Aviation History
Comorian civil aviation began with Air Comores, founded in 1966 as a joint venture between Air France (49%) and the Comorian state (51%), which was restructured in 1975 and ultimately collapsed under debt in 1995. Since then a succession of short-lived carriers — including Air Service Comores, Comores Aviation, and AB Aviation (founded 2011) — have attempted to serve the archipelago, with AB Aviation's operating certificate revoked in March 2022 after a fatal crash; as of this writing, Comoros has no single long-established national carrier, and the sector remains volatile.
Comoros' first flag carrier was established as a joint venture between Air France and the Comorian state, initially operating small aircraft on inter-island routes.
Air Comores ceased and relaunched under a new corporate structure amid post-independence reorganization.
The carrier shut down in September 1995 after failing to pay its debts, ending nearly three decades of operation.
AB Aviation was established to fill the gap left by the defunct Air Service Comores and Comores Aviation, becoming the country's largest regional carrier.
On 26 February 2022, an AB Aviation Cessna 208D crashed into the Indian Ocean en route to Mohéli, killing all 14 occupants; investigators cited pilot unfamiliarity with the route and hazardous weather.
Comorian aviation authorities revoked AB Aviation's air operator's certificate on 19 March 2022, halting operations; Comoros subsequently banned single-engine aircraft from its airspace.
Air Comores (defunct 1995) · AB Aviation (defunct 2022) · Comores Aviation (defunct)
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