Air Mauritius takes delivery of new plane
Plaisance, Mauritius (PANA) – The Mauritian national airline, Air Mauritius, on Friday morning received a new plane, its second A330neo, named “Chagos Archipelago”, as a tribute to the struggle of the Chagossian community.
On this occasion, Mauritian Minister of Defence and Rodrigues, Sir Anerood Jugnauth, said that "every time this airplane will fly, it will remind the world that the Chagos belongs to Mauritius”.
He recalled the “many victories" that Mauritius has obtained in this struggle, namely before the International Court of Justice and the United Nations General Assembly.
For his part, the leader of the Chagos Refugees Group, Olivier Bancoult, expressed his pride in the name chosen for the plane and his determination to return to his native island. "I dream of an Air Mauritius plane landing soon in Diego Garcia,” he said.
As at today, Air Mauritius has 14 aircraft that include two A350-900 acquired in 2017.
The United Nations in May voted overwhelmingly to demand the UK hand over control of the Chagos islands to Mauritius "as soon as possible".
A total of 116 countries voted in favour of a non-binding resolution presented by African countries that urged Britain to "withdraw its colonial administration" from the Chagos Islands within six months.
Mauritius argues the Chagos archipelago was part of its territory since at least the 18th century and was taken unlawfully by the UK in 1965, three years before the island nation gained independence.
However, Britain insists it has sovereignty over the archipelago, which it calls the British Indian Ocean Territory.
-0- PANA NA/MA 21June 2019
