Monitor Daily
Skyjet Airlines restructures management
Dorothy Nakaweesi
Kampala
Skyjet Airlines has restructured its management, ending leadership struggles that saw the company halting flights on the lucrative Entebbe-Juba route, a month ago.
Established as a cargo airline in 2003, Skyjet Airlines started passenger services on February 1, 2009 with their Boeing 737-200, breaking the monopoly created by Eagle Air and Air Uganda.
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Passengers disembarking a Skyjet plane. FILE PHOTO
The restructuring exercise saw Captain Ahmed Shawgi, who has been a shareholder in this company relieved of his duties and phased-out of the company. Captain Shawgi had a 95 per cent stake in Skyjet and Mr Musoke 5 per cent.
The company is now owned by Southern Sudan’s billionaire Mr Geng Garang of Alok Group who is the majority shareholder with 95 per cent and Mr Hamad Musoke Tamale, a Ugandan Businessman with a 5 per cent stake. Initially Alok Group had a 70 per cent stake in the aircraft and the 30 per cent was owned by Mr Musoke and Captain Shawgi.
In an interview with Daily Monitor, Mr Musoke said; “We have successfully restructured the company and brought a new manager with a wealth of expertise and experience. We have relieved Captain Shawgi of his duties which were full of inefficiencies”.
According to Mr Musoke, Captain Shawgi lacked ethics. He was not honest in regard to how the accounts of the company.
Musoke further adds that, because of this, he (Captian Shawgi) committed unnecessary liabilities leading the company into over costs, which is a sign of poor management skills.
“Secondly, Captain Shawgi lied about his academic credentials; he told us that he was trained from Russia and a holder of a Russian License to handle Single Engine Air crafts. This means he was not a qualified pilot to handle a Boeing 737-200,” Musoke said.
Now, Captain John Manak, a veteran retired Commercial Pilot from Southern Sudan becomes the new Executive Director of the company.
Musoke said; “Captain Manak has been in the industry since 1969. He once worked for Forker 27-Airbuses and Saudi Airlines for several years where he was operating aircrafts in the range of Boeing 707 and 737-200”.
Other changes in the company saw, the switching of leadership, Mr Garang who bought out Captain Shawgi, becomes the chairman while Mr Musoke who has been the Chairman, becomes the Vice Chairman of the company.
Mr Musoke explains that he got to know Captain Shawgi from his Egyptian friend who once owned Air Memphis an airline company licensed to do business in Uganda. But later in 2006, Air Memphis was re-branded as Skyjet.
However Musoke is not sure of the exact time as to when they will resume their flights but assured the business community and their customers on this route that this is going to be very soon.
He said now that they have sorted out this mess, they will be flying airbus 737-200 which is currently parked at the Old-Airport in Entebbe, to Nairobi-Kenya for servicing and maintenance and thereafter resume services as soon as possible.
The Aircraft had reached regular loads of double-digit passenger figures plus generous quantities of loose cargo adding to the revenue. On a daily basis, they would get 80-90 on a return route.
The Boeing has a seating capacity of up to 100 passengers, first class and economy combined. A first class return ticket to Juba is $658 while a one-way is $404; for economy premium, a return ticket is $485 with $289 for a one way while economy class clients will part with $393 for a return ticket and $225 for one way.
The Juba route remains the most profitable for airlines like Air Uganda. Trade volumes from Uganda to Southern Sudan have increased since relative peace returned to one of Africa’s biggest countries.
The company is also in preparations to bring in their second aircraft a Boeing 737-300 with 164-seater, into the country.
Mr Garang in his remarks at the launching of their maiden flight said; “The airline is expected in the next few weeks to commence flights routes from Juba to Khartoum, before launching flights to Cairo later on”.
The aircraft received an Airlines Operator Certificate (AOC), from Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) the regulators.
Skyjet was given designated carrier status by the Ugandan Civil Aviation Authority to fly to Southern Sudan, Sudan, Egypt, Djibouti, Kenya and Tanzania among others.
In an interview with Daily Monitor CAA’s Public Relations Manager, Mr Ignie Igundura said; “We had information that the company had halted flights and we have been seeing the aircraft parked. But we have not received communication from the company as to when it will resume flights”.
Igundura said for an airline company to be granted flying rights, CAA looks at its shareholding, financial muscle, the state of the aircraft and the routes to be served.
The authority usually gives licenses ranging from one to five years depending on the nature and size of company.