Siciid1986 Posted August 12, 2009 Escape from Somaliland HARGEISA, 11 August 2009 (Somalilandpress) – Xorriyo Airways, which ran flights from Dubai to Berbera in Somaliland, has collapsed. I found this out the hard way. I soon became one of more than 600 people stranded in Somaliland. At 7.40 pm one night the airline office phoned to say the flight had been ‘delayed until further notice’ and if someone did not bring the ticket to the office by 8pm it would become void and there would be no entitlement to a refund. This is Hargeisa where taxis in the suburbs are hard to come by and buses certainly can’t get you from near Mansoor Hotel in Jigjigayar to the downtown city center in less than 20 minutes. My only chance was to get someone who lived near the office to go and negotiate in the meantime. An official source at Xorriyyo confirmed the next day the airline had collapsed and the priority was to get passengers transferred onto other airlines. The trouble with that useful information was that very few people had been told. Most passengers including those who had already booked their holidays from around the world are still none the wiser. The source alleged that Xorriyo was owned by two cousins who split the company assets causing the airline to go bust. At the peak of the holiday season hundreds of people are stranded in Somaliland. They will probably have to ask relatives and friends to wire them money via Dahabshiil in order to buy new tickets. Dahabshiil money transfer is the unofficial banking system amongst Somalis. In Somaliland I learned people have to fight for everything. Being obsolete and insisting I had a connecting flight to Doha which I could not miss under any circumstances – seemed to do the trick. This was true, I did have another flight to catch, but if I had not insisted, I may still be there now. I was fortunate to been transferred to Osob Airline but this meant another hot bumpy bus ride to Berbera. When I got there I heard my flight to Dubai was still stuck in Mogadishu. When it arrived it was carrying several hundred desperate refugees. The airport officials said that they often have injured people with bullets still lodged in them, arriving from Mogadishu. Although it sounds rough it is a great way to see Somali landscapes and mountains. Several small villages line the way as well as the routine police checkpoints. In one small village we were hailed to stop by a man who was allowed to board the bus and asking for money. He said his name was ‘Ali- Gaabe’ (Ali the Dwarf) and that we should give him money so he could pray for our safe journey. He was a dwarf and people laughed at his audacity and his sense of humour so they paid him and I watched him hailed the second bus in our convoy to make his quick buck. Xorriyo airline is registered UK company but has not yet officially gone into administration or declared bankruptcy. The travel agent I booked with in London also confirmed its collapse and said I was very lucky to get out as several hundred people are literally stranded there. My thoughts are with them but desperate looks on the faces of the refugees from Mogadishu will haunt me for a long time. Despite waiting three hours for the plane to arrive, I wish I stayed at the airport for just a bit longer. Long enough to hear the stories those families had tell and what horrors they had escaped. Source: frontlineclub.com – Hodan Yusuf-Pankhurst Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nuune Posted August 12, 2009 The source alleged that Xorriyo was owned by two cousins who split the company assets causing the airline to go bust. Waaw Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
N.O.R.F Posted August 12, 2009 Way sugi kariwaayeen until the end of the summer to split the profits :rolleyes: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nuune Posted August 12, 2009 ^^ And it was only up few months, their website was down for a long time, I knew there was somethin wrong. It would be disaster for the likes of Cosob airline and Zuhura airways to follow Xorriyo's footsteps since they are as new as Xorriyo. Zuhura airways was ok, trip from Hargeisa to Addis Ababa was comfortable, and da food was nice aka Somali style food. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RedSea Posted August 12, 2009 There is only one group who can run aviation bussiness effectively. I think certain folks should leave it to us. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nuune Posted August 12, 2009 ^^ are you into aviation yaa Red Sea, share with us Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RedSea Posted August 13, 2009 ^^No brother It was just a joke. But the folks who mostly rent/owned Daalo, Cosob, Zuhuura, Star, and Jubb airways have been very successful and they all if not most are from certain demographic if you know what I mean. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jacaylbaro Posted August 13, 2009 Sure ,, i'm into it nuune ,,,, tell me something that can make me salivate ,, Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
N.O.R.F Posted August 13, 2009 Originally posted by Red Sea: There is only one group who can run aviation bussiness effectively. I think certain folks should leave it to us. Daallo waxaaba loo bixiyey ‘Air Inshallah’ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nuune Posted August 13, 2009 JB, lool, I actually have big project coming up concerning this field, so you will be one of the first to be contacted, sxb. Redsea, waan gartey. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
