New Millennium Air

New Millennium Air was a Gambian airline headquartered in Banjul and associated with the company name The Gambia New Millennium Air Company. It also appeared under the alternative name Gambia Millennium Airline. The carrier began operations in 1999 and operated on a very small scale, with its published network consisting of destinations in West Africa and Saudi Arabia. Available reference material identifies a single aircraft in its fleet: an Ilyushin Il-62M registered C5-GNM. The aircraft was the airline's only Russian-built machine and was subsequently acquired by Centrafrican Airlines before later being used by the Gambian government. The airline's history is closely connected with Baba Jobe, who is identified as its director. Jobe had contested the 1997 Gambian parliamentary elections in the Jarra West constituency without success. He later became subject to international restrictions associated with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1343. Those measures included a travel ban and the freezing of assets, following allegations concerning arms trafficking and connections to the Liberian blood-diamond trade. The sanctions also affected New Millennium Air. Reference material further states that the company was founded on behalf of Victor Bout, the Russian arms dealer. This reported association, together with the sanctions affecting Jobe and the company, appears to have constrained the airline's ability to operate. The available account does not provide a detailed schedule, passenger statistics, financial information, route frequencies, or a precise date for the end of operations. New Millennium Air is treated as a defunct Gambian airline in reference listings, and its limited fleet and network indicate that it remained a small, specialized carrier rather than developing into a major scheduled airline.

New Millennium Air was a Gambian airline based in Banjul. It operated under the corporate description The Gambia New Millennium Air Company and was also known as Gambia Millennium Airline. The carrier began operations in 1999, but the available historical record describes only a limited operation rather than a substantial scheduled network. Its destinations were located in West Africa and Saudi Arabia, indicating an orientation toward regional connectivity and selected international services from The Gambia. The airline's management and ownership context became important to its history. Baba Jobe is identified as the company's director. Jobe had participated in the 1997 Gambian parliamentary elections as a candidate in Jarra West but was not elected. Later, in connection with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1343, he was subjected to a travel ban and asset-freezing measures. The sanctions followed allegations of arms trafficking and links to the Liberian blood-diamond trade. The reference account states that the restrictions also affected New Millennium Air. The same account says that the airline was founded on behalf of Victor Bout. Because this information is presented in the context of the airline's sanctions-related history, the company's background was associated with wider regional and international concerns about arms networks and conflict-related commerce. The available source does not establish a complete corporate ownership structure, a formal incorporation date, or the precise legal relationship between the airline and Bout. New Millennium Air's fleet was exceptionally small. Its only identified aircraft was an Ilyushin Il-62M bearing registration C5-GNM. The aircraft was described as the company's sole Russian-built machine. It was later acquired by Centrafrican Airlines and subsequently used by the Gambian government. This transfer appears to mark the end of the aircraft's role with New Millennium Air, although the available material does not provide an exact date for the transaction or a detailed account of the airline's final operations. The carrier is included among defunct Gambian airlines in reference material. No reliable information in the supplied sources establishes its passenger volumes, revenue, route timetable, staffing, formal closure date, or successor organization. Its historical significance therefore rests less on scale than on its place in the development of Gambian aviation and its reported connections to individuals and international sanctions linked to West African conflict-related trade.

• 1999

  Operations begin

  [1]New Millennium Airen.wikipedia.org

  New Millennium Air began operating as a Gambian airline based in Banjul.

• 1997

  Baba Jobe contests the Jarra West parliamentary seat

  [1]New Millennium Airen.wikipedia.org

  Baba Jobe, later identified as New Millennium Air's director, stood in the Gambian parliamentary elections in Jarra West but did not win the constituency.

• The airline is affected by United Nations sanctions

  [1]New Millennium Airen.wikipedia.org

  Sanctions associated with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1343 affected the airline in connection with measures against Baba Jobe.

• The sole identified aircraft leaves the fleet

  [1]New Millennium Airen.wikipedia.org

  The Ilyushin Il-62M registered C5-GNM was acquired by Centrafrican Airlines and later used by the Gambian government.

A small Gambian regional and international airline serving selected West African destinations and Saudi Arabia.

• Passenger aviation · 1999

  Regional passenger services

  New Millennium Air provided air passenger transportation from The Gambia to destinations in West Africa. The available record does not specify individual city pairs, schedules, frequencies, or whether the services were fully scheduled, charter-based, or a combination of both.

• International passenger aviation

  Saudi Arabian passenger services

  The airline's reported destination network also included Saudi Arabia, giving it an international role beyond its West African operations. No source supplied here identifies the Saudi destination, route frequency, or commercial purpose of the service.

• Sanctions and alleged links to arms trafficking

  New Millennium Air was affected by measures associated with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1343 after its director, Baba Jobe, was subjected to a travel ban and asset freeze amid allegations of arms trafficking and connections to Liberia's blood-diamond trade. The source also reports that the company was founded on behalf of Victor Bout.

  Source

Read more

• Operate a limited West African and Saudi Arabian networkStrategy

  Background

  The airline operated from Banjul and served destinations described as being in West Africa and Saudi Arabia.

  Action taken

  New Millennium Air focused its reported operations on a small regional and international network rather than a broad long-haul system.

  Aftermath

  The carrier remained a small operator, and the available record does not document network expansion or sustained operations after its sole identified aircraft left the fleet.

  Source

1. 1New Millennium Airen.wikipedia.org