Ivory Coast Airlines “Air Côte d’Ivoire” will launch direct flights to Casablanca and Paris in 2024, company’s CEO Laurent Loukou announced on Thursday.
Loukou said in a press conference that flights to Casablanca are scheduled to begin in April, while Paris flights are set for December.
This initiative marks the start of ambitious plans for the African carrier, servicing destinations such as New York, Brussels, Washington, Beirut, and London by 2027.
The airline company is set to operate four weekly flights to Casablanca, and expects 400,000 passengers annually for the Paris air route.
The Ivory Coast Airlines plans to deploy 14 aircraft for this expansion, including an Airbus A330-900 currently under construction, with four more planes entering operations by March.
Loukou confirmed the availability of three A330-900 aircraft for this project: two purchased and one leased.
He stated that the airline aims to have a fleet of 18 aircraft by 2031, serving 35 cities, including 6 international ones, and providing 1180 direct jobs and 7080 indirect ones.
The airline company is forecasted to transport 12.55 million passengers, generating sales of approximately 3.718 billion USD.
The CEO noted that the company has injected nearly 1.159 billion USD into the Ivorian economy over ten years, creating 586 direct jobs and 3000 indirect ones.