Air Mauritanie
Encyclopedia
Air Mauritanie was an airline
based in Nouakchott
, Mauritania
. It was the national airline and operated domestic and regional services. A VIP-configured Boeing 727-200
was flown for the Mauritanian government. Its main base was Nouakchott International Airport
.
and UAT-Airmaritime. With the help of Spantax
, a Spanish airline, Air Mauritanie started services in 1963 using Fokker F27
aircraft. Also the company operated at least on DC3 and one DC4. The 1980s saw international routes to Las Palmas
and Dakar
added. In 1983 Fokker F28
jets were added to the fleet and in 1996 ATR 42
aircraft were purchased. Since then Boeing 737
s have been introduced. As of June 2005, Air Mauritanie is was prohibited from flying into the United Kingdom
, because of evidence that they are not receiving adequate regulatory oversight from their national aviation authority.
The new Mauritanian transition Government in August 2005 started looking for a strategic partner for the heavily indebted company, which is owned by the Mauritanian government (11%), Bollore, Elf Oil and Mauritanian Bank. It was reported in August 2006 that Royal Air Maroc
was to take a 51% stake in the airline and to effectively take over its management. Air Mauritanie had 235 employees as of March 2007.
In October 2007, however, the airline was liquidated after it was unable to pay the leases on two of its aircraft, which were repossessed by leasing company ILFC. The government of Mauritania has now established a new airline, Mauritania Airways
, in conjunction with Royal Air Maroc
and a local company.
on a flight from Nouakchott
to Las Palmas in the Spanish Canary Islands
was hijacked by Mohamed Abderraman, who was allegedly seeking political asylum in France
. Spain
has identified him as a Mauritanian, while Mauritania
says that he is a Moroccan from the Western Sahara
The aircraft had 71 passengers and 8 crew on board.
While explaining to Abderraman that the plane did not have enough fuel to reach France, the captain, Ahmedou Mohamed Lemine, discovered Abderraman did not speak French. When the Moroccan government denied the plane's request to land and refuel at Dakhla
in the Western Sahara, the pilot decided to continue on to Las Palmas as planned. Afterwards the captain spoke to the first officer Satvinder Virk who was travelling as safety pilot in French, warning him that upon landing he was going to brake hard, to throw the hijacker off balance and give the crew a chance to overpower him. On landing, the captain did so, and the hijacker fell to the floor, dropping one of his pistols. First officer Virk and steward Thiam (entering first and immobilising the hijacker) poured boiling water from the coffee machine on him and beat him until they considered him sufficiently subdued. The hijacker was tied with life-jacket straps and handed over to the Guardia Civil. About twenty passengers were slightly injured when evacuating from the port aft escape slide.
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
based in Nouakchott
Nouakchott
-Government:The town was first divided into districts in 1973. First it was divided into four. From 1986, the city has been split into nine districts.* Arafat* Dar Naim* El Mina* Ksar* Riad* Sebkha* Tevragh-Zeina* Teyarett* Toujounine...
, Mauritania
Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
. It was the national airline and operated domestic and regional services. A VIP-configured Boeing 727-200
Boeing 727
The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner, manufactured by Boeing. The Boeing 727 first flew in 1963, and for over a decade more were built per year than any other jet airliner. When production ended in 1984 a total of 1,832 aircraft had been produced...
was flown for the Mauritanian government. Its main base was Nouakchott International Airport
Nouakchott International Airport
Nouakchott International Airport is an airport located in Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania. Until late 2010, it served as hub of Mauritania Airways...
.
History
Air Mauritanie was established in September 1962 and started operations in October 1962. It took over the limited regional services previously flown by Air FranceAir 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...
and UAT-Airmaritime. With the help of Spantax
Spantax
Spantax S.A. was a Spanish airline that operated from 1959 to 1988. Its head office was located in Madrid.-Formative years:Spanish Air Taxi Líneas Aéreas S.A. was founded on 6 October 1959 by ex-Iberia pilot Rodolfo Bay Wright and ex-Iberia flight attendant Marta Estades Sáez...
, a Spanish airline, Air Mauritanie started services in 1963 using Fokker F27
Fokker F27
The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner designed and built by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker.-Design and development:Design of the Fokker F27 started in the 1950s as a replacement to the successful Douglas DC-3 airliner...
aircraft. Also the company operated at least on DC3 and one DC4. The 1980s saw international routes to Las Palmas
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria commonly known as Las Palmas is the political capital, jointly with Santa Cruz, the most populous city in the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands and the ninth largest city in Spain, with a population of 383,308 in 2010. Nearly half of the people of the island...
and 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...
added. In 1983 Fokker F28
Fokker F28
The Fokker F28 Fellowship is a short range jet airliner designed and built by defunct Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker.-Design and development:...
jets were added to the fleet and in 1996 ATR 42
ATR 42
-Civil operators:The largest operators of the ATR-42 are FedEx Express, Airlinair, TRIP Linhas Aéreas,and Mexico City-based Aeromar respectively. Number of aircraft as of 2010:Some 70 other airlines operate smaller numbers of the type....
aircraft were purchased. Since then Boeing 737
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
s have been introduced. As of June 2005, Air Mauritanie is was prohibited from flying into the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, because of evidence that they are not receiving adequate regulatory oversight from their national aviation authority.
The new Mauritanian transition Government in August 2005 started looking for a strategic partner for the heavily indebted company, which is owned by the Mauritanian government (11%), Bollore, Elf Oil and Mauritanian Bank. It was reported in August 2006 that Royal Air Maroc
Royal Air Maroc
Royal Air Maroc is the flag carrier airline of Morocco, headquartered on the grounds of Casablanca-Anfa Airport in Casablanca...
was to take a 51% stake in the airline and to effectively take over its management. Air Mauritanie had 235 employees as of March 2007.
In October 2007, however, the airline was liquidated after it was unable to pay the leases on two of its aircraft, which were repossessed by leasing company ILFC. The government of Mauritania has now established a new airline, Mauritania Airways
Mauritania Airways
Mauritania Airways S.A. was an airline based in Nouakchott, Mauritania, operating out of Nouakchott International Airport.-History:The company was established in December 2006, but made its first flight only on 7 November 2007...
, in conjunction with Royal Air Maroc
Royal Air Maroc
Royal Air Maroc is the flag carrier airline of Morocco, headquartered on the grounds of Casablanca-Anfa Airport in Casablanca...
and a local company.
Incidents and accidents
On February 15, 2007, a Boeing 737-700Boeing 737 Next Generation
The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as Boeing 737NG, is the name given to the -600/-700/-800/-900 series of the Boeing 737 after the introduction of the -300/-400/-500 Classic series. They are short- to medium-range, narrow-body jet airliners...
on a flight from Nouakchott
Nouakchott
-Government:The town was first divided into districts in 1973. First it was divided into four. From 1986, the city has been split into nine districts.* Arafat* Dar Naim* El Mina* Ksar* Riad* Sebkha* Tevragh-Zeina* Teyarett* Toujounine...
to Las Palmas in the Spanish Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
was hijacked by Mohamed Abderraman, who was allegedly seeking political asylum in 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...
. Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
has identified him as a Mauritanian, while Mauritania
Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
says that he is a Moroccan from the Western Sahara
Western Sahara
Western Sahara is a disputed territory in North Africa, bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria to the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its surface area amounts to . It is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly...
The aircraft had 71 passengers and 8 crew on board.
While explaining to Abderraman that the plane did not have enough fuel to reach France, the captain, Ahmedou Mohamed Lemine, discovered Abderraman did not speak French. When the Moroccan government denied the plane's request to land and refuel at Dakhla
Dakhla
Dakhla may refer to:*Dakhla Oasis, Egypt*Dakhla, Western Sahara*Dakhla Airport...
in the Western Sahara, the pilot decided to continue on to Las Palmas as planned. Afterwards the captain spoke to the first officer Satvinder Virk who was travelling as safety pilot in French, warning him that upon landing he was going to brake hard, to throw the hijacker off balance and give the crew a chance to overpower him. On landing, the captain did so, and the hijacker fell to the floor, dropping one of his pistols. First officer Virk and steward Thiam (entering first and immobilising the hijacker) poured boiling water from the coffee machine on him and beat him until they considered him sufficiently subdued. The hijacker was tied with life-jacket straps and handed over to the Guardia Civil. About twenty passengers were slightly injured when evacuating from the port aft escape slide.
Destinations
Air Mauritanie operated the following services at February 2007:Domestic scheduled destinations
-
- NouakchottNouakchott-Government:The town was first divided into districts in 1973. First it was divided into four. From 1986, the city has been split into nine districts.* Arafat* Dar Naim* El Mina* Ksar* Riad* Sebkha* Tevragh-Zeina* Teyarett* Toujounine...
(Nouakchott International AirportNouakchott International AirportNouakchott International Airport is an airport located in Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania. Until late 2010, it served as hub of Mauritania Airways...
) - NouadhibouNouadhibouNouadhibou is the second largest city in Mauritania and serves as a major commercial centre. The city itself has about 75,000 inhabitants expanding to over 90,000 in the larger metropolitan area. It is situated on a 40-mile peninsula or headland called Ras Nouadhibou, Cap Blanc, or Cabo Blanco, of...
- Nouakchott
International scheduled destinations
-
- AbidjanAbidjanAbidjan 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...
(Port Bouet AirportPort Bouet AirportPort Bouet Airport , also known as Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport, is located 16 kilometres southeast of Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.The airport was one of many hubs for multi-national airline Air Afrique.- Airlines and destinations:...
) - AlgiersAlgiers' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
(Houari Boumedienne AirportHouari Boumedienne AirportHouari Boumediene Airport , also known as Algiers Airport, is an international airport serving Algiers, the capital of Algeria. It is located east southeast of the city.The airport is named after Houari Boumediene, a former president of Algeria...
) - BamakoBamakoBamako 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...
(Senou International AirportSenou International Airport-Accidents and incidents:*On 24 July 1971, Douglas C-47A 6V-AAP of Air Ivoire crashed into a hill shortly after take-off. The aircraft was operating a scheduled passenger flight. All six people on board were killed.-Traffic and statistics:...
) - BrazzavilleBrazzaville-Transport:The city is home to Maya-Maya Airport and a railway station on the Congo-Ocean Railway. It is also an important river port, with ferries sailing to Kinshasa and to Bangui via Impfondo...
(Maya-Maya AirportMaya-Maya AirportMaya-Maya Airport is an airport located in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of the Congo.In 2004, the airport served 447,699 passengers.-Airlines and destinations:-Accidents and incidents:...
) - CasablancaCasablancaCasablanca 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...
(Mohammed V International AirportMohammed V International AirportMohammed V International Airport is an airport operated by ONDA . Located in Province of Nouaceur, a suburb 30 km south-east of Casablanca, it is the busiest airport in Morocco with almost 7.25 million passengers passing through the airport in 2010...
) - CotonouCotonou-Demographics:*1979: 320,348 *1992: 536,827 *2002: 665,100 *2005: 690,584 The main languages spoken in Cotonou include the Fon language, Aja language, Yoruba language and French.-Transport:...
(Cadjehoun AirportCadjehoun AirportCotonou Cadjehoun Airport is an airport located in Cotonou, the biggest city in Benin in West Africa.In 2004, the airport served 301,493 passengers.-Airlines and destinations:-Incidents and accidents:...
) - DakarDakarDakar 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...
(Dakar-Yoff-Léopold Sédar Senghor International AirportDakar-Yoff-Léopold Sédar Senghor International AirportLéopold Sédar Senghor International Airport is an international airport serving Dakar, the capital of Senegal. The airport is situated near the town of Yoff, north of Dakar...
) - Gran CanariaGran CanariaGran Canaria is the second most populous island of the Canary Islands, with a population of 838,397 which constitutes approximately 40% of the population of the archipelago...
(Gran Canaria International AirportGran Canaria International AirportGran Canaria Airport , , , is the fifth busiest airport in Spain. It is an airport located on Gran Canaria Island...
) - ParisParisParis 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...
(Orly AirportOrly AirportParis-Orly Airport is an airport located partially in Orly and partially in Villeneuve-le-Roi, south of Paris, France. It has flights to cities in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Caribbean, North America and Southeast Asia. Prior to the construction of Charles de Gaulle Airport, Orly was...
)
- Abidjan
Historical Fleet
- 1 – Fokker F28-3000 FellowshipFokker F28The Fokker F28 Fellowship is a short range jet airliner designed and built by defunct Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker.-Design and development:...
- 1 – Fokker F28-4000 FellowshipFokker F28The Fokker F28 Fellowship is a short range jet airliner designed and built by defunct Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker.-Design and development:...
- 1 – Fokker F28-6000 FellowshipFokker F28The Fokker F28 Fellowship is a short range jet airliner designed and built by defunct Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker.-Design and development:...
- 2 – Boeing 737-700Boeing 737The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
- 2 – ATR 42-320ATR 42-Civil operators:The largest operators of the ATR-42 are FedEx Express, Airlinair, TRIP Linhas Aéreas,and Mexico City-based Aeromar respectively. Number of aircraft as of 2010:Some 70 other airlines operate smaller numbers of the type....
- 1 – Boeing 737-222Boeing 737The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
- 1 – Boeing 737-2H7CBoeing 737The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
- 1 – Fokker F27AFokker F27The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner designed and built by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker.-Design and development:Design of the Fokker F27 started in the 1950s as a replacement to the successful Douglas DC-3 airliner...
- 1 – Fairchild FH-227Fairchild Hiller FH-227The Fairchild F-27 and Fairchild Hiller FH-227 were versions of the Fokker F27 Friendship twin-engined turboprop passenger aircraft manufactured under license by Fairchild Hiller in the United States...
External links
- Air Mauritanie (Archive)