Air Sierra Leone (SXE, Freetown) has announced it will resume fifth-freedom flights between Freetown and London Gatwick via Banjul at the end of October, with the start of the IATA winter 2026/27 season.
In a statement, the virtual carrier confirmed it had secured the necessary regulatory approvals from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to recommence the routes.
Well-placed sources told ch-aviation that Air Sierra Leone will charter a B737 from a European airline that cannot be named until the deal is signed and sealed.
Air Sierra Leone suspended its London operations on April 30 after its previous technical partner, Ascend Airways lost its UK air operator's certificate (AOC) and returned its aircraft to lessors.
The start-up had been operating to London Gatwick since mid-February 2026 using a 189-seat, all-economy-class B737-8 chartered from Ascend under fifth-freedom rights to improve year-round aircraft utilisation.
Initially, at the route's launch in June 2025, Titan Airways briefly supplied an A321-200NX(LR) on sub-charter while an Ascend aircraft was unavailable.
Air Sierra Leone, owned by Nigeria's Xejet is still completing its own AOC certification with the Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority.
