In October 2022, Air Côte d’Ivoire placed a fascinating wide body aircraft order, and the airline even plans to introduce a first class product. I wanted to take an updated look at this, as the first jet is expected to be delivered in the near future.
In this post:
Air Côte d’Ivoire adding Airbus A330-900neo to fleet
Air Côte d’Ivoire, the national airline of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, has placed a firm order for two Airbus A330-900neo aircraft. The airline currently has a fleet consisting of 11 planes, including seven Airbus A320-family aircraft, plus four De Havilland Dash 8 aircraft.
The airline plans to use the A330neo to launch long haul flights. The two planes are expected to be delivered in late 2024 or early 2025 — I suspect the latter is more likely at this point. There are now pictures of the first jet being assembled, which shows the progress being made. The aircraft order is directly with Airbus, rather than through a third party leasing company.
For those not familiar, the A330neo is the updated version of the A330, featuring improved range and fuel efficiency. The A330-900neo is the larger of the two new variants (with the other being the A330-800neo). The plane has a range of 7,200 nautical miles, plus a capacity for 287 passengers in a standard three cabin configuration.
Air Côte d’Ivoire had previously ordered two Airbus A319neos, but that order has since been canceled. This new A330-900neo order seems to be part of a swap. The airline will be the fourth A330neo operator in Africa, after Air Mauritius, Air Senegal, and Uganda Airlines.
Air Côte d’Ivoire will introduce first class
Air Côte d’Ivoire executives have revealed that the A330-900neo is expected to feature just 240 seats in a four class configuration, meaning the plane will have first class, business class, premium economy, and economy. While the exact seat count for each cabin isn’t yet known, it’s pretty noteworthy that Air Côte d’Ivoire plans to introduce first class.
Air Côte d’Ivoire will be the first airline to install first class on the Airbus A330neo, and will only be the second airline in Africa to offer first class, after TAAG Angola (which I’ve flown, and it was… not great).
While the decision to include first class may make some wonder whether the airline is profit or prestige driven, in fairness, Abidjan has quite a bit of premium demand. For example, it’s one of the only destinations in Africa to which Air France sometimes flies a Boeing 777 with a first class cabin.
With the plane just months from entering service, I can’t wait to learn the details about what interiors Air Côte d’Ivoire has selected.
How Air Côte d’Ivoire plans to launch long haul flights
As it stands, currently Air Côte d’Ivoire exclusively operates flights within Africa from its hub, Félix-Houphouët-Boigny International Airport in Abidjan (ABJ). So, what’s the airline planning to do with its Airbus A330-900neos? Well, the company has big growth plans.
Once the A330-900neo joins the fleet, the goal is to first fly to Paris, which is logical enough. However, the Paris to Abidjan route is also operated by Air France and Corsair. At one point Air France even operated an Airbus A380 on this route, to give you a sense of the amount of traffic.
Without any partnerships, Air Côte d’Ivoire would be focused primarily on point-to-point traffic. The airline does have a decent network in Africa, so at least the airline would have some connecting traffic from within Africa for its services to Europe and the United States. Still, the economics will be tough.
Beyond that, Air Côte d’Ivoire claims that it’s planning on launching flights to Brussels, London, New York, and Washington, by 2027. Now, I wouldn’t put too much weight into those plans just yet. In late 2022, when this order was placed, executives at the airline claimed United States service would happen by early 2025, and now the timeline has been pushed back considerably.
I have a hard time imagining that this expansion is driven by an actual plan for profitability, rather than just prestige and dreams. For example, just look at the struggles that Air Senegal has had with its A330-900neos, as the airline has tried to grow. The airline has already cut its Dakar to New York route, as the airline has been hemorrhaging money, and is looking to cut costs.
Bottom line
In late 2022, government-owned Air Côte d’Ivoire placed an order for two Airbus A330-900neos. These are expected to join the carrier’s fleet in the near future, around early 2025, and will be used for long haul expansion.
Specifically, Paris is expected to be the first destination, with plans to expand to other points in Europe (London & Brussels) and the United States (New York & Washington) by 2027.
The A330-900neos are expected to feature just 240 seats in a four class layout, meaning the airline will have first class, business class, premium economy, and economy. I’m always excited about a new airline getting wide body jets, though it remains to be seen how successful the company will be with this major expansion.
What do you make of Air Côte d’Ivoire’s Airbus A330-900neo plans?
Well…..I fly into the disaster that is ABJ monthly for work, the airport is a complete mess and Air Cote are the pinnacle of the madness. I fly internally on their flights, that is when they don’t cancel them. This is obviously a vanity project using other people’s money, that is European taxpayers more than likely. If you value your sanity don’t book on this airline for long haul, or you will find spending time...
Well…..I fly into the disaster that is ABJ monthly for work, the airport is a complete mess and Air Cote are the pinnacle of the madness. I fly internally on their flights, that is when they don’t cancel them. This is obviously a vanity project using other people’s money, that is European taxpayers more than likely. If you value your sanity don’t book on this airline for long haul, or you will find spending time at the Onomo Hotel or the Radisson Blu near the airport is part of your future as you get stuck there for days.
Well, all of the European aid money (you know, meant to be spent on vaccines, food, clean water and all other skill issue things that Africa is facing) needs to be spent somewhere.
Pardon my question, I don't mean this as a stereotype, I just genuinely don't know. Does the airline have the necessary safety rating to fly to the US and Europe? sorry if this was addressed and I missed it.
As an Ivorian, it makes me proud that our national airline will finally be able to launch long and medium haul flights. But I have to admit that I'm a bit puzzled by the premium heavy configuration (especially with the first class on an a330-neo) and the strategy behind it. Also, I'm not sure that there's enough demand for direct flights to the US and London granted there's no competition offering direct flights to these...
As an Ivorian, it makes me proud that our national airline will finally be able to launch long and medium haul flights. But I have to admit that I'm a bit puzzled by the premium heavy configuration (especially with the first class on an a330-neo) and the strategy behind it. Also, I'm not sure that there's enough demand for direct flights to the US and London granted there's no competition offering direct flights to these destinations (They are mostly served through Paris, Brussels and Casablanca via Air France, Brussels Airlines (2 stops via Frankfurt/Munich with LH/United) and Royal Air Maroc currently). Paris and Beirut make sense as there are a large Ivorian community in France and a large Lebanese community living in Ivory Coast and West Africa in general.
Again, I'm not an expert on the market and maybe Air Côte d'Ivoire could make it work through their "extensive" Western and Central African network. I just hope that we're not moving too fast and end up in the same situation as Air Sénégal....
There are currently direct flights to the US. Ethiopian flies to New York (JFK). I'm actually booked on this flight ex-JFK for next June.
You're right, I totally forgot about these!
I have just flown on the aforementioned Air Mauritius A330neo, and not impressed. I can tell you the business seat they have installed is one of the most uncomfortable I have ever had the displeasure of trying to sleep on. It is incredibly narrow, and short on leg room when flat. I couldn’t sleep on my back because it was too narrow when lowered between the arm rests, and hard as a rock. It took...
I have just flown on the aforementioned Air Mauritius A330neo, and not impressed. I can tell you the business seat they have installed is one of the most uncomfortable I have ever had the displeasure of trying to sleep on. It is incredibly narrow, and short on leg room when flat. I couldn’t sleep on my back because it was too narrow when lowered between the arm rests, and hard as a rock. It took multiple pills to knock myself out, not so much sleep as passing out. Some seats just don’t suit the A330 hull width.
Small correction, Lucky: Air Mauritius also has a pair of A330-900neos, 3B-NBU and NBV. So HF will be the fourth A330neo operator in Africa.
@ Proximanova -- Great catch, thank you! Post updated.
It seems like the A321 would have been a better option for flying to Europe but need for prestige made them choose the A330. They won't be making much money with just 240 seats on long haul US flights. But then I'm no expert in Côte d'Ivoire airline economics like they are.