By Kemo Cham
The Sierra Leone Airport Authority (SLAA) briefly detained an Air Cote d'Ivoire plane on Friday, preventing it from leaving Freetown over unpaid tax. The flight was supposed to be the last by the Ivorian airline which announced last week that it was suspending its operation in the country due to poor business performance, thanks to the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic.
A source within the airport management confirmed the development but declined to comment further because they were not permitted to do so.
A representative of the airline in Freetown also confirmed the incident to Politico. But Edgar Lacle, Sales Manager for African Solutions and Logistics, which is the general sales agent for Air Cote d’Ivoire in Freetown, said the flight was eventually allowed to leave late Friday evening after negotiations in which they undertook to pay what they owed the airport, which was just under $15, 000, being arrears for the month of March, 2020.
The plane carrying 45 passengers was headed directly for Abidjan. Officials said it was delayed for just 45 minutes before an agreement was reached.
This development comes exactly one year after the airline resumed its operation in the country, following a break caused by disagreement over a court ruling against it.
The National Airline of the `Ivory Coast, Air Cote d’Ivoire was founded on May 15, 2012 following the collapse of its predecessor airline, Air Ivory in 2011. It initially started flying to Freetown in November 2012.
The company, which is partly owned by Air France, has up to 10 aircrafts in its fleet, operating via eight hub stations, with its main regional hub located at Port-Bouet in Abidjan.
Air Cote d’Ivoire works closely with Air Burkina and Air Mali.
In 2018 the airline stopped flying to Freetown after losing a bitter court battle that left it parted with US$11,000 as compensation to an aggrieved passenger who complained over missing luggage.
The airline argued at the time that the court’s verdict went against the industrial laws of Sierra Leone, noting that the compensated amount far exceeded the required compensation fees.
Air Cote d’Ivoire operated five times a week between Abidjan and Freetown. Three of its flights went via Monrovia.
Last week the airline said since the resumption of its operation, airline indicators showed massive loss on the Freetown route, due to “very low load factor” to and from Freetown.
It said over the last one month alone it incurred a cumulative loss of US$260, 000, translating to US$65, 000 in losses per week.
The statement signed by the airline’s country manager blamed the situation on “high charges” imposed by the airport, including the recently introduced mandatory Covid-19 test for passengers, which was added to air ticket.
But the Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority dismissed the argument put forward by the airline for suspending its operation, describing them as baseless and unfounded.
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