This African country is one of the world’s least visited countries, despite its beautiful beaches it only sees around only 71,000 international tourists a year. However, the launch of a new private airline could change its fortunes.

The Sierra Leonean government has announced the launch of Air Sierra Leone, a private airline.

The country’s minister of transport Alhaji Fanday Turay said: “Plans for the new airline have been in the pipeline for many years, and we are now truly excited to share our progress with the world.”

Air Sierra Leone will connect Freetown International Airport in the country’s capital to London Gatwick Airport marking a restoration of a direct service that was brought to an end in 2016.

Currently, all carriers overseen by the Sierra Leone civil aviation regulator are banned by the European Commission, preventing them from serving European destinations, including the UK.

However, the new airline will operate as a private entity under a UK air operator’s certification, according to Sierra Leone’s transport minister, while it awaits local authorisation.

The six-hour journey will be flown by a Boeing b737-800, which will set off three times a week. But it plans to start operations with a fleet of aircraft, which includes a B737-8, a B737-400, and an Embraer ERJ145.

The private airline will also offer connections to other African countries, including Abidjan in Ivory Coast, Accra in Ghana, Banjul in Gambia, Conakry in Guinea, Dakar in Senegal, and Monrovia in Liberia.

The new airline provides hope for an increased number of tourists but also for potential removal from the European blacklist as the Sierra Leone government state that its regulatory framework has made progress.