Salone International Airlines, also known as Air Salone, is a new-generation local international carrier set up at Freetown International Airport in Sierra Leone, whose website saloneair.com went live in 2026. It offers belly capacity on every passenger flight and arranges dedicated freighter charters for time-sensitive cargo such as agricultural produce, machinery parts and medical supplies, using Freetown as a gateway to the whole West African coastal corridor.
Salone International Airlines is a new-generation local international carrier of the Republic of Sierra Leone, also known as Air Salone, with its main base at Freetown Lungi International Airport. Positioned to serve commercial centres along the West African coast, it offers economy and business seats on every departure and opens the belly of the same aircraft to cargo, so passenger schedules and cargo space run at the same time on the same airframe. Its website, saloneair.com, opened to customers and shippers in 2026.
For Chinese shippers the value comes in two parts. First, a West African coastal network with Freetown as its gateway connects Sierra Leone with commercial centres in Guinea, Liberia, Gambia, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria on one route map. Second, belly capacity combined with freighter charters covers both regular air freight and time-sensitive cargo such as machinery parts, agricultural produce and medical supplies. Chinese exports to West Africa, including electrical equipment, telecom gear and construction machinery parts, and return traffic such as cashew, cocoa, fish and mineral samples, can be distributed to destination countries on this network.
Cargo handover at Freetown airport is handled by the carrier's ground agent, with outbound ULDs, perishable and temperature-controlled cargo and urgent medical supplies all accepted under one procedure. For Chinese shippers booking through us, the carrier provides a stable distribution point on the West African coast anchored by a local airline, rather than total reliance on space availability at a single European hub.
| Carrier full name | Salone International Airlines (Air Salone) |
| Country | Republic of Sierra Leone |
| Main base airport | Freetown International Airport FNA (Lungi) |
| IATA code | 2O |
| ICAO three-letter code | RNE |
| Radio call sign | AIR SALONE |
| Cargo products | Belly capacity on scheduled flights, dedicated freighter charters |
| Official lookup website | saloneair.com (plain text) |
Phase one points spread east and west along the West African coast from Freetown, linking Conakry, Monrovia, Banjul, Dakar, Abidjan, Accra and Lagos. The corridor brings the main export processing zones and seaports along the Gulf of Guinea into one network, so Chinese electrical equipment and telecom gear can change aircraft once at Lagos or Accra and go on by short belly flights to Freetown, Monrovia and other subregional markets.
According to the carrier's published plan, phase two extends the network into Central and East Africa, covering Douala, Kinshasa, Nairobi and Addis Ababa; phase three reaches Casablanca, Cairo, Johannesburg and Luanda. For Chinese shippers this means that from the Freetown gateway the same carrier's network can later reach the Central African mining belt and the Southern African industrial corridor, with fewer document changes and fewer connections.
The carrier states that belly capacity is available on every passenger flight and that dedicated freighter charters handle urgent cargo that cannot wait a week. No fleet type list or belly tonnage by type is publicly available, so payload figures are subject to confirmation by the carrier's ground department on the day of booking. The product set comes down to two options: belly space inside the passenger schedule, and freighter capacity chartered by the rotation.
| Product types | Cargo accepted | Handling points |
|---|---|---|
| Belly hold of passenger flights | General air freight, telecom equipment parts, consumer electronics, textile and footwear samples | Accepted on the passenger schedule, booked to the flight documentation cut-off, with priority for time-critical shipments |
| Dedicated freighter charter | Agricultural exports, complete machinery parts, medical supplies, urgent project cargo | Chartered by rotation with agreed origin and destination airports and ground handover, suited to volume and overweight or outsized cargo |
| Perishables and temperature control | Samples and small lots on the return leg for exports such as cashew, cocoa beans and fish | Requires early booking plus ground pre-cooling and fast transfer |
On its website the carrier describes its cargo product as belly capacity plus dedicated freighter charters, aimed at agricultural produce, machinery parts and medical supplies. Because the fleet is only now being introduced, no belly capacity data is public and piece size and weight limits have to be confirmed per consignment at booking. We can compare belly space against charter rotations for the shipper based on weight, volume and required arrival time.
No direct China schedule is publicly listed for Salone International Airlines; its network has Freetown as its only main base, so Chinese cargo connects through European, Middle East or West African hubs. Exports normally leave from Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong or Shanghai, reach Brussels, Istanbul or Addis Ababa, connect to West African points such as Lagos or Accra, and finally arrive at Freetown Lungi International Airport.
| China ports | First connecting hub | West African connection point | Final gateway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guangzhou / Shenzhen | Brussels BRU or Istanbul IST | Lagos LOS / Accra ACC | Freetown FNA |
| Hong Kong HKG | Addis Ababa ADD | Lagos LOS | Freetown FNA |
| Shanghai PVG | Istanbul IST | Accra ACC / Monrovia ROB | Freetown FNA |
Times are local and schedules change with the season, subject to carrier confirmation on the day of booking. Once we have the cargo details we compare space availability with several carriers at Brussels, Istanbul and Lagos, and prefer combinations with short connection times and low connection risk.
Chinese exports to Sierra Leone are mainly machinery, motors and electrical equipment, telecom gear, construction machinery parts, textiles and footwear. Such cargo is relatively high in value and time-sensitive, so it suits air freight from South China gateways through a European or Middle East hub into the Freetown gateway, then distribution on Salone International Airlines belly flights to Conakry, Monrovia and other subregional cities. For spare parts urgently needed by Chinese mining and infrastructure projects, we can arrange urgent shipments on dedicated freighter charters.
Sierra Leone's exports to China are dominated by minerals, including iron ore, rutile, bauxite and diamonds, plus agricultural products such as cashew, cocoa, coffee and fish. Bulk commodities go mainly by sea, while high-value samples, small lots of fresh produce and temperature-sensitive seedlings and breeding stock suit air return in belly space or on charters. Belly space on the return leg through the Freetown gateway gives Chinese importers a faster route for samples and small lots than sea freight alone.
Through the Freetown gateway and the phase one corridor points the network serves West African coastal countries including Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, Gambia, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana and Nigeria. Phase two is planned to cover Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya and Ethiopia, and phase three Morocco, Egypt, South Africa and Angola. With this gateway a Chinese shipper can plan space for the whole Gulf of Guinea coast in one booking instead of finding a carrier for each destination country.
With Freetown Lungi as its only main base, the carrier gives Chinese cargo a distribution point on the West African coast controlled by a local airline, reducing dependence on space with a single European carrier.
Regular cargo moves in passenger belly space and urgent or volume cargo on dedicated freighter charters; both sit within one carrier, so the choice can be made on budget and transit time.
Phase one points follow the arc of the Gulf of Guinea; Freetown to Conakry, Monrovia, Accra and Lagos are all short sectors, so connection times are manageable.
The carrier treats medical supplies as a priority charter category and offers fast acceptance for consumables and emergency equipment urgently needed at Chinese project sites.
Exports carry electrical equipment and telecom gear, while the return leg carries small lots of cashew, cocoa and fish, so belly space is used in both directions.
Goodhope Freight compares space objectively between this carrier and other West African carriers, and handles export declaration, palletising and connections in one place.
Farming around Freetown is based on cashew, cocoa, coffee and fishing. The air return channel suits small high-value samples and seasonal produce, and we can organise ground pre-cooling, fast transfer and priority loading to cut dwell time for perishables on the apron and in the terminal. Outbound food, medical devices and farm inputs can move in belly space on the passenger schedule.
Chinese mining and infrastructure projects in Sierra Leone need spare parts quickly. The carrier lists machinery parts as a charter category, and for overweight or very long project cargo a freighter can be chartered by rotation with an agreed ground handover. We handle domestic consolidation and palletising, export declaration and space requests in China, and connect clearance and last-mile delivery at the Freetown end.
The carrier treats medical supplies and urgent cargo that cannot wait a week as priority charter categories. For pharmaceutical companies, aid agencies and project sites, what matters is a fixed departure time and a predictable arrival window, and a dedicated freighter charter serves that better than shared belly space.
No details of the carrier's dangerous goods acceptance approvals or lithium battery rules are public. Equipment containing lithium batteries, magnetic cargo and other restricted goods must be declared by us per consignment before booking, and space is arranged once the carrier's acceptance department has approved, avoiding refusal or return at the airport.
China and Sierra Leone established trade payment relations in the 1970s, later signed trade agreements and an investment promotion and protection agreement, and set up a joint economic and trade commission in 2009. Published figures put two-way trade at about USD 2.284 billion in 2025, up about 29 percent year on year. About 40 percent of Sierra Leone's exports go to China, mainly minerals such as iron ore, rutile, bauxite and diamonds, plus agricultural products including cashew, cocoa and fish; imports from China are mainly machinery, motors and electrical equipment, telecom gear, technical equipment and consumer goods. That structure gives air freight steady demand for high-value samples, urgent shipments and small lots at both ends.
Chinese mining investment in Sierra Leone centres on the Tonkolili iron ore mine, whose second processing phase came on stream in 2026 with capacity of the order of 30 million tonnes a year. Mine sites and supporting infrastructure need spare parts, engineering drawings, test equipment and on-site medical supplies quickly and often cannot wait for a sea sailing. Salone International Airlines belly space and freighter charters give such projects an urgent channel from South China gateways to the Freetown gateway, with onward belly flights to the northern and eastern provinces where the mines are.
Since the new terminal opened at Freetown Lungi International Airport, Sierra Leone's international carrier landscape has been rebuilding. Besides Salone International Airlines, another carrier operating under the national name, Air Sierra Leone (ICAO SXE), was formed in 2024 and flew its first service from Freetown to Lagos on 22 January 2025, initially three times a week, later adding Freetown–Banjul–London Gatwick with wet-leased Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, giving Sierra Leone a second air link to Europe and the West African regional market. Together the two carriers make up the local supply side of the country's air cargo market: Air Sierra Leone leans toward long-haul European routes and passenger belly capacity, while Salone International Airlines positions itself on the coastal corridor and freighter charters. For Chinese shippers this means a choice of local carriers at the Freetown gateway, with more room to manoeuvre on space selection and emergency charter scheduling.
| Step | What we handle |
|---|---|
| Step one | The shipper gives us pieces, weight and dimensions, commodity, required arrival time and destination city, and we make a first judgement on belly space versus freighter charter. |
| Step two | We request space from Salone International Airlines and its authorized channels while comparing Brussels, Istanbul and Lagos connection options. |
| Step three | Once space is confirmed, the shipper delivers to our designated warehouse for consolidation, palletising, export declaration and security screening. |
| Step four | After departure we track each connection point and arrange clearance and last-mile delivery at the Freetown gateway. |
Goodhope Freight specializes in air freight forwarding from China to Africa and can compare space objectively between Salone International Airlines and other African carriers, coordinating Chinese export declaration, consolidation and palletising, connections, and destination clearance and delivery. The shipper only provides cargo details and transit time requirements; we follow through on booking and operations.
No directly owned office in China is publicly listed for Salone International Airlines, so contact its local agents in China or ask us to make the connection. For rates on Freetown gateway space, corridor connections or freighter charter options, shippers can contact Goodhope Freight directly; we raise booking requests with the carrier and its authorized channels and report back rates, schedules and payload confirmations. Public information on the carrier's passenger and cargo products is available at saloneair.com.
Chinese exports leave from Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong or Shanghai, reach a hub at Brussels, Istanbul or Addis Ababa, connect to West African points such as Lagos or Accra, and are flown into Freetown Lungi International Airport on Salone International Airlines belly flights. We book the whole routing and track each connection.
General air freight, electronic parts and samples go first to belly space on passenger flights and move with the schedule; complete machinery parts, volume agricultural produce and urgent medical cargo suit dedicated freighter charters, chartered by rotation with an agreed ground handover. We compare the options by pieces, weight, dimensions and required arrival time.
No direct China schedule is publicly listed for Salone International Airlines; its main base is only in Freetown, so Chinese cargo connects through a European, Middle East or West African hub. Times are local and schedules change with the season, subject to carrier confirmation on the day of booking.
Small high-value samples and seasonal produce suit air return in belly space or on charters, with ground pre-cooling and fast transfer; bulk cashew and cocoa still go mainly by sea. We can propose a combined air and sea solution according to volume and transit time.
No details of the carrier's dangerous goods acceptance approvals are public. Equipment containing lithium batteries, magnetic cargo and other restricted goods must be declared per consignment before booking, and space is arranged once the carrier's acceptance department has approved, avoiding refusal or return at the airport.
For spare parts urgently needed by Chinese mining and infrastructure projects in Sierra Leone, a dedicated freighter charter can be used with an agreed departure time and ground handover in Freetown. We handle domestic consolidation and palletising, export declaration and space requests, and connect clearance and delivery at destination.
The carrier has no publicly listed directly owned office in China; contact its local agents or ask us to make the connection. Shippers can contact Goodhope Freight directly and we raise bookings and rate requests on their behalf.
Goodhope Freight specializes in air freight forwarding from China to Africa and can compare space objectively between Salone International Airlines and other African carriers, coordinating Chinese export declaration, consolidation and palletising, connections, and destination clearance and delivery. Customers only provide cargo details and transit time requirements; we follow through on booking and operations.
Goodhope Freight
https://goodhope86.com
Shenzhen, China · air freight agent for Africa
Prepared by Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited (Goodhope Freight). Airline names, codes and brand marks mentioned here belong to their respective owners, and our company has no affiliation, agency or investment relationship with the airlines described. The information is compiled from public sources for reference only and does not form a contract of carriage or a commitment. Space, rates and schedules are subject to actual confirmation by the carrier or its authorized agent at the time of booking.
Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited; official website: https://goodhope86.com.
Salone International Airlines, Air Salone, Air Sierra Leone and the names, marks and codes of other airlines mentioned are the property of their respective owners; they are used here only to describe freight services.