Nigeria’s largest airline, Air Peace, has begun weekly flights between Ahmed Sekou Toure International Airport (CKY), Conakry, Guinea, and Modibo Keita International Airport (BKO), Bamako, Mali. This establishes a triangular network, linking CKY and BKO to Air Peace’s operating base at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (LOS), Lagos, Nigeria. Government officials from Guinea and Mali have welcomed the news, and are hopeful the new route can improve connectivity.
Why Has Air Peace Launched This Route?
Air Peace is Nigeria’s largest airline, and opeartes a network of ten West African destinations, along with its domestic routes.
The route between CKY and BKO will be an example of a fifth-freedom route. These are routes when an airline flies between two airports, both of which are outside of the airline’s home country.
This can allow an airline to expand into new markets as well as to potentially reduce the financial and environmental costs, by removing the need to transport an aircraft back to the airline’s base between flights.
Air Peace already operates a fifth-freedom route between Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI), Seawell, Barbados, and V.C. Bird International Airport (ANU), St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda, along with flights to London Heathrow (LHR) and London Gatwick (LGW) Airports in the UK.
How will this impact Guinea and Mali?
The new route will be operated on a weekly basis by Air Peace’s Embraer E190 aircraft, 5N-CER.
Despite the plane only having a capacity of 96 seats, Guinean officials are optimistic that the new flights will bring significant investment into their country.
Ousmane Gaoual Diallo, Guniea’s minister of transport, said that:
“This new air connection is more than just another route. It represents stronger ties between Guinea and Nigeria and will facilitate greater movement of people, trade, and investment.”
The Deputy Director of Mali’s Airport Assistance Group, Abdrahamane Farota, also said that the new route would improve his country’s air connectivity with Nigeria, while promoting trade, tourism and economic cooperation.
Air Peace will not have to compete with any Guinean or Malian airlines on the CKY to BKO route. The route is however currently operated by other fifth-freedom flights from Ethiopian Airlines and Air Côte d’Ivoire, as well as the multinational ASKY Airlines.
Do you regularly fly with Air Peace? How will its expansion help Guinea and Mali? Let us know what you think in the comments.
