Regional airline marks 30 years of operation

Daallo Airlines Country Manager Mrs Parveen Cockar with Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) Director General Capt. Gilbert Kibe. [James Wanzala, Standard]

Regional carrier Daallo Airlines plans to acquire more planes as it seeks to increase its routes to European destinations.

The Dubai-based carrier started operations in 1991 and flies to five towns in Somalia including Mogadishu, Garowe, Hargeisa, Galkayo and Bosaso.

It also flies three days per week to Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and operates two Boeing 737 300 with a capacity of 150 passengers and Boeing 737 400 with 170 passengers.

The airline started with a single wet-leased Cessna Caravan, operating from Djibouti to Hargeisa, Somalia after the demise of Somali Airlines, following the civil war in Somalia.

“We command 70 per cent of the aviation market share in Somalia, flying to most parts of the country and four countries including Djibouti, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Kenya) with two aeroplanes but we plan to acquire about three planes in two to three years to meet our growing demand and plans to fly to Europe,” said the carrier’s Flight Operations Manager Mohamed Jillo during the celebration of its 30-year anniversary at a Nairobi hotel.

“The only competition we have is from Nairobi to Mogadishu but on the other routes within the Somali country, we are the leaders.” 

Parveen Cockar, the Daallo Airlines country manager who has been in the aviation industry for 27 years, said the airline’s sustained lifespan is a testament to its disciplined approach to growth as well as an unrelenting commitment to serving its community.

“We thank our customers from the bottom of our hearts, and all the different branches of governments that stood by our side in the last 30 years. We look forward to serving you for another 30 years,” she said.

The airline flies tourists and traders to the Horn of Africa and also carries a large number of Muslims during Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

Gilbert Kibe, Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) director general lauded the airline for its safety record.

“At KCAA we are excited at 30 years of their operations., they have been good customers of ours. We have given them services in two areas; licensing and certification to operate and air traffic control,” he said.

“They have been good in obeying everything that our air traffic controllers tell them and they have a good safety track record.”