In response to the recent announcement made by Minister Fanday Turay Esq regarding the purported ‘new’ routes of ASKY Airlines in Sierra Leone, prominent lawyer Martin E Michael, serving as the Managing Director of Mercury International and the Chairman of Radio Mercury, shared his critical insights.

Michael directly addressed the Minister of Transportation and Aviation, Fanday Turay Exq, stating, “Freetown Lome Washington is not a new available route. It has been available for years, actually since 2018. To say it is new and recently negotiated is stretching the truth and/or a deceptive truth.”

He elaborated on the historical context, highlighting that this route has existed for years but is less favored due to certain operational challenges. Michael pointed out, “It is not popular because it requires overnight in Lome and is expensive. It is and has always been operated by Ethiopian Airways. Asky to Lome and Ethiopian to Washington. Asky is partly owned by Ethiopian.”

Furthermore, Michael questioned the supposed recent negotiations, suggesting that if the Ministry and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) have indeed secured free accommodations for transit passengers in Lome, it would be a noteworthy achievement worth publicizing. Otherwise, he inferred that there seemed to be no substantial alteration to the existing arrangement.

This response from Martin E Michael sheds light on the complexity of the situation, offering a different perspective on the Minister’s announcement, emphasizing the need for clarity and transparency regarding the claimed enhancements to the route’s operations.