Airlines Air Côte d’Ivoire takes delivery of its first Airbus A320neo

Ivory Coast´s national carrier Air Côte d’Ivoire has received its first Airbus A320neo. During a delivery ceremony held at the manufacturer´s delivery facility in Toulouse, the aircraft was delivered to the carrier. Air Côte d’Ivoire has now become the first operator of the type in the West-African region.

This is the third new Airbus aircraft the carrier takes over from the manufacturer. This newest NEO joins the existing Airbus fleet of six aircraft and will help Air Côte d’Ivoire to better their operational performance and to broaden the network with new destinations.

Air Côte d’Ivoire will especially use the aircraft to perform flights within its regional network to serve destinations in Cameroon, Gabon and Senegal. At a later stage, the carrier stated, longer-range destinations like South Africa will be added.

The delivery represents the airline´s ambitions to use more modern aircraft. With the A320neo, Air Côte d’Ivoire will benefit from a big operational flexibility and the CFM International LEAP-1A engines lead to a better environmental performance.

The flag-carrier has configured its A320neo in a two-class layout. 16 passengers can be accommodated in business class, while 132 passengers can be seated in economy class. The aircraft is equipped with internet connectivity and in-flight entertainment systems.

The delivery flight was used by Air Côte d’Ivoire and Airbus to transport humatarian goods to Ivory Coast. Airbus stated: "Air Cote d’Ivoire’s first A320neo took off from Toulouse carrying 1 tonne of humanitarian goods including medical equipment and toys. In partnership with Aviation sans Frontières and the Airbus Foundation, the mission is part of Air Côte d'Ivoire’s corporate social responsibility initiative. The transported goods will serve local NGOs in Abidjan, thus supporting the education and health sector in the country."

Air Côte d’Ivoire is the flag-carrier airline of Ivory Coast and was founded in May 2012, while commencing operations six months later. Currently, the fleet consists of three Airbus A319s, three A320s and four De Havilland DHC-8 Dash 8.

Main operational base is located at Port Bouet Airport in Abidjan, where the carrier is headquartered. Air Côte d’Ivoire is currently serving 25 destinations, but during the COVID-19 restrictions, half of the aircraft fleet is grounded.