Air Côte d'Ivoire (HF, Abidjan) has inaugurated its first long-haul route, connecting Abidjan to Paris CDG, made possible with the delivery last month of the airline's first of two new company-owned A330-900Ns from Airbus.
The maiden flight operated northbound on October 15, with an official inauguration ceremony held in Paris the following day.
The new service is operated six times a week with TU-TRG (msn 2086) - its first widebody aircraft - featuring a four-class cabin configuration of 242 seats: four in first class, 44 in business, 21 in premium economy, and 173 in economy.
Air Côte d’Ivoire expects to receive the second A330-900neo - TU-TRH (msn 2098) - later this month. This will enable daily flights to Paris from December 1 and the launch of a second long-haul destination to Beirut, reports the French-language Le Journal de l'Aviation.
The new aircraft was delivered from Airbus in Toulouse Blagnac on September 4. The inaugural flight was initially scheduled for September 18, but the date was pushed out repeatedly due to ongoing supply chain issues at Airbus.
Air Côte d'Ivoire plans to expand to 20 aircraft by 2031 and develop a long-haul network linking Abidjan to Europe, the Middle East, and North America, positioning the city as a key hub for West and Central Africa.
The airline already operates a regional network of 25 African destinations with a fleet of 12 aircraft, including five A319-100s, two A320-200s, one A320-200N (inactive), and four DHC-8-Q400s, ch-aviation data shows.
