As we all may know by now, South Africa has a critical shortage of supply in the domestic aviation market due to Comair’s financial troubles.
Comair which operates Kulula and British Airways locally announced the suspension of all its flights.
However, there is some good news as Air Côte d’Ivoire will be launching the quickest route between Joburg and Abidjan, in Côte d’Ivoire, this June.
The Joburg-Abidjan via Kinshasa route will launch on June 29 and will be the fastest route between South Africa and Côte d’Ivoire offered by any airline in Africa.
The airline will be introducing four flights per week between Joburg and Abidjan.
Bookings opened on June 1.
The new route also offers ease of access to 16 West and Central African countries: Congo, Gabon, Nigeria, Ghana, Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Niger, Liberia, Benin, Senegal, Cameroon, Togo, DRC, Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea-Bissau.
Air Côte d’Ivoire chief executive Laurent Loukou believes the new route between Abidjan and Joburg will be key to opening up opportunities for investment and improving bilateral trade between the two countries.
“Of course, the timing of the new route has been strategic as we lead up to IATF2023. Africa is gearing up to become a strong economic bloc and Côte d’Ivoire and South Africa have a massive role to play in that growth. Intra-Africa trade is key to unlocking industrial opportunities for many African countries, including between Côte d’Ivoire and South Africa,” he says.
“We believe in the future of Africa just as we believe in the future of our airline. We are making bold new plans for our future and that includes this new route to connect South Africa with Côte d’Ivoire. Africa is open for business and we want to make it easier for business to happen.
“Côte d’Ivoire is one of the fastest-growing economies in Africa and offers great investment opportunities in West Africa. It makes sense to do business with us. Air Côte d’Ivoire wants to be part of this economic growth in our country.
“We are excited about this opportunity to drive new business between Côte d’Ivoire and South Africa. The possibilities for co-operation and business are endless,” said Loukou.