SAA Takes Competition to Air Côte d’Ivoire, Launches Abidjan

In line with its plans to grow its footprint in Africa, South African Airways will launch flights to Abidjan, the commercial capital of Côte d’Ivoire. The announcement of the new route is coming barely 24 hours after the airline took delivery of an additional Airbus A330-300 aircraft.

When launched, Abidjan will become South African Airways 12th destination on the African continent since it resumed scheduled operations two years ago.

The route, which will commence on 14 November 2023, will be operated from Johannesburg to Abidjan via Accra using a modern Airbus A330-300 with full-lie flat business class seats. Bookings have already opened for sale.

South African Airways will fly to Félix Houphouët Boigny International Airport in Abidjan three times a week, departing Johannesburg on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 11h00 and arriving in Abidjan at 17h00, with a 55-minute stopover in Accra.

According to South African Airways Chief Commercial Officer, Mr Tebogo Tsimane, the new Abidjan route is an integral component of the airline’s West Africa expansion strategy. The schedule of flights is suitable for leisure and business travellers.

The new Johannesburg-Abidjan service will be another opportunity for Voyager members to earn miles, at one SAA Voyager mile for every R1.60 they spend.

In addition, the route will also provide an airfreight link between Accra, Abidjan and Johannesburg therefore enhancing the trade links between these three major cities with the rest of the South African Airways network.

With the launch of flight to Abidjan, South African Airways will bring competition to Air Côte d'Ivoire which is currently the only airline serving the Johannesburg-Abidjan route. Air Côte d'Ivoire currently operates four-weekly service between Abidjan and Johannesburg using an Airbus A320neo aircraft.

Located on the West Coast of Africa and known as the Paris of Africa, Abidjan is famous for its coffee, cocoa, timber, bananas, pineapples, and manganese exports.

The third-largest French speaking city in the world, Abidjan offers leisure and business travellers a wealth of sites to explore such as St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Musée des Civilisations de Côte d'Ivoire, the Jardin botanique de Bingerville and the Abokouamekro National Park. Abidjan is also an ideal location for connecting traffic to European destinations.