Gabon buys majority stake in Afrijet Business Service

The Gabonese state has acquired a 56% majority stake in privately-owned Afrijet Business Service, which will not change its name but adopt an additional brand called FlyGabon, the Central African country's new national carrier, CEO Marc Gaffajoli confirmed to ch-aviation. This followed an announcement in the Gabonese media by the country's minister of economy and participations, Mays Mouissi, following the official signing of the purchase agreement on March 12 at the presidential palace in Libreville by interim President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguéma. "The Gabonese state now owns 56% of Afrijet. Afrijet becomes a national company since the majority of the capital is held by the Gabonese state," Mouissi said. "We will use this company to build, from traffic rights, from its customer base, the new airline, which will be called FlyGabon." Mouissi said the state would help provide the airline with new aircraft that have already been acquired. FlyGabon would serve domestic and regional destinations beyond Central Africa, he added. Afrijet announced it would "transform its statutes into a limited company with a board of directors and managing director, with governance capitalising on private management principles". It elaborated that the state's investment aimed to support all of Gabon's provinces as provincial airports would be upgraded, more regional services would be added following the acquisition of medium-sized aircraft, and domestic airfares would be lowered for the benefit of the local market.<br/>