Air Mauritanie
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| Founded | September 1962 | ||||||
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| Commenced operations | October 1962 | ||||||
| Ceased operations | 2007 | ||||||
| Hubs | Nouakchott International Airport | ||||||
| Headquarters | Nouakchott, Mauritania | ||||||
| Website | airmauritanie.mr | ||||||
Air Mauritanie was the national airline of Mauritania from 1962 until it ceased operations in 2007 due to financial difficulties. It was based at Nouakchott International Airport, from where it operated domestic services, as well as flights to African destinations and Paris. The carrier had its headquarters in Nouakchott.
Air Mauritanie was established in September 1962 as the national airline of the country. Operations started in October the same year, with Spantax leasing DC-3 equipment, and also providing technical assistance. A Nord 262 was ordered in 1965. The airline was reorganised in 1967, and shareholding was divided between the government of Mauritania (60%), Air Afrique (20%) and Union de Transports Aériens (UTA) (20%). Two Ilyushin Il-18s were bought in 1969, with the Soviets providing training and technical assistance; these aircraft were flown to Dakar, Nouadhibou and Las Palmas.
At March 1970, the airline had 120 employees and operated a domestic network plus international services to the Canary Islands and Mali using one DC-3, one DC-4, and an Il-18. In February 1974, a five-year contract was signed with Hughes Airwest for the provision of capacity building of the pilots and mechanics. The number of employees had grown to 170 by March the same year, with a fleet comprising one DC-3, two DC-4s and one Navajo. At this time, Casablanca, Dakar and Las Palmas were part of the airline's list of international destinations, as well as domestic services radiating from Nouakchott and Nouadhibou. That year, the carrier acquired two 40-seater F-227As valued at US$1,100,000 (equivalent to $5,341,903 in 2016) million. In July 1974, the company was reorganised again and renamed Société d'Economie Mixte Air Mauritanie. By March 1975, the government of Mauritania was the major shareholder of the company (60%), with the balance evenly split between Air Afrique and UTA.
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