Air Côte d'Ivoire

Air Côte d'Ivoire is the flag carrier of Ivory Coast,[5] based in Abidjan. The company succeeded the country's former flag carrier Air Ivoire,[6] which went bankrupt in 2011.[7] It started operations on 12 November 2012 (2012-11-12).

Air Côte d'Ivoire
IATA ICAO Callsign
HF VRE COTE D'IVOIRE
Founded15 May 2012 (2012-05-15)
Commenced operations12 November 2012 (2012-11-12)
HubsPort Bouet Airport
Frequent-flyer programsMiles[1]
Fleet size11
Destinations27
Parent companyGovernment of Ivory Coast (65%)
HeadquartersPort Bouet Airport, Abidjan, Ivory Coast
Key people
[3]
RevenueXOF 48b (USD 88.7m) (2020)[4]
Websiteaircotedivoire.com

History

The airline was set up on 15 May 2012 (2012-05-15),[8] as a private-public entity, partially owned by Air France – which intended to make Port Bouet Airport a regional hub[9] – and the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED).[10][11] Air Côte d'Ivoire had an initial capital of CFAF2.5 billion, majority-owned by the government of Ivory Coast (65%), with the balance held by Air France Finance (20%) and Aérienne de Participation-Côte d'Ivoire (15%), an airline holding company of AKFED.[8] The Ivory Coast had had no national carriers since the collapse of Air Ivoire in March 2011 (2011-03).[12]

The airline will have "technical, commercial and operational synergies" with Air Mali and Air Burkina, two other airlines associated with the AKFED.[12][13]

As of November 2012, it was planned for the new company to have 13 flight captains, 12 first officers and 37 cabin crew.[14] The company projects to have a passenger capacity of 330,000 per year.[15] It carried 253,000 passengers during 2013.[16]

Corporate affairs

Ownership

As of April 2017, the parent entities of the shareholders are:[17]

Shareholder Interest
Government of Ivory Coast58%
Air France-KLM011%
Golden Road023%
Other investors08%
Total100%

The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development was a 15% shareholder until 2013, when it was reported that it would withdraw from Air Côte d'Ivoire.[18] The shareholding was acquired by Golden Road, a consortium of private Ivorian investors,[19] with shareholdings changing following subsequent fundraising.

Air Côte d'Ivoire does not appear to publish annual accounts, but some figures have been made available via press reports, interviews and other publications (figures shown for years ending 31 December):

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Turnover (CFA b) 26.98 76.01 83.00 48.00
Net profit after tax (CFA b) loss loss loss −7 loss loss loss loss loss
Number of employees (at year end) 290 612 578 600
Number of passengers (m) 0.25 0.40 0.60 0.72 0.76 0.30
Passenger load factor (%) 65
Number of aircraft (at year end) 2 4 6 8 10 10 10 10 10
Notes/sources [16] [20][21] [20][22] [22][23] [24][25]
[17]		 [26] [lower-alpha 1]
[27]
  1. 2020: Activities and income in 2020 were severely reduced by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic

Key people

As of February 2021, Air Côte d'Ivoire's CEO or General Manager (Directeur Général) is Laurent Loukou.[3]

Destinations
An Air Côte d'Ivoire Airbus A320 at Léon-Mba International Airport in Libreville

As of September 2012, the airline had initial plans to operate scheduled services from its hub in Abidjan on a network covering nine international destinations in West and East Africa, although some of them would be flown by sister companies Air Burkina and Air Mali. Cities served with Air Côte d'Ivoire's own aircraft were expected to include Accra, Conakry, Cotonou and Dakar.[6] Operations commenced on 12 November 2012 (2012-11-12),[28] with the carrier's maiden flight linking Abidjan with Dakar.[29]

As of April 2016, Air Côte d'Ivoire serves the following destinations:

Country City Airport Notes Refs
BeninCotonouCadjehoun Airport[30]
Burkina FasoOuagadougouThomas Sankara International Airport[30]
CameroonDoualaDouala International Airport[30]
YaoundéYaoundé Nsimalen International Airport[30]
Central African RepublicBanguiBangui M'Poko International Airport[31]
ChadN'DjamenaN'Djamena International Airport[30]
Democratic Republic of the CongoKinshasaN'djili Airport[30]
GabonLibrevilleLéon-Mba International Airport[30]
GhanaAccraKotoka International Airport[30]
GuineaConakryConakry International Airport[30]
Ivory CoastAbidjanFélix-Houphouët-Boigny International AirportHub[30]
BouakéBouaké Airport[32]
KorhogoKorhogo Airport[32]
ManMan Airport[32]
OdiennéOdienné Airport[32]
San PédroSan Pédro Airport[32]
LiberiaMonroviaRoberts International Airport[30]
MaliBamakoBamako–Sénou International Airport[30]
MoroccoCasablancaMohammed V International Airport[33]
NigerNiameyDiori Hamani International Airport[30]
NigeriaAbujaNnamdi Azikiwe International Airport[34]
LagosMurtala Muhammed International Airport[30]
Republic of the CongoBrazzavilleMaya-Maya Airport[30]
Pointe-NoirePointe Noire Airport[30]
SenegalDakarBlaise Diagne International Airport[30]
Sierra LeoneFreetownLungi International AirportSuspended[30][35]
South AfricaJohannesburgO. R. Tambo International Airport[36]
TogoLoméLomé–Tokoin International Airport[30]

    Fleet

    Current fleet
    An Air Côte d'Ivoire Airbus A319 at the Airbus factory in Toulouse (2012 photo).

    As of August 2019, Air Côte d'Ivoire operated the following aircraft:[37][38]

    Air Côte d'Ivoire fleet
    Aircraft In service Orders Passengers Notes
    C Y Total
    Airbus A319-100 4 — 12 96 108
    Airbus A320-200 2 — 12 138 150
    Airbus A320neo 1[39] — TBA
    Airbus A330-900 — 2 TBA Deliveries from 2024.[40][41]
    De Havilland Dash 8-400 4 — 7 60 67
    Total 11 2

    Fleet strategy

    The carrier took delivery of its first aircraft, an ex-Air France Airbus A319 manufactured in 2004, in October 2012 (2012-10) on lease from Macquarie AirFinance.[42] During the 2013 Dubai Air Show, it was announced the carrier placed a conditional order for up to four Bombardier Q400s.[43][44] Worth US$69 million,[nb 1] a firm order was announced in December 2013 (2013-12).[46][47][48] African Export-Import Bank will finance 95% of the acquisition.[45] The carrier plans to use one of these aircraft to replace the E-170 on regional services.[49] The first Dash 8-Q400 was delivered in late 2014.[50] An additional order for two more aircraft of the type was placed in April 2015 (2015-04).[51]

    An order comprising two Airbus A320neos and two Airbus A320ceos that was placed in April 2016 (2016-04) was boosted in July the same year when an additional A320neo was ordered.[52][53]

    Historical fleet

    The airline has operated the following aircraft:

    See also

    Notes
    1. Reuters informed the value of the transaction to be US$120 million.[45]

    References
    1. "Air Cote d'Ivoire – Home". frequentflyer.aero. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
    2. "Arik Air, Air Cote d'Ivoire explore partnership opportunities". Centre for Aviation. 14 January 2013. Archived from the original on 6 July 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
    3. "The background to Laurent Loukou's appointment as CEO of Air Côte d'Ivoire".
    4. "En 2020, Air Côte d'Ivoire a perdu près de 460 000 passagers, le chiffre d'affaires en chute de 42%".
    5. Dron, Alan (6 February 2017). "West Africa's Air Cote d'Ivoire gets connected". Air Transport World. Archived from the original on 8 February 2017.
    6. "Air Côte d'Ivoire plans Oct-2012 launch with international network of nine cities". Centre for Aviation. 25 September 2012. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012.
    7. "Air Cote d'Ivoire To Launch With Two Airbuses". Airwise News. Reuters. 9 February 2012. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2012. The airline will replace the former Air Ivoire, which collapsed last year.
    8. "The airline Air Côte d'Ivoire becomes reality" (Press release). Air France. 16 May 2012. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
    9. Buyck, Cathy (29 February 2012). "Air France revisits plans for Ivory Coast airline partnership". Air Transport World. Archived from the original on 5 June 2012. AF's goal is to build Abidjan Port Bouet Airport (ABJ) as a regional hub and secure a regional feed in West Africa.
    10. Rivers, Martin (22 May 2012). "New Ivory Coast flag carrier set for take-off". Flightglobal. London. Archived from the original on 20 June 2014.
    11. "Air Côte d'Ivoire ne ressemblera pas à Air Ivoire" [Air Côte d’Ivoire will not resemble Air Ivoire] (in French). Air Journal. 20 May 2012. Archived from the original on 23 May 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
    12. Paylor, Anne (21 July 2012). "New airline in Ivory Coast to launch in July". Air Transport World. Archived from the original on 5 September 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
    13. "New national Air Côte d'Ivoire plans domestic and international route launches this year". Centre for Aviation. 21 May 2012. Archived from the original on 15 June 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
    14. Hofmann, Kurt (5 November 2012). "New Ivory Coast Air Cote d'Ivoire set to launch". Air Transport World. Archived from the original on 12 December 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
    15. Edmond, Gomon (18 May 2012). "Air Côte d'Ivoire/Les premiers vols régionaux en juillet 2012" [Air Côte’Ivoire/First regional flights in July 2012] (in French). Abidjan.net. Archived from the original on 27 October 2012. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
    16. Duclos, François (15 January 2014). "Air Côte d'Ivoire: 253 000 passagers en 2013" [Air Côte d'Ivoire: 253,000 passengers carried in 2013]. Air Journal (in French). Archived from the original on 23 January 2015. 
    17. "Guinée : Air Côte-D'Ivoire inaugure son nouveau siège à Conakry! (Guinea: Air Côte-D'Ivoire inaugurates its new base in Conakry!)" (in French). Africaguinee.com. 27 April 2017. Archived from the original on 27 April 2017. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
    18. Mieu, Baudelaire (3 June 2013). "Aga Khan Fund to Pull Out of Ivory Coast Airline in Capital Move". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on 20 June 2014.
    19. "Local Ivorian investors acquire AKFED's 15% stake in Air Côte d'Ivoire". ch-aviation. 5 December 2013.
    20. "Le Mag January/February 2015". Air Côte d’Ivoire. Archived from the original on 12 February 2015. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
    21. "Nouvelle augmentation de capital pour Air Côte d'Ivoire (New capital increase for Air Côte d'Ivoire)" (in French). Jeune Afrique. 29 January 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
    22. "Aérien : entre Air Côte d'Ivoire et Asky Airlines, match de haut vol - JeuneAfrique.com" (in French). 18 March 2016.
    23. "Air Cote d'Ivoire turnover up 34 percent; plans to raise capital". Reuters. 30 January 2016. Archived from the original on 22 July 2017. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
    24. "" Nous serons rentables à partir de 2018 " – René Décurey, Directeur général d'Air Côte d'Ivoire ("We will be profitable from 2018" – René Décurey, General Manager of Air Côte d'Ivoire)" (in French). Jeune Afrique. 27 July 2017. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
    25. "Interview with René Decurey, General Manager of Air Côte d'Ivoire". Marcopolis. 13 December 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
    26. "Ivorian govt approves $24mln in aid for national airline". Ecofin Agency. 29 June 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
    27. "En 2020, Air Cote d'Ivoire a perdu pres de 460 000 passagers" (in French). NewsAero. 20 February 2021.
    28. "Ivory Coast's National Carrier Takes Off". Airwise News. Reuters. 12 November 2012. Archived from the original on 24 May 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2012. Ivory Coast's new national airline Air Côte d'Ivoire launched operations on Monday following months of delays, the company said.
    29. "Premiers vols commerciaux pour Air Côte d'Ivoire" [First commercial flight for Air Côte d’Ivoire] (in French). Air Journal. 14 November 2012. Archived from the original on 4 December 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
    30. "Réseau Sous-régional". Air Côte d'Ivoire. Archived from the original on 23 January 2015. 
    31. "Air Côte d'Ivoire W13 Operation Changes as of 04NOV13". Airline Route. 4 November 2013. Archived from the original on 8 November 2013.
    32. "Air Côte d'Ivoire English » Domestic network". www.aircotedivoire.com. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
    33. "AIR COTE D'IVOIRE MOVES CASABLANCA LAUNCH TO JAN 2023". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
    34. "Air Cote d'Ivoire Adds New Nigeria Service from Feb 2016". Routesonline. 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
    35. "Air Côte d'Ivoire English". Aircotedivoire.com. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
    36. "Air Cote d'Ivoire Schedules South Africa late-June 2022 Launch". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
    37. "Global Airline Guide 2019 (Part One)". Airliner World. October 2019: 12.
    38. "Air Côte d'Ivoire English » Our air fleet". Aircotedivoire.com. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
    39. https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2879253602326718&id=1532250620360363
    40. "Air Côte d'Ivoire orders two A330-900s". Ch-Aviation. 26 October 2022.
    41. Ben Schlappig (25 October 2022). "Air Côte d'Ivoire Orders Airbus A330-900neo". One Mile At A Time. Katty, Texas, United States. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
    42. Bonnassies, Olivier (11 October 2012). "Air Côte d'Ivoire leases A319 from Macquarie AirFinance". Flightglobal. London. Archived from the original on 20 June 2014.
    43. "Bombardier and Air Côte d'Ivoire Sign Agreement for up to Four Q400 NextGen Aircraft" (Press release). Bombardier Aerospace. 18 November 2013. Archived from the original on 20 June 2014.
    44. Taylor, Ellis (18 November 2013). "DUBAI: Air Cote D'Ivoire conditionally orders two Q400s". Flightglobal. Dubai. Archived from the original on 20 June 2014.
    45. "Air Cote d'Ivoire agrees $114 mln aircraft loan from Afreximbank". Reuters. 10 January 2014. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014.
    46. Dron, Alan (18 December 2013). "Air Cote d'Ivoire firms Bombardier Q400 order". Air Transport World. Archived from the original on 19 December 2013.
    47. "Air Côte d'Ivoire Firms Bombardier Q400 Order". Aviation Today. 19 December 2013. Archived from the original on 20 December 2013.
    48. "Bombardier and Air Côte d'Ivoire Reach Firm Purchase Agreement with Options for up to Four Q400 NextGen Aircraft". Bombardier Aerospace. 18 December 2013. Archived from the original on 20 June 2014.
    49. Moores, Victoria (25 November 2013). "Air Cote d'Ivoire plots growth course". Air Transport World. Archived from the original on 6 December 2013.
    50. "First Q400 for Air Cote d'Ivoire". Airliner World: 12. December 2014.
    51. Blachly, Linda (13 April 2015). "Air Cote d'Ivoire orders two more Bombardier Q400s". Air Transport World. Archived from the original on 14 April 2015.
    52. Blachly, Linda (11 July 2016). "Ivory Coast carrier adds an A320neo". Air Transport World. Archived from the original on 11 July 2016. 
    53. Dron, Alan (28 April 2016). "Ivory Coast carrier orders two Airbus A320ceos, two A320neos". Air Transport World. Archived from the original on 28 April 2016. 
    54. "Notre Flotte" [Our Fleet] (in French). Air Côte d’Ivoire. Archived from the original on 23 January 2015. 

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