 87,083 . The town is mainly inhabited by the Mandinka people.- History :...
, Kankan
Kankan
Kankan is the largest city in Guinea in land area, and the third largest in population at 207,790 . The city is located on the Milo River in eastern Guinea and lying about 345 miles east of Conakry....
, Kissidougou
Kissidougou
Kissidougou is a city in southern Guinea. It is the capital of in the Kissidougou Prefecture, and had a population of 66,018 in the 1996 census. Following intensified conflicts in Sierra Leone and Liberia during the fall and winter of 2000, many people from the city of Guéckédou fled to...
, Labé
Labé
Labé is the main city and administrative capital of the Fouta Djallon region of Guinea. It has a population of about 58,649 . It is the second largest city in the country after the capital Conakry...
, Macenta
Macenta
Macenta is a town in southeastern Guinea, founded by the Toma people. Population 88,376 .-Geography:Macenta is the capital of the Macenta Prefecture in southeastern Guinea. It is located in the Guinea Highlands on the road from Nzérékoré to Guéckédou...
, Siguiri
Siguiri
Siguiri is a city in northeastern Guinea on the River Niger. It is a sub-prefecture and capital of Siguiri Prefecture in the Kankan Region. Its population was estimated at 28,319 in 2008....
and Nzérékoré
Nzérékoré
Nzérékoré, also spelled N'Zérékoré, is the largest city in the Guinée Forestière region of south-eastern Guinea and is capital of the Nzérékoré Prefecture. It is Guinea's third largest city . It was the centre of a rising against French rule in 1911. It is now known as a market town, and for its...
, and international flights to Abidjan, Bamako, Dakar, Freetown, Lagos and Monrovia.
By the late 1980s, the airline had cost the country some US$4 million and had no prospects for turning a profit for its shareholder, the Guinean government. The company was privatised in 1992, and was eventually dissolved in 2002.