ASKY to Launch West Africa’s First Boeing 737 Flight Simulator in 2026

Transport

Friday, 14 November 2025 05:40

ASKY to Launch West Africa’s First Boeing 737 Flight Simulator in 2026

(Togo First) - ASKY Airlines, the pan-African carrier based in Lomé, will have its own Boeing 737 flight simulator in operation by June 2026. Construction of the facility began last week in the Togolese capital.

The simulator is designed to reproduce real flight conditions and is expected to be ready by the end of the first half of 2026. Once completed, it will enable the airline to train, certify and improve the proficiency of its pilots.

The installation will allow crews to train in a safe, controlled environment and sharpen their reactions and aircraft handling skills. Since ASKY operates a fleet of Boeing 737s on regional routes across West and Central Africa, having a simulator in Lomé will make it possible to train pilots locally rather than sending them to Europe or the Middle East, significantly reducing training and travel costs.

“This simulator is essential not only for training our own pilots but also for regional airlines that still have to travel abroad to train their crews. It will be the first of its kind in West Africa,” said ASKY CEO Esayas Woldemariam Hailu during a site visit.

The company said the project is being developed in close partnership with Togo’s National Civil Aviation Authority (ANAC-Togo), which is providing technical support. The installation is expected to strengthen Togo’s role as a regional aviation hub and position Lomé as a leading training center for ASKY, its partner airlines, and its main strategic shareholder, Ethiopian Airlines.

Esaïe Edoh

REFORMS OVERVIEW

STARTING A BUSINESS (more info)

At the fifteenth position, worldwide, and first in Africa, under the Starting a Business index of the 2020 Doing Business ranking, Togo sustains its reformative dynamics with more reforms….

ENFORCING CONTRACTS (more info)

Compared to some years ago when it was one of the lowest rankers under the Doing Business’ Enforcing Contracts indicator, Togo, leveraging many efforts to improve its business climate, was able to jump significantly on the index in the recent years... .

CONTRACT EXECUTION (more info)

Creation of special chambers of commerce for small debts • Creation of chambers of commerce at the Court of Appeal • Civil and commercial cases now handled by distinct clerks • Establishment of commercial courts in Lomé and Kara • Lawyers and bailiffs now have access to the FORSETI COMMERCIAL platform • A maximum period of 100 days was fixed to settle a commercial dispute .

TRADING ACROSS BORDERS (more info)

In comparison to previous years,Togo has significantly improved its ranking under the“Trading across borders” indicator by adopting multiple reforms that focus mainly on the digitization and reduction in delays, for import and export procedures related to import and export.

In comparison to previous years, Togo has significantly improved its ranking on the “Trading across borders” index by adopting multiple reforms that focus mainly on the digitalization and reduction in delays, for import and export procedures related to import and export.

CONSTRUCTION PERMIT (more info)

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Over the past two years, Togo’s ranking under the Doing Business’ Getting electricity and water indicator has increased consistently. Owing this performance to multiple reforms aimed at making it easier for businesses to access power and water, Lomé plans to introduce even more reforms this year to keep up its improvements.

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Out of all the 'Doing Business’ indicators, Property Registration is where Togo has improved the most since 2018. Indeed, after spending years in the lowest part of this ranking, the country now seeks to beat Rwanda which is the best performer on this index in Africa. To do so, Lomé has been introducing many reforms, with the latest batch implemented this year.

PUBLIC PROCUREMENT (more info)

From professionalization to digitization, through legislative regulations, Togo’s public procurement framework is constantly being modernized. Several reforms have been implemented to improve the sector much to the benefit of the private sector, which is the focus of the National Development Plan.

PAYING TAXES AND DUTIES (more info)

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