Ivorian carrier, Air Côte d’Ivoire plans to open a new route between its capital, Abidjan, and Johannesburg on June 29, according to BizCommunity.
The airline says it will introduce four flights a week via Kinshasa.
This will give travellers from South Africa access to Air Côte d’Ivoire’s destinations, all of them in West and Central Africa – Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Nigeria, Ghana, Mali, Guinea, Niger, Liberia, Senegal, Togo, DRC and Guinea-Bissau.
In 2021, the South African and Ivorian governments signed several trade and co-operation agreements. South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, said at the time that the West African nation was an attractive investment and trade destination for South African companies, and that African countries could fully reap the benefits of the African Continental Free Trade Area if they worked together.
The Ivorian transport, construction, agriculture and petroleum sectors are expected to be the foremost drivers of economic growth in the country in the short term.
Côte d’Ivoire is to host the 2023 Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2023), described as the continent’s key event for trade.
Johannesburg will be the first long-haul route for the airline.
