Slok Airline ends operations in The Gambia
By Wole Shadare
SLOK Air, one of Nigeria's carriers, which had a shot spell on the aviation scene before it was grounded by the government of former President Olusegun has finally ceased operations in The Gambia.
Following the grounding of the airline in Nigeria over allegation that the operators smuggled an aircraft that was not inspected into the country, the promoters relocated their operations to The Gambia where the carrier operated as the country's flag carrier.
Former Governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu, is reported to own substantial shares in the airline.
An official of the airline who spoke to The Guardian on strict condition of anonymity attributed to the stoppage of operations to the global financial meltdown that has made the cost of operations to be high.
The source also said that because of low passenger traffic, the carrier had no option than to stop services.
The two Boeing 737-200 were seen parked on the tarmac of Banjul International Airport.
The airline, which was established in 2003, according to investigations, is at the verge of being sold off by its former owner to a new buyer who is a Nigerian.
The airline made waves in The Gambia when it initially relocated its operations there at the instance of The Gambian authorities.
It will be recalled that the revocation of the airline's licence by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) generated a lot of controversy.
While the managers of the carrier read political undertone to the imbroglio, occasioned by the face-off between Obasanjo and Kalu, the then Minister of Aviation, Mallam Isa Yuguda, and a former Director-General of NCAA, Mr. Fidelix Onyeyiri, maintained that the operators flouted aviation safety rules by 'smuggling into the country uncertified aircraft', reason for the airline's licence revocation.
While the minister then attributed reasons for revoking the airline's license to some alleged unethical practices it leveled against Slok, the regulatory body then hinged the reason for the stoppage of the airline from flying on the flouting of the rules involving the manner in which the airline brought in some aircraft into the country.
Despite the condemnation that greeted the decision, the then government became adamant without showing any recourse to the cries of thousands of Nigerians working in the airline.
