Ten years later, Air Côte d’Ivoire embarks on a new phase of its expansion
The Ivorian national airline, Air Côte d’Ivoire, aims to take its existence to a new level after more than ten years of operations. During a press conference on January 25, 2024, at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Abidjan, the airline’s officials reviewed its performance and presented its future outlook.
Over these ten years of activity, Air Côte d’Ivoire has prioritized correcting its course and advancing to the next stage. The goal is to assess what has worked and what has failed.
« In 11 years of operation, this market leader has achieved a turnover of 992 billion CFA francs, a 52% market share, 6.7 million passengers, 25 domestic and regional destinations, 586 direct jobs, and 3000 indirect jobs in Côte d’Ivoire », summarizing the company’s ambition, the Chairman of the Board of Directors, General Abdoulaye Coulibaly, stated : « We have traveled a beautiful path, but there is still much to do ».
Under the theme « The Ivorian National Airline Today and Tomorrow » Air Côte d’Ivoire’s officials organized a press conference, attended by media professionals from several African countries. The meeting held at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, provided a historical overview of the company, assessed its performance halfway, and presented future prospects to scale up its ambitions.
Air Côte d’Ivoire, established in May 2012, emerged from the Ivorian government’s desire to have a national airline that represents all citizens. Its ambition to become the gateway to and from West and Central Africa to Europe and the international stage, with the major challenge of being a sustainable and profitable airline, is taking shape. To achieve this, the airline has a modern fleet (9 Airbus, with 70% consisting of new aircraft, Bombardiers, Airbus A319, and A320). A fleet renewal project with Airbus A330 is underway. Its network of 20 regional and 5 domestic destinations is made possible by strengthening its teams (flight, technical, and ground personnel).
Towards six long-haul flights
To consolidate its position as the national reference airline and increase its market share, Air Côte d’Ivoire, certified IOSA (the first global standard for auditing the safety of airline operations) since 2017, aims to tackle the next stage of its growth : launching long-haul flights to 6 destinations – Paris, Washington, New York, London, Geneva, and Beirut, in addition to Casablanca, starting in mid-April.
This involves acquiring 3 Airbus A330s, including 2 in December 2024 and May 2025, and leasing 1 in June 2027. It also involves human resources training : « We have created local expertise by training young people in aviation professions for pilots, mechanics, and management positions. We have trained 32 pilots, 20 mechanics, and we plan to establish a pilot training school », said Laurent Kouassi Loukou, CEO of Air Côte d’Ivoire.
