In a statement released last week, Doha-based Qatar Airways announced it would operate three flights per week to the Côte d'Ivoire capital Abidjan via Accra in Ghana starting from June 16, 2021. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Abidjan will be the fourth new African destination served by the Gulf state carrier. On the route, Qatar Airways will deploy one of its state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliner configured with 22 seats in business class and 232 seats in economy class.

Abidjan is the economic capital of Côte d'Ivoire and one of the most populous French-speaking cities in Africa, with a population of around 4.7 million people. After gaining independence from France in 1960, Abidjan expanded quickly to become one of West Africa's most important seaports. Abidjan is also served by Félix-Houphouët-Boigny International Airport (ABJ) and is a 1 hr 5min flight from Kotoka International Airport (ACC) in Accra, Ghana.

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ABJ is new for Qatar Airways

When speaking about the new Abidjan flights in the Qatar Airways statement, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said:

“We are delighted to be launching flights to Abidjan, our fourth new destination in Africa since the start of the pandemic. At Qatar Airways, we remain committed to the African market, expanding our network across the continent and offering seamless connectivity to the largest network of destinations across Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and North America. We are thankful to the Côte d’Ivoire Government for their support to launch these flights, providing an opportunity to reunite family and friends with their loved ones across the globe. We look forward to working closely with our partners in Côte d’Ivoire to steadily grow this route and support the recovery of tourism and trade in the region.”

DOH-ACC-ABJ
The flight between ACC and ABJ takes just over one hour. Image: GCmaps

Flights to Abidjan (ABJ) from Doha (DOH) via Accra (ACC) will operate on a Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Qatar Airways flight number QR1423 will depart DOH at 02:20 and arrive at ABJ at 09:10

Qatar Airways flight number QR1424 will depart ABJ at 17:20 and arrive at DOH at 06:10 +1

To help promote flights from Africa, Qatar Airways offers passengers a new baggage allowance of 46 kilos spread over two bags in economy and 64 kilos spread over two bags in business class.

Seven new destinations

Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic Qatar Airways has managed to remain active flying thousands of people to various destinations worldwide. The state-owned carrier has also added the following seven destinations from its home at Hamad International Airport (DOH):

United States

  • San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
  • Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)

Africa

  • Abuja Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (ABV) in Nigeria
  • Kotoka International Airport (ACC) in Accra, Ghana
  • Quatro de Fevereiro Airport (LAD) in Luanda, Angola

Australia

  • Brisbane Airport (BNE)

Philippines

  • Mactan–Cebu International Airport (CEB)

Qatar Airways also recently announced that they would resume flights from Doha to Khartoum International Airport (KRT) in Sudan. Qatar Airways will offer four flights per week from DOH to KRT starting May 11, 2021.

Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways wants to be flying to more than 140 destinations by the end of July. Image: Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways flies to over 130 destinations

Qatar Airways flies to over 130 destinations worldwide but plans to increase that to more than 1,200 flights per week to over 140 destinations by the end of July 2021. A winner of some of the industry's most prestigious awards, including the Skytrax world's best airline in 2019, Qatar Airways offers unrivaled connections between Asia, Europe, and North America from its hub at Hamad International Airport (DOH) in the Qatari capital Doha.

What do you think of Qatar Airways' new flights to Abidjan? Please tell us your thoughts in the comments.