Having recently upgraded its fleet by leasing two E195s and one E175, Air Burkina (2J, Ouagadougou) is now looking to strengthen its network as the Burkina Faso government grooms the airline for re-privatisation, the flag carrier's director of management control and internal audit, Youssouf Zongo, told African Aerospace magazine.
Founded in 1967, Air Burkina was partially privatised in 2001, transferring 56% of the shares to a consortium that was part of the Aga Khan Development Network, with the government retaining the rest. However, its deteriorating financial condition compelled the state to retake control in May 2017.
“Studies are in progress,” Zongo said about the new impetus to re-privatise, adding that further news is expected during 2019. “There’s no deadline, but the objective is there. We want to consolidate and establish the financial situation for the company as our first objective.”
The two E195s and one E175, which were delivered in November on five-year leases from Nordic Aviation Capital, join another E170 that the airline hopes to buy from the Aga Khan Foundation and one further E170, both of which are stored, according to ch-aviation fleets.
Besides adding capacity to existing routes, which currently comprise eight destinations in eight west African countries, new destinations that may come online from the second half of 2019 include Abuja (Nigeria), Conakry (Guinea), Libreville Leon M'Ba (Gabon), and Pointe Noire (Republic of Congo), Zongo said.
