Air Sierra Leone has announced the launch of its first flights to London Gatwick Airport. The new airline, with an IATA code of YD, will operate a Boeing 737 MAX 8 leased from Ascend Airways for this service. Initially, the Freetown to London Gatwick route will start with round-trip services in April and will move to a regular schedule in June.
Because Air Sierra Leone is currently facing a UK ban, it must use a UK operator to fulfill the route requirements. Stewart Wingate, CEO of London Gatwick Airport, confirmed that Air Sierra Leone will be the fourth carrier to join their ranks this year, further expanding their services network.
Once operational, the 2,627 nautical mile journey will mark London's longest nonstop service flown by a Boeing 737. This will rank as the third longest from the UK overall, after flights from Edinburgh to Toronto and Edinburgh to Montreal.