- Air Sierra Leone resumes Freetown-London Gatwick flights via Banjul from October 2026
- London CAA regulatory approvals secured for route recommencement
- Airline suspended London operations on 30th April after Ascend Airways lost AOC
- B737-8 charter from European airline to operate services
- Airline completing own AOC certification with Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority
Air Sierra Leone has revealed it will resume fifth-freedom flights between Freetown and London Gatwick via Banjul at the end of October, with the start of the IATA winter 2026/27 season.
The virtual carrier confirmed it had secured the necessary regulatory approvals from theCivil Aviation Authority (CAA) to recommence the routes. Well-placed sources told ch-aviation that Air Sierra Leone will charter a B737 from a European airline that cannot be named until the deal is signed and sealed.
Air Sierra Leone suspended its London operations on 30th April after its previous technical partner, Ascend Airways lost itsair operator’s certificate (AOC) and returned its aircraft to lessors. The start-up had been operating to London Gatwick since mid-February 2026 using a 189-seat, all-economy-class B737-8 chartered from Ascend under fifth-freedom rights to improve year-round aircraft utilisation. Initially, at the route’s launch in June 2025, Titan Airways briefly supplied an A321-200NX(LR) on sub-charter while an Ascend aircraft was unavailable.
Air Sierra Leone, owned by Nigeria’s Xejet is still completing its own AOC certification with the Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority.
An Air Sierra Leone spokesperson shared: “The airline confirmed it had secured the necessary regulatory approvals from theCivil Aviation Authority to recommence the routes.”
