The small numbers of passengers using many of West Africa’s air routes were a significant factor behind Air Côte d’Ivoire selecting the Embraer 175 for its fleet, the airline’s CEO said at last week’s Dubai Airshow.
From Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Nouakchott in Mauritania, most point-to-point sectors have fewer than 70 passengers a day, Laurent Loukou said.
Air Côte d’Ivoire ordered four E175s and took purchase rights on a further eight at the show, for delivery from the first half of 2027 onward. Its existing fleet consists of eight Airbus A320-family aircraft, two A330-900s and four De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400s.
Currently, the West African carrier operates its Airbuses on many of these regional routes. However, their capacity is considerably in excess of what is required on many of the thin routes.
“A 50% load factor is not enough to break even, so we need a real regional aircraft,” Loukou said. Such an aircraft would also be viable on Côte d’Ivoire’s domestic routes that are no more than 40-45 min. long, he added.
“This aircraft can help us make these flights for 45 min., or 3 hr. to go to Kinshasa. So, it’s a very good compromise.”
The E175s will be delivered in a two-class, 76-seat configuration—12 in business class and 64 in economy—and will gradually replace the Dash 8-400s.
Loukou said that Côte d’Ivoire’s economy has been growing at a remarkable 7.5% per annum over the past 16 years. Rising air traffic levels are closely linked to rises in GDP.
“Today, we are the hub for the region, not just for airlines but also for banking, petroleum, agriculture, [and are the] top producer of cocoa and cashews.”
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