{"id":14312,"date":"2025-05-04T16:24:21","date_gmt":"2025-05-04T16:24:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.slhc-uk.org\/?p=14312"},"modified":"2025-05-04T16:26:13","modified_gmt":"2025-05-04T16:26:13","slug":"sierra-leone-soars-as-air-sierra-leone-launches-landmark-london-route-on-independence-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.slhc-uk.org\/?p=14312","title":{"rendered":"Sierra Leone Soars, as Air Sierra Leone Launches Landmark London Route on Independence Day!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Barely three months after the successful debut of its maiden flight between Freetown and Lagos, *Air Sierra Leone* yesterday proudly launched its direct flight operations between Freetown and London \u2014 a major milestone coinciding with Sierra Leone\u2019s 64th Independence Anniversary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The *Boeing 737-8 Max*, a 189-seater jet scheduled to operate the UK route three times a week, touched down at London\u2019s Gatwick from Lungi International Airport at exactly 3:52 PM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Full commercial services on the London\u2013Freetown route are set to commence on *Monday, June 16, 2025*, with tickets to be made available via the airline\u2019s website (www.flysierraleone.com), the *Head Office at 21\/23 Siaka Stevens Street, Freetown*, or through *authorized agents* worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To mark yesterday\u2019s achievement, a special event was held at the *Sofitel Hotel in Gatwick*, bringing together business leaders, tourism experts, members of the Sierra Leonean diaspora and other potential travellers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*Fittingly, the launch fell on Sierra Leone\u2019s Independence Day* \u2014 a day of immense national pride, marking the country\u2019s declaration of sovereignty in 1961. For Sierra Leoneans in the United Kingdom, the day held double significance, celebrating both national freedom and the rebirth of a national carrier linking London to Freetown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The return of a Sierra Leonean airline to the skies after a two-decade hiatus is a proud chapter in the nation\u2019s story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alhaji Fanday Turay Esq., Minister of Transport and Aviation, described the Boeing\u2019s touchdown at Gatwick as \u201cmore than a landing\u201d, referring to it as another signal demonstrating that \u201cSierra Leone has arrived on the global stage.\u201d He thanked H.E. President Julius Maada Bio for his inspiring vision and acknowledged key figures like Madam Musayeroh Barrie, Director of the Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority. He also thanked all the players in different sectors for their dedication and teamwork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding to the evening\u2019s optimism, Dr. Morie Komba Manyeh, Sierra Leone\u2019s High Commissioner to the U.K., spoke of the profound benefits the new air connection will bring: quicker family reunions, increased tourism, local job creation, and a boost for industries including hospitality and transportation. He hailed the airline\u2019s revival as a powerful symbol of Sierra Leone\u2019s resurgence and readiness for business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Emmanuel Iza, CEO of Air Sierra Leone, emphasized that the airline\u2019s launch was \u201ca declaration that Sierra Leone\u2019s story is being written anew,\u201d describing Air Sierra Leone as \u201ca Wing of Hope\u201d and the London\u2013Freetown route as \u201ca bridge connecting our people and our aspirations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The direct air link between Sierra Leone and the United Kingdom is imore than a flight, indeed; it represents a leap forward for national development, global connectivity, and the rekindling of Sierra Leonean pride on the world stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the packed schedule \u2014 with many guests flying from London to Freetown and back to London, \u2014 the evening ended in very high spirits with jubilant dance performances. Among those who took to the stage to honour this national achievement were Minister Alhaji Fanday Turay Esq., Director Musayeroh Barrie, CEO Emmanuel Iza, Rev. Dr. Peter Moriba, Hon. Bashiru Sidique, High Commissioner Dr. Morie Komba Manyeh, and Deputy High Commissioner Mrs. Yvonne King Odigboh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their lively celebration was a fitting tribute to the resilience, collaboration, and national pride behind this historic milestone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Happy 64th Independence Anniversary to all Sierra Leoneans!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Congratulations to the Air Sierra Leone Team\u2014 and to Sierra Leone!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#WeTooFly!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abdulai Braima<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Information Attach\u00e9<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Barely three months after the successful debut of its maiden flight between Freetown and Lagos, *Air Sierra Leone* yesterday proudly launched its direct flight operations between Freetown and London \u2014 a major milestone coinciding with Sierra Leone\u2019s 64th Independence Anniversary. The *Boeing 737-8 Max*, a 189-seater jet scheduled to operate the UK route three times…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.slhc-uk.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.slhc-uk.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.slhc-uk.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.slhc-uk.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.slhc-uk.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14312"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.slhc-uk.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14312\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14322,"href":"https:\/\/blog.slhc-uk.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14312\/revisions\/14322"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.slhc-uk.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.slhc-uk.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.slhc-uk.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}