ROUTES AFRICA: Aviation in Mali – A Market Set For Growth

Posted 02/07/2011

There is more to Mali than just its capital.  The country spreads across 1,241,238 square kilometers of land bordering Mauritania and Algeria to the north, Niger to the east, Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast in the south, Guinea to the southwest, and Senegal in the west.  It has a population of an estimated 15 million, the majority living in Bamako and other major cities such as Gao, Kayes, Mpoti and Sikasso, and it is also home to the ancient city of Timbuktu, still believed by many to be a fictional location.

Alongside Bamako Sénou International it has eight other airports open to scheduled international traffic in Gao, Goundam, Kayes, Mpoti, Nioro, Sikasso, Timbuktu and Yélimane.  These provide quick links to many of the country’s historical monuments, among them the grave of the 333 saints, Badiangara cliffs, the Djenné mosque, the waterfall of Felou and the Fort of Medine, the wall of Tata, the falls of Farako and the Mamelon.  The country’s domestic market is limited.  In 2009 just 18,712 passengers flew within the country’s borders, according to official statistics, with Timbuktu (6,013), Loulou (2,779), Mopti (2,734) and Kayes (2,660) the largest facilities.

"Our plans include improvements to our regional airports, since the anticipated increase in agricultural production and mining accounted for a 13 per cent increase in air freight last year," explained Aya Thiam Diallo, Président Directeur Général, Aeroports du Mali.  "

The country is stepped in history having been once part of three major West African dynasties that controlled trans-Saharan trade.  As the birthplace of many empires and kingdoms it is characterised by a rich, varied culture where tradition and modernity coexist in a harmonious wave of ethnic mixing.  With impressive Malian plains, beautiful plateaus, and a vast desert to the north, flora lined savannas and steppes with typical trees (Nere, Shea, tamarind, baobab) and fauna (giraffes, elephants, lions, elk derby), as well as its rivers and lakes of rare beauty and many historical sites, Mali is emerging as a growing tourist destination.

The Mali economy is based on agriculture, livestock, mining, immigration, and tourism, but is now also an attractive destination for foreign investment.  The strengthening of democracy and individual freedoms have created a stable political and social environment and ongoing reforms make it easy to do business. 

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PLEASE NOTE: From March 7, 2012 schedule data for all news stories has been extracted from OAG Schedules iNET; All GDS data is based on a live GDS update on the day of publication; Traffic data extracted from IATA BSP system for the year ending December 2011.  All information is subject to change.