Port Bouet Airport

Félix Houphouët-Boigny International Airport

IATA: ABJ – ICAO: DIAP

ABJ
Location of Airport in Cote d'Ivoire

Summary
Airport type Military / Public
Serves Abidjan
Location Port-Bouët, Côte d'Ivoire
Hub for Air Côte d'Ivoire
Coordinates 5°15′41.1″N 003°55′32.8″W / 5.261417°N 3.925778°W
Website www.aeria.ci
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
03/21 9,842 3,000 Macadam
Statistics (2013)
Passengers 1,178,362
Passenger change 12–13 Increase +22.5%
Aircraft movements 28,422
Movements change 12–13 Increase +16%

Port Bouet Airport (IATA: ABJ, ICAO: DIAP), also known as Félix-Houphouët-Boigny International Airport, is located 10 miles (16 kilometres) south east of Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.[3] It is the largest airport in the country for air traffic. The airport is the main hub of the national airline Air Côte d'Ivoire.

History

Inside view of the international terminal's public hall.

The airport is managed by Aeria, a private Ivorian company, who continually developed the airport over the decades and contributing to making it one of the most modern and one of the main hubs of West Africa.

Disturbances that took place in Côte d'Ivoire in the early 2000s had a negative impact on the airport. It is a strategic infrastructure for both the evacuation of foreign nationals and the delivery of military equipment. In November 2004, during the French–Ivorian clashes that occurred in Abidjan, the airport was looted and damaged. It was taken back by French troops and returned to the Ivorian government in the second half of November. The airport was later refurbished by the Ivorian government and modernized with new modern facilities.

On the night of 2 to 3 April 2011, the airport was again taken by the French troops in order to evacuate French nationals and foreigners, as the final assault against the presidential palace was announced, during the battle for Abidjan.[4][5] After the civil war ended in April 2011, the airport was returned to the Ivorian government and development projects, paused for almost a decade, were restarted.

Traffic

Before the decade of political and military turmoil, the Felix-Houphouet-Boigny airport was among the most important in West Africa, with passenger traffic exceeding one million travelers in the late 1990s. The succession of political and military crises has seriously affected the country's image and reduced the importance of the airport in the sub-region in terms of traffic.

Approximate traveler attendance per year
1998 1999 2000 2004 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
1,253,000*[6] 1,250,000[7] 1,083,000[8] 700,000[7] 900,000 1,000,000[9] 640,000[10] 961,643[11] 1,178,362[12]

*Figure from 1998 is the current highest record of yearly passenger handling for this airport.

Development projects

Following the gradual recovery of economic activities in Côte d'Ivoire from 2012, investments and projects to increase the capacity of the airport, provided in March 2010,[13] are in the works since October 2011.[14]

In February 2012, Abdoulaye Coulibaly, president of Aeria's board of directors wants to make the airport suitable for support of Airbus A380. Air France does not deny, in the medium and long term, to eventually use the A380 on the Paris-Abidjan line in the event of a strong economic growth.[15]

On 4 May 2012, PROPARCO loans 10 billion CFA francs (15 million euros) to Aeria to fund a major expansion and modernization program for the airport. This loan is part of the renewal of Aeria's concession, effective 1 January 2010, for a period of 20 years. This concession provides investment programs in increments of five years. The first slice of 24 million dollars, includes the renovation of the international terminal, the rehabilitation of the charter terminal and development of new infrastructure.[16][17]

In addition, there are provided an extension of the international terminal of a surface 11 000 to 26 000 m², the refurbishment of the aircraft parking area, renovation of access roads and the construction of a new parking lot. The ultimate goal is to create a commercial zone next to the airport, with a lodging area, hangars, a convention center, a free zone, office buildings, warehouses, exhibition halls, a shopping center and housing for dedicated staff.[18] On 16 June 2012, the Radisson Hotels group announced the laying of the first stone of the future Radisson Blu at the airport.[19] The construction of the five-star hotel, which will have 252 rooms, will take 24 months.[20][21]

Airlines and destinations

The Félix Houphouët-Boigny airport is densely connected to Europe (primarily via Air France, which offers ten weekly flights and Brussels Airlines) and to the rest of West Africa. Usually, the airport is served by over 20 airlines, covering more than 35 destinations.

Like most other airports in the sub-region, Félix Houphouët-Boigny airport hosts the hub of the national flag carrier, namely Air Côte d'Ivoire. It serves as a strategic platform for the company because it provides re-routing (correspondence) for passengers collected at airports of lower rank.

Airlines Destinations
Air Algérie Algiers
Air Burkina Bobo Dioulasso, Cotonou, Ouagadougou
Air Côte d'Ivoire Accra, Bamako, Bangui (begins 3 November 2015),[22] Brazzaville, Conakry (Suspended),[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2] Cotonou, Dakar, Douala, Freetown-Lungi (Suspended),[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2][26] Kinshasa-N'djili,[26] Lagos,[26] Libreville, Lomé, Monrovia (Suspended),[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2][26] N'Djamena,[26] Nouakchott (begins 2 November 2015), [28]Niamey, Ouagadougou, Pointe-Noire, Yaoundé
Air France Paris-Charles de Gaulle
Arik Air Lagos[29]
ASKY Airlines Cotonou, Lomé, Ouagadougou[30]
Brussels Airlines Brussels, Lomé
Camair-Co Douala, Lagos[31]
Ceiba Intercontinental Airlines Malabo
Corsair International Paris-Orly
Eagle Atlantic Airlines Accra, Freetown (Suspended),[lower-alpha 1] Monrovia (Suspended)[lower-alpha 1][32]
EgyptAir Cairo
Emirates Accra, Dubai-International
Ethiopian Airlines Addis Ababa, Ouagadougou
Kenya Airways Dakar, Nairobi-Jomo Kenyatta
Mauritania Airlines International Bamako, Cotonou, Nouakchott
Middle East Airlines Beirut
Royal Air Maroc Casablanca
Sénégal Airlines Cotonou, Dakar
South African Airways Accra, Johannesburg-OR Tambo
Tunisair Tunis
Turkish Airlines Accra, Istanbul-Atatürk
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Beginning 11 August 2014, Côte d'Ivoire has banned all flights and passengers from Guinea, Liberia, & Sierra Leone due to the ongoing Ebola outbreak.[23]
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Beginning 20 October 2014, Ivory Coast Airline to Resume Flights to Ebola-Affected Nations.[24]

Cargo airlines

Airlines Destinations
Cargolux Accra

Accidents and incidents

External links

Notes

  1. ↑ List of the busiest airports in Africa
  2. ↑ Aéroport Félix-Houphouët-Boigny : Tout sur l’aérogare de fret moderne de 21 milliard de Fcfa - article from Le Patriote on Abidjan.net published on 7 March 2014]
  3. ↑ http://www.worldairportguide.com/airport/551/airport_guide/Africa/Abidjan-International-Airport-Felix-Houphouet-Boigny.html
  4. ↑ La force française Licorne prend le contrôle de l'aéroport d'Abidjan – France 24
  5. ↑ Inquiétude pour la communauté française d'Abidjan – Le Monde Afrique
  6. ↑ Aéroport d'Abidjan: bilan positif, de gros investissements en vue - article d'Acturoutes publié le 5 mars 2014.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Interview with Général Abdoulaye Coulibaly – L'Expression on Abidjan.net
  8. ↑ Rognone, DG AERIA : « Les temps sont durs » - article de Ouest Afrique Économie publié le 2 décembre 2001.
  9. ↑ L'A380 d'Air France sur la ligne Abidjan-Paris décollera en avril 2014 - article d'Acturoutes publié le 23 mai 2013.
  10. ↑ Félix Houphouët-Boigny airport : Charter terminal works launched yesterday – L'Expression on Abidjan.net. Consulté le 16 novembre 2012.
  11. ↑ Félix Houphouët-Boigny airport : a 50% passenger increase in 2012 – a FratMat.info article published on the 28th of Janvier 2013.
  12. ↑ Infrastructures aéroportuaires / Modernisation de l’aéroport d’Abidjan : 21 milliards FCFA investis dans la réhabilitation et l’extension de l’aérogare de fret - article from L’intelligent d’Abidjan on Abidjan.net published on 3 March 2014.
  13. ↑ Modernisation et extension de Aéria – Banzio pour le déguerpissement des populations – Le Temps sur Abidjan.net
  14. ↑ Inauguration de l'aérogare charter d'Abidjan, Soro rallume les réacteurs du développement – Nord-Sud sur Abidjan.net
  15. ↑ Air France, qui propose déjà sept vols hebdomadaires entre Paris et Abidjan opérés par des Boeing B777-200 et des B777-300, va augmenter de façon pérenne dès son programme d'été… – La Tribune
  16. ↑ L'aéroport Houphouët-Boigny se modernise – Journal d'Abidjan
  17. ↑ Modernisation de l'aéroport d'Abidjan financé par Proparco – Marchés Tropicaux & Méditerranéens
  18. ↑ Fichier PDF d'explication succincte du projet de modernisation et d'extension de l'aéroport FHB, sur geomensura.fr
  19. ↑ Radisson Blu Hotel Abidjan Airport for Ivory Coast – Hotel & Restaurant.co.za
  20. ↑ Abidjan aura son Radisson Blu – Jeune Afrique Économie
  21. ↑ Radisson Blu: Un hôtel flambant neuf dans 24 mois, à Port-Bouët – Nord-Sud sur Abidjan.net
  22. ↑ http://airlineroute.net/2015/04/16/hf-w15/
  23. ↑ Hinshaw, Drew; McGroarty, Patrick (13 August 2014). "Ebola Virus: Nigeria and Ivory Coast Restrict Flights From Countries Hit by Outbreak". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  24. ↑ "Ivory Coast Airline to Resume Flights to Ebola-Affected Nations". Bloomberg News. 17 October 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  25. ↑ "Ivory Coast Airline to Resume Flights to Ebola-Affected Nations". Bloomberg News. 17 October 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 26.4 "Air Côte d'Ivoire W13 Operation Changes as of 04NOV13". Airline Route. 4 November 2013. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013.
  27. ↑ "Ivory Coast Airline to Resume Flights to Ebola-Affected Nations". Bloomberg News. 17 October 2014. Retrieved 25 October 2014.
  28. ↑ http://airlineroute.net/2015/04/16/hf-w15/
  29. ↑ Arik Air begin service to Abidjan from March 2014
  30. ↑ February 2015 Timetable, http://www.flyasky.com/asky/horaires/lbv
  31. ↑ Camair-Co start service to Abidjan
  32. ↑ April 2014 Timetable, http://www.eagleatlanticairlines.com/www.eagleatlanticairlines.com/us/en/sched.html
  33. ↑ "Accident description PP-VJK". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  34. ↑ Germano da Silva, Carlos Ari César (2008). "Na escuridão da noite africana". O rastro da bruxa: história da aviação comercial brasileira no século XX através dos seus acidentes 1928–1996 (in Portuguese) (2 ed.). Porto Alegre: EDIPUCRS. pp. 345–351. ISBN 978-85-7430-760-2.