WEEKLY NEWS


IVORY COAST TARGETS AIRFREIGHT RELIABILITY


AIR CARG O WEEK


08


BY Alhousseiny DJIGO


A cargo aircraft grounded for weeks due to a lack of parts or qualified technicians is not an abstract risk in West Africa,


notes. This includes mangoes, pineapples, tropical fruits, shelled cashew nuts, as well as processed vegetables, pharmaceuticals and natural cosmetics. Ndèye frames the impact across three horizons.


it is a recurring operational


constraint. Each day of downtime erodes the value of perishable exports such as mangoes and vegetables, while delaying higher-value cargo flows. With a US$62.5 million financing package from the West African Development Bank (BOAD), Ivory Coast is now moving to address that structural weakness. At present, much of the region’s airfreight


maintenance depends on European and Middle Eastern hubs. The result is predictable: elevated logistics costs,


extended turnaround times, and reduced


competitiveness for exporters operating out of Abidjan. The planned investment centres on the construction


of a dedicated Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) platform. Positioned as the first facility of its kind in West Africa focused on cargo operations, the project is intended to improve aircraft availability while supporting time-sensitive export chains. According to economist Pierre Ndèye, who in


specialises BOAD-backed projects, the


implications extend beyond aviation. “The project can accelerate diversification, primarily for high- value-added and perishable products that require a reliable cold chain and short lead times,” he


ACW 04 MAY 2026


In the short term (one to two years), improved reliability


is expected agro-processing to reduce activity could post-harvest


losses in existing fruit and vegetable exports. Over the medium term (three to five years), new


emerge,


contingent on SME investment in vacuum packing and refrigeration. Beyond five years, the longer- term effect may be visible in the trade balance, particularly if airfreight becomes cost-competitive for lightweight manufactured goods. The employment effect is also material. Direct


roles are expected across freight handling, cold chain management, security, customs and logistics coordination. Indirectly, the project could stimulate transport SMEs, particularly those linking rural production zones to Abidjan, alongside expanded labour demand in sorting, grading, packaging and labelling within agro-processing. From a macroeconomic perspective,


improved


logistics performance feeds directly into export competitiveness. Lower transaction costs, across storage,


volumes of non-cocoa exports. These,


delays and spoilage, support higher in turn,


generate foreign currency inflows, strengthening regional reserves. As one project specialist notes,


shifting even part of mango exports from sea to air can multiply value by three to five due to improved pricing for fresh produce, while reducing exposure to single-commodity shocks. The operational reality behind these projections


is illustrated by exporters themselves. Stéphane Djedji, CEO of Bethlehem Commodités, outlines the constraints in practical terms. Mangoes from the north of the country require 10 to 12 hours to reach Abidjan airport. If a cargo flight is cancelled due to technical


issues, replacement capacity typically


takes three to five days to secure. “Despite the cold chain, we lose 15 percent to


25 percent of quality,” he explains. “The rejection rate on arrival in Europe rises from 5 percent to 20 percent. Out of 20 tonnes, that is around 4 tonnes lost, approximately US$3,600 per incident.” Even under controlled conditions, perforated


cartons, pre-cooling at 12°C in Korhogo, and storage at 9°C in Abidjan, cost pressures escalate quickly. Baseline cold chain handling averages US$0.15 per kg. Delays add a further US$0.05 to US$0.09 per kg in re-icing and storage. For a 20-tonne shipment, a four-day delay translates


into an additional


US$1,100 to US$1,800, with no guarantee of preserving quality. Seasonality


compounds the issue.


April and July, mango exports account for around 80 percent of annual volumes. During this peak


www.aircargoweek.com Between


window, fallback options are limited. Space on scheduled passenger


flights is constrained and


carries a roughly 25 percent premium. Redirecting to regional markets reduces realised prices to around US$0.36 per kg, compared with US$1.17 per kg for export. Processing into dried mango offers some mitigation, but existing capacity covers only about 10 percent of volumes. In this context, aircraft reliability becomes a


critical commercial variable rather than a technical detail. “Every breakdown during the peak season means


unharvested orchards and unfulfilled


European contracts,” Djedji notes. For exporters, the expectations tied to the MRO


investment are clear. Reliability must improve, particularly in reducing last-minute cancellations, and any efficiency gains need to be reflected in freight pricing. Current rates to Europe range between US$1.17 and US$1.26 per kg. A reduction to around US$1.05 per kg, if achieved alongside greater schedule certainty, would materially shift the economics of the northern export corridor. More than 40,000 jobs in that region are linked


to the mango value chain. Whether this investment translates into tangible gains for those stakeholders will depend less on infrastructure alone, and more on consistent execution, keeping aircraft in service, stabilising schedules, and aligning cost savings with market pricing.


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