Air Côte d’Ivoire launches new direct service to Casablanca
Air Côte d’Ivoire plans to inaugurate direct flights to Casablanca and Paris this year, as announced by its CEO, Laurent Loukou, during a press conference on Thursday.
Flights to Casablanca are scheduled to commence in April, while those to Paris are set for December. This marks the beginning of a series of ambitious projects for Air Côte d’Ivoire, which also envisions expanding its routes to destinations such as New York, Brussels, Washington, Beirut, and London by 2027.
The Ivorian airline plans to operate four weekly flights to Casablanca. For the Paris route, it aims to cater to 400.000 passengers annually.
To ensure the success of this expansion, Air Côte d’Ivoire intends to deploy 14 aircraft, including an Airbus A330-900 currently under construction, with the arrival of four more aircraft by March.
Mr. Loukou emphasized that a total of three A330-900 aircraft are mobilized for this project, with two under acquisition and one under lease.
“From 2023 to 2031, over 8 years, Air Côte d’Ivoire will have a fleet of 18 aircraft. The airline will serve 35 cities, including 6 intercontinental destinations, creating 1,180 direct jobs, 7.080 indirect jobs. The airline will transport 12.55 million passengers and generate a turnover of XOF 2.449 billion,” projected Laurent Loukou.
He also mentioned that the national airline has injected XOF 700 billion into the Ivorian economy over ten years of operation. This includes XOF 200 billion in royalties, XOF 70 billion in taxes, and XOF 430 billion for suppliers. Additionally, Air Côte d’Ivoire has created 586 direct jobs and 3.000 indirect jobs while supporting the economy.
