Air Afrique

Not to be confused with Air Africa or Afriqiyah Airways.

Air Afrique
IATA ICAO Call sign
RK RKA AIRAFRIC
Founded28 March 1961 (1961-03-28)
Commenced operations1 August 1961 (1961-08-01)
Ceased operationsJanuary 2002 (2002-01)
HubsAbidjan
Secondary hubsDakar–Yoff
Subsidiaries
Destinations22 (at the time of closure)
HeadquartersAbidjan, Ivory Coast
Key peopleSaleh Ahmet Mahamet (Chairman of the Board) (at the time of closure)[1]
Websiteairafrique.com (currently unavailable)[2]: 45 

Air Afrique was a Pan-African airline,[3] that was mainly owned by many West African countries for most of its history. It was established as the official transnational carrier for francophone West and Central Africa, because many of these countries did not have the capability to create and maintain a national airline,[4] and had its headquarters in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.[5] The carrier was a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) as well as the French Union's smaller IATA-like ATAF.[6]

Air Afrique began a steady decline in the early 1980s, yet many years later the company was still considered the most reputable carrier in West Africa,[7] and even one of the top five airlines of Africa. Mismanagement, corruption, and the downturn in the aviation industry after the 11 September 2001 attacks led the airline to a crisis that ended with its liquidation in early 2002.[citation needed] Even though there were plans to revive the airline with the creation of a new company,[8][9][10] they never materialised, as it was succeeded by short-lived Afrinat International Airlines.

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