GABON EXPRESS, S. A.: BP 13893, Aeroport Leon Mba, Libreville, Gabon; Phone (241) 73 38 40; Fax (241) 73 44 49; Http://www. gabonexpress. com; Year Founded 1998. Following the demise of the Mobuto government of Zaire in 1998, Capt. Robert Sovek, owner/pilot of Eastern Congo Airlines, S. A. transfers his single British Aerospace (HS) 748MF to Gabon. At Libreville, Sovek makes the acquaintance of Capt. Ondo Nikoulou, a local pilot who has authority to begin an airline. With Sovek as majority owner, the two launch Gabon Express in the fall. With Sovek’s 748 as the company aircraft, the inaugural four-times-a-day return service is started on October 26 between Libreville and Port-Gentil, on an island at the mouth of the Ogooue River.
Service thereafter is extended to Oyem, in northern Gabon, to Bitam, and to the southeastern city of Franceville. The load is shared by a second 748, a Dash-2A, and a terminal is built at Libreville Airport, complete with an air-conditioned passenger waiting room.
A former French Air Force Sud Est SE-210 Caravelle XIR is acquired, one of only six built, and enters service on July 18, 1999 between Libreville and Port-Gentil. During the following months, it also flies to Oyem and Franceville. Both passengers and cargo are transported, including agricultural products. On board amenities include newspapers, a snack, and soft drinks—or beer.
Enplanements for the year total 90,000, of which 42,000 are flown by the Caravelle during its five-and-a-half months of service.
Airline employment stands at 55 at the beginning of 2000. On the newly opened company website, the airline’s officials, noting the importance of their jetliner, entreat aviation enthusiasts everywhere to come to Gabon and fly on their Caravelle, one of the last of its type still flying anywhere in the world. A sales office is also established in Paris to market the carrier.
World History
