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| Founded | 2011 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceased operations | March 19, 2022 (suspended)[1] | ||||||
| Operating bases | Prince Said Ibrahim International Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 4 | ||||||
| Destinations | 5 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Moroni,Comoros | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
AB Aviation was a privateregional airline and the largest in theComoros[2] headquartered and based atPrince Said Ibrahim International Airport.[1] Following a fatal accident on 26 February 2022, the airline'sair operator's certificate was revoked.
AB Aviation was founded in 2011 with its main purpose being to fill in the gap left byAir Service Comores and Comores Aviation, with both having ceased operations.[3]In September 2016, theNational Civil Aviation and Meteorological Agency of Comoros (ANACM) revoked theairworthiness of AB Aviation'sBoeing 737, citing problems regarding the aircraft's hydraulic systems within its shock absorbers. The Boeing 737 was sent toSouth Africa to judge whether the aircraft was airworthy.[4] In November, one of the airline'sEmbraer aircraft was grounded for 15 days.[3] In February 2019, the airline became partners withHahn Air Systems GmbH and joined its H1-Air network, gaining access to 100,000 travel agencies.[5]On 19 March 2022, the Comorian Civil Aviation revoked theair operator's certificate of AB Aviation, halting all operations.[6][1] The airline, which was accused of not having insured the passengers, was sentenced by a civil court to pay the victims of the plane crash €600,000 in compensation.[7][8]
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As of August 2018, AB Aviation served the following destinations:[9]
Historically, the airline's fleet included the following aircraft:[10][3]
On February 26, 2022, aCessna 208D Caravan registered 5H-MZA leased from Fly Zanzibar, operating as AB Aviation Flight 1103 and flying fromPrince Said Ibrahim International Airport toMohéli Airport, crashed about 2.5 km into theIndian Ocean. All 14 occupants on board the aircraft were killed.[11][12][13][14] The flight had taken off off from Mohéli Airport at 11:50EAT.[15]
No distress calls or technical faults were issued by the pilots.[16] Search and rescues were hampered by bad weather conditions,[11] which had been present for several days over the Comoros islands.[15] TheComorian Government declared three days ofnational mourning.[17] TheTanzania Civil Aviation Authority sent a team of investigators to assist in the investigation.[18] As of 2023, the wreckage remains missing with only one unidentified body having been found.[19]
In October 2024, a report from the commission investigating the crash criticized the pilots' lack of familiarization regarding the scheduled route. The report also noted that the pilots were unaware of the weather conditions along the flight path. A succession of "major" errors led to the aircraft crashing.[7] As a result of the accident, single-engined aircraft were banned from flying in the Comoros.[20]
