Asky takes on Air France as West African carrier eyes Europe

Asky Airlines plans to extend its route network to Paris and Johannesburg from its home region of West Africa as the carrier part-owned by Ethiopian Airlines seeks to increase passenger numbers and revenue. The airline plans to start direct flights between the French capital and its hub in Lome, the capital of Togo, this year or next, CEO Henok Teferra said. A Johannesburg service could be introduced by mid-2017, while Asky is also considering a route to Beirut, Lebanon. Passengers could travel from the new cities through Lome to the airline’s 23 other destinations in West and Central Africa, including Accra and Lagos. “Paris is among our priority destinations,” Teferra said. “There is significant traffic between France and francophone countries in west and central Africa.” The new routes will help Asky grow independently of Ethiopian, which owns a 26% stake in the Togolese carrier and uses Lome’s Gnassingbe Eyadema airport as a stop off for transatlantic routes to New York and Sao Paulo. Asky will become the second carrier after Air France-KLM to operate a direct Lome-Paris service. The airline is also adding sub-Saharan Africa routes, to Mauritania and Cape Verde.<br/>