REGIONAL AIR, LTD.: Nairobi Cargo Centre, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, P. O. Box 30357, Nairobi, Kenya; Phone (2542) 824741; Fax (254-2) 824735; Http://www. regionalair. net; Year Founded 2000. Regional Air is established at Nairobi in January 2000 as a subsidiary of Air Kenya Aviation, Ltd. Arrangements are completed for the acquisition of two leased Boeing 737-33As, first operated by VASP Brasilian Airlines (Viacao Aerea Sao Paulo, S. A.) in 1989. Offices are opened at Kampala, Djibouti, Harare, Asmara, Johannesburg, and Bujumbura.
The first chartered Boeing emerges from the paint shop at Bournemouth, England, on June 12, wearing an all-white fuselage color scheme with a blue stripe; a red and blue “swirl”-type logo adorns the tail. Revenue operations commence in July, with Kenya Airways, Ltd. the main competitor.
REGIONAL AIR LINES, S. A.: BP 12618, Aeroport Mohamed V, Casablanca, Morocco; Phone 212 (2) 538 020; Fax 212 (2) 538 411; Code FN; Year Founded 1996. Morocco’s first private commuter operator, RAL is established at Casablanca’s Mohamed V Airport in January 1996 as a joint venture of the Moroccan firms of Group Benjelloun and Group Holmarcom. Mehdi Alaoui is appointed president and orders are placed in March and April for four Beech 1900Ds.
During the second quarter of 1997, the company hires 20 Moroccan pilots under the instruction of an American flight manager and two American maintenance technicians. Morocco’s nascent airline takes delivery of its first two of four Beech 1900Ds on July 3. Once the aircraft have completed certification requirements and route proving, they inaugurate scheduled services to Marrakech, Agadir, Fes, Rabat, and Tangier.
Traffic and financial figures are not available even as the outstanding airliners arrive and operations continue into 1998-1999.
In January 2000, approval is sought for the inauguration of a new route to Seville, Spain.
A letter of intent is signed with Embraer on October 5 for five ERJ-135s, plus five options. The first of the small regional jets will be delivered early in 2001.
World History
