Spanish Vueling Airline made maiden flight to Banjul

A new Spanish airline, called Vueling Airline on Saturday night landed at the Banjul International Airport to start operation in the country.

The air bus A320 came with 150 passengers on board and was received on arrival by senior officials from the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, as well as officials from The Gambia Tourism Board.

Speaking to journalists shortly after the landing of the aircraft, Modou Joof, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Tourism and Culture, who spoke on behalf of the Minister of Tourism and Culture thanked the airline company for penetrating the Gambian market.

He said this is another landmark achievement for air access in the country, noting that bringing tourists in the country means keeping the season moving well.

He said tourism contributes 12 to 16 percent of the GDP and the target is to have a year-round tourism. “We are expecting more airlines to come,” he said.

Mr. Kasim Njie, Gambia’s Consul General in Spain thanked the Gambian leader and the Ministry of Tourism and Culture for the support.

“Through the embassy of The Gambia in Spain, in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and with the support of the Gambian leader we were able to bring this airline to the country,” he said.

Adama Njie, Director of Marketing of GTBoard, said the coming of the airline to the country means a lot for the Gambian market. “We have the Gambia Bird, other airlines and our main target is to have all year-round-tourism that’s why we have the Spain airlines.”