Asky Eyes 30-Aircraft Fleet, European Routes In Five-Year Growth Plan

Togo’s Asky Airlines is targeting a fleet of around 30 aircraft and operating to 40 destinations within five years as the West African carrier prepares for its first intercontinental services and plans a $100 million maintenance facility in Lome.

The airline took delivery of its 17th aircraft, a Boeing 737 MAX, in August, bringing its fleet to eight MAX jets and nine 737-800NGs. Further additions are already scheduled as Asky expands its African network ahead of a planned move into long-haul operations.

“On Jan. 19, 2027, we will receive the 18th aircraft, and in February 2027 we will receive the 19th; and that will continue,” CEO Esayas Woldemariam Hailu said during the recent Aviation Africa 2026 event in Nairobi, Kenya.

Asky currently serves around 30 destinations and carries approximately 1.5 million passengers annually. Its network stretches from Cabo Verde in the west to Nairobi in East Africa and Johannesburg in the south, alongside extensive operations across West and Central Africa.

Hailu said the airline intends to significantly expand that footprint over the next five years.

“The plan is for us to reach within five years about 30 aircraft and 40 destinations, and also to widen our scope of operation to go intercontinental, like London, Paris, Dubai, Mumbai and Jeddah, as well as to increase our penetration within the continent of Africa,” he said.

Asky plans to deploy 787s on its eventual long-haul network. African destinations earmarked for expansion include Cape Town, South Africa; Entebbe, Uganda; and Kigali, Rwanda.

“When we go widebody, we are going to bring in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which we will be planning to operate to Paris, London, Dubai and Mumbai,” Hailu said.

However, the widebody program has been pushed back from earlier plans to begin operations next year, with high costs and tight aircraft availability contributing to the delay.

“The cost is biting very hard, and also the 787 Dreamliner is very hard to get because now, in general, there is a shortage of fleets all over the globe,” Hailu said. “We have tried to delay our intercontinental and widebody operation, like to the end of 2027, beginning of 2028. We need a more stable environment.”

Asky is meanwhile preparing its Lome hub for long-haul flying by restructuring its schedule around a “double banking” system designed to provide connections into future European services.

Currently, flights from around 30 origins arrive in Lome between 10 a.m. and noon before departing again between noon and 2 p.m. The carrier intends to add night operations, creating another wave of connecting flights.

“What we are planning is to pull them back and to make it a double banking, to start night operation,” Hailu said. “That will be the one to supply to Europe, for example, to Paris.”

Hailu expects to have the night bank fully established by the middle of 2027, ahead of launching intercontinental services around the beginning of 2028.

The airline expects to start widebody operations with two 787s before increasing the fleet to three. Hailu said the aircraft would come through strategic partner and shareholder Ethiopian Airlines.

“Asky and Ethiopia have a deep commercial cooperation,” he said. “When we pass through Ethiopian Airlines, we have better access to financing, better creditworthiness evaluation, as well as better unit cost for us to lease aircraft.”

Ethiopian’s involvement extends beyond its equity stake. It has a management contract with Asky and currently provides much of the airline’s maintenance support, including line maintenance and heavier shop visits in Addis Ababa.

Asky also in plans to establish a $100 million maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in Lome through a joint venture with Ethiopian. The Togolese government has allocated land for the project, while Boeing has completed a feasibility study. The facility is intended to meet Asky’s own maintenance requirements while operating as an independent business serving airlines across West and Central Africa. Hailu said construction and implementation of the Lome MRO facility are set to be in full operation by late 2028.

Asky is a 100% privately owned airline created by regional banking institutions in Africa that includes the Ecowas Bank for Investment and Development, the West African Development Bank, Ecobank Group and Togo State in partnership with Ethiopian Airlines.