National Airline for Benin?
Benin is fuelling the project to create its national airline. This is revealed by Hervé Hêhomey, Benin's Minister of Infrastructure and Transport last Saturday, December 7, 2019. "Providing Benin's civil aviation with an international airline is the main guarantee to connect Benin more to the rest of the world," he said, on the sidelines of the 75th anniversary celebration of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
To do so, the Benin government wants to build on the ongoing upgrade of its airport infrastructure. These include the modernization of Cardinal Bernadin Gantin International Airport in Cadjèhoun, Cotonou, the construction of the new Glo-Djigbé airport, the renovation and operationalization project of the international airport. Tourou, in Parakou, as well as the continued compliance of the Beninese civil aviation system with international standards.
In order to better position this company on the African chessboard, the Beninese authorities are also counting on the new visa policy. Since 2018, Benin has, in fact, abolished visa fees for all African nationals for stays of less than 90 days. If the project were to come to fruition, the future Beninese national airline would enter an "overloaded" West African sky where there is practically a national airline in all the countries of the region.
For now, the country has a domestic airline "Air Taxi Benin" which offers flights to the airport from Tourou to Parakou (under special exemption) as well as flights on demand.