Air Bissau

Air Bissau was the flag carrier associated with Guinea-Bissau and was based at Osvaldo Vieira International Airport in Bissau. Its origins lay in Transportes Aéreos da Guiné Portuguesa, or TAGP, founded in 1960 when the territory was still Portuguese Guinea. The airline was established to provide air links within the colony and to connect Bissau with nearby points in Portuguese-controlled West Africa and the wider region. Early services included routes to Dakar in Senegal and to Sal and Praia in the Cape Verde islands. The initial fleet consisted of small utility aircraft, including a de Havilland Heron and two de Havilland Dragon Rapides. By 1968, TAGP operated a mixed fleet of de Havilland Herons, Dornier Do 27s, a Cessna 206, a Cessna 172 and an Auster, reflecting the limited infrastructure and short-haul requirements of the market. TAGP operated alongside Portugal's national airline, TAP, which handled some sectors with larger Boeing aircraft. One reported operating arrangement involved TAP flying between Sal and Bissau while TAGP operated the return sector with smaller aircraft. This arrangement illustrates the airline's limited scale and its dependence on cooperation with larger carriers for higher-capacity or longer-distance services. Following Guinea-Bissau's independence from Portugal in 1974, the airline was renamed Linhas Aéreas da Guiné-Bissau. At that stage, its equipment reportedly included a Hawker Siddeley HS-748, a Dornier Do 27 and a Cessna 206. During the 1980s, the carrier's ownership and operational relationships became more unusual. By the middle of that decade, it was reported to be owned by the Palestine Liberation Organization, which also had interests in Maldives Airways. The airline adopted the name Transportes Aéreos da Guiné-Bissau, or TAGB, and operated regional flights to Senegal, Cape Verde, The Gambia and Guinea, together with a domestic service from Bissau to Bubaque. In 1988, TAGB began a weekly service between Bissau and Paris in cooperation with the French carrier Europe Aéro Service. The service used Europe Aéro Service's Boeing 727 rather than an aircraft owned directly by the Guinean carrier. The airline adopted its final name, Air Bissau, in 1989. Its fleet and operations during this period reportedly included three Fokker F27s supplied by the PLO and operated by Palestinian crews, as well as an Antonov An-24. Air Bissau's later history was marked by two serious aircraft accidents. On 15 August 1991, one of its Fokker F27s crashed near Dori in Burkina Faso on a flight from Kano, Nigeria, to Bamako, Mali. The three Palestinian crew members were killed. On 7 April 1992, an Antonov An-24 operating a flight from Khartoum to Tunis crashed near Ma'tan as-Sarra in Libya after encountering a sandstorm and attempting an emergency landing. The aircraft carried PLO chairman Yasser Arafat and members of his entourage. The three crew members died, while all ten passengers, including Arafat, survived. The accident drew further attention to the PLO's role in Air Bissau's operations. By 1996, reports indicated that all aircraft in the airline's fleet had either been sold or written off. Air Bissau consequently relied on joint services operated with aircraft belonging to other airlines. These included a weekly Bissau–Lisbon service using a Boeing 757 operated by Transportes Aéreos de Cabo Verde, and a weekly Bissau–Dakar service using one of TACV's ATR 42 aircraft. The Guinea-Bissau government was reportedly considering privatisation, but the carrier did not return to an independent fleet-based operation. Air Bissau was liquidated in 1998, after the government contracted its air services to TACV of Cape Verde. The Air Bissau name therefore represents a historical national airline rather than an active carrier.

Air Bissau developed from Transportes Aéreos da Guiné Portuguesa, established in 1960 as the airline of Portuguese Guinea. It initially served short regional routes from Bissau to destinations including Dakar, Sal and Praia. The airline operated small aircraft suited to local conditions, beginning with de Havilland Herons and Dragon Rapides and later adding Dornier and Cessna aircraft. TAP, Portugal's national carrier, operated selected sectors with larger aircraft, while TAGP covered some connecting services with its own light aircraft. After independence in 1974, Portuguese Guinea became Guinea-Bissau and the airline was renamed Linhas Aéreas da Guiné-Bissau. Its equipment at that time included an HS-748, a Dornier Do 27 and a Cessna 206. During the 1980s, the carrier became associated with the Palestine Liberation Organization, which was reported to have owned or held an equity interest in the airline and to have supplied aircraft and crews. Under the name Transportes Aéreos da Guiné-Bissau, the airline expanded its regional profile, serving Senegal, Cape Verde, The Gambia and Guinea, as well as the domestic Bissau–Bubaque route. The carrier also pursued longer-distance international links through partnerships. In 1988, a Bissau–Paris service began as a joint operation with Europe Aéro Service, using the French airline's Boeing 727. In 1989, the company adopted the name Air Bissau. Its reported fleet included Fokker F27 aircraft associated with the PLO and an Antonov An-24. The airline's links to the PLO were particularly visible after two accidents. A Fokker F27 crashed near Dori, Burkina Faso, in August 1991, killing its three Palestinian crew members. In April 1992, an Antonov An-24 crashed in the Libyan desert after a sandstorm forced an attempted emergency landing. Its passengers included Yasser Arafat, who survived along with the other passengers, while all three crew members died. By 1996, Air Bissau reportedly had no aircraft remaining in its fleet. Its services were consequently operated jointly with other carriers, notably Transportes Aéreos de Cabo Verde. TACV aircraft were used on weekly services from Bissau to Lisbon and Dakar. Although the Guinea-Bissau government reportedly considered privatisation, the airline did not regain an independent operating base. It was liquidated in 1998, and the government transferred responsibility for the country's air services to TACV. Air Bissau is therefore a defunct historical flag carrier rather than a current airline.

• 1998

  Liquidation

  [1]Air Bissauen.wikipedia.org

  Air Bissau is liquidated and Guinea-Bissau contracts its air services to TACV of Cape Verde.

• 1992

  Antonov An-24 accident in Libya

  [1]Air Bissauen.wikipedia.org

  An Air Bissau Antonov An-24 crashes near Ma'tan as-Sarra after encountering a sandstorm; all passengers survive, while the crew dies.

• 1991

  Fokker F27 accident near Dori

  [1]Air Bissauen.wikipedia.org

  An Air Bissau Fokker F27 crashes near Dori, Burkina Faso, killing its three crew members.

• 1989

  Final Air Bissau name adopted

  [1]Air Bissauen.wikipedia.org

  The airline changes its name from Transportes Aéreos da Guiné-Bissau to Air Bissau.

• 1988

  Bissau–Paris service is introduced

  [1]Air Bissauen.wikipedia.org

  A joint service to Paris begins with Europe Aéro Service operating the Boeing 727 aircraft.

• 1974

  Post-independence renaming

  [1]Air Bissauen.wikipedia.org

  Following Guinea-Bissau's independence, the airline becomes Linhas Aéreas da Guiné-Bissau.

• 1968

  Fleet expands with light aircraft

  [1]Air Bissauen.wikipedia.org

  TAGP's reported fleet includes two de Havilland Herons, three Dornier Do 27s and several Cessna and Auster aircraft.

• 1961

  Early regional services begin

  [1]Air Bissauen.wikipedia.org

  The airline operates routes from Bissau to destinations including Dakar, Sal and Praia with small de Havilland aircraft.

• 1960

  TAGP is founded

  [1]Air Bissauen.wikipedia.org

  Transportes Aéreos da Guiné Portuguesa is established as the airline of Portuguese Guinea.

A small national flag carrier serving Guinea-Bissau through regional links, limited domestic operations and cooperative services with larger foreign airlines.

• Passenger airline · 1960

  Scheduled passenger services

  Air Bissau's principal activity was scheduled passenger transportation. Its network combined domestic services within Guinea-Bissau, short regional routes in West Africa and selected international services. As the airline's own fleet declined, several routes were delivered through joint operations using partner-carrier aircraft.

• Domestic air service

  Bissau–Bubaque service

  The Bissau–Bubaque route connected Guinea-Bissau's capital with Bubaque in the Bijagós archipelago. It was part of the carrier's domestic service offering during the TAGB period, although the available reference does not establish its full schedule or duration.

• International passenger service · 1988

  Bissau–Paris service

  Introduced in 1988 as a joint operation with Europe Aéro Service, the Bissau–Paris service used a Boeing 727 supplied and operated by the French partner. The route represented Air Bissau's attempt to maintain a long-haul international connection without relying solely on its own small aircraft fleet.

• Partner-operated regional and international services · 1996

  Bissau–Lisbon and Bissau–Dakar joint services

  By 1996, Air Bissau's remaining scheduled links were being operated jointly with Transportes Aéreos de Cabo Verde. The reported services included a weekly Bissau–Lisbon flight using a TACV Boeing 757 and a weekly Bissau–Dakar flight using a TACV ATR 42.

• 1998

  Liquidate Air Bissau and transfer services to TACVOther

  Background

  The carrier had lost its independent fleet and was operating through partner arrangements.

  Action taken

  The Guinea-Bissau government liquidated Air Bissau and contracted the country's air services to TACV of Cape Verde.

  Aftermath

  Air Bissau ceased to exist as an operating airline and became a historical former flag carrier.

  Source

• 1996

  Shift to partner-operated servicesStrategy

  Background

  By 1996, the airline's aircraft had reportedly been sold or written off, leaving it without an independent operating fleet.

  Action taken

  Air Bissau maintained services through joint operations using aircraft from Transportes Aéreos de Cabo Verde.

  Aftermath

  The government reportedly considered privatisation, but the airline was ultimately liquidated in 1998.

  Source

• 1989

  Adopt the Air Bissau brandStrategy

  Background

  The airline had operated under the name Transportes Aéreos da Guiné-Bissau during the 1980s.

  Action taken

  The company changed its name to Air Bissau.

  Aftermath

  Air Bissau became the carrier's final operating name until its liquidation.

  Source

• 1974

  Rename the airline after independenceStrategy

  Background

  Portuguese Guinea became independent and adopted the name Guinea-Bissau.

  Action taken

  The carrier was renamed Linhas Aéreas da Guiné-Bissau.

  Aftermath

  The airline continued as the national carrier under a post-colonial identity before later adopting the TAGB and Air Bissau names.

  Source

1. 1Air Bissauen.wikipedia.org