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Home » Air Burkina » Review: Air Burkina Embraer 195 Lomé To Cotonou
Air BurkinaFlight Reviews

Review: Air Burkina Embraer 195 Lomé To Cotonou

Matthew Klint Posted onJanuary 2, 2021November 14, 2023 8 Comments

a plane on the runway

While the journey between Lomé, Togo and Cotonou, Benin was only 79 miles, I chose to fly instead of drive. With roads and land borders unpredictable, I figured flying would be the safer option, especially because my return flight departed from Cotonou (COO). Air Bukina, operating a Fifth Freedom route from Lomé (LFW) to COO enroute to Ouagadougou, was the logical choice and only half the price (144EUR) of flying local carrier Asky (a subsidiary of Ethiopian Airlines) on the same route.

Air Bukina Embraer 195 Review

The journey from my hotel, Hotel 2 Fevrier, took approximately 15 minutes and cost the equivalent of 10USD.

a group of people riding motorcycles in front of a large building

two men walking on a sidewalk next to a sign

a statue of a bird on a pedestal

a person driving a car

A security checkpoint greeted us at the airport. My passport was examined, the trunk was searched, and the undercarriage of the taxi was checked for explosive devices.

a car parked outside a car wash

Inside, the airport terminal was modern and included floor-to-ceiling windows with plenty of natural light. After checking in, I proceeded through security and passport control. I was not asked to show my visa to Benin, though I had secured an e-visa online.

people standing in a line at an airport

people in a large airport

a security camera in a building

Post security, there was a pair of lounges used by VIP passengers, through neither accepted Priority Pass.

a group of people sitting in a terminal 

I noticed a nice espresso machine and stopped for a cappuccino. Sadly, the machine was not used and I got this instead:

a coffee machine on a counter

a room with tables and chairs

a cup of coffee with a spoon

Sweet powdered coffee? No thank you.

Boarding was delayed for our flight, though no one explained why. Everyone lined up to board then sat down again. Our gate was used by multiple flights, which created some confusion.

a sign with information on it

a door with signs in a building

a hand holding a piece of paper

a sign in front of a glass door

a close up of a luggage tag

a group of people sitting in a terminal

a group of people in a room with luggage

About 45 minutes after scheduled boarding time, a gate agent announced (in French only) that there would be a gate change and directed us about three gates over. Boarding commenced immediately thereafter.

We were herded onto a bus then taken out to our aircraft, an Embraer ERJ-195 aircraft. Along the way, we passed several Asky aircraft.

a bus parked at a terminal

a plane on the tarmac

a large airplane on the tarmac

a large white airplane on a tarmac

a white airplane with people standing next to it

a white airplane on the tarmac

Air Bukina (2J) 558
Lomé (LFW) – Cotonou (COO)
Depart: 12:30PM
Arrive: 2:00PM
Duration: 0hr,30min
Distance: 79 miles
Seat: 17A (Economy Class)

Onboard, it was immediately apparent this was an ex-Royal Jordanian aircraft: the color scheme was unmistakable. Legroom was tight.

a seats in an airplane
Air Burkina Business Class
Air Burkina Review
Air Burkina Business Class
a man sitting in a plane
Economy Class
Air Burkina Review
Air Burkina Economy Class
Air Burkina Economy Class
Air Burkina Economy Class

a sign in a seat

We were welcomed onboard. Announcements were in French and English.

The aircraft was not clean and also showing its age with all sorts of scratches and dents. Ashtrays had not been removed and were still functional, but this was a non-smoking flight.

a close up of a seat

a close up of a seat

a no smoking sign on a plane

a close up of a push button

Soon, we took off for the short flight to Cotonou.

an airplane wing in front of a building

an airplane wing and plane on the runway

an airplane wing on a runway

an airplane wing over a city

an airplane wing in the air

an airplane wing and city

While I smelled meals heating up after takeoff, those were apparently for the Cotonou – Ouagadougou sector or crew. There was no service onboard during the flight, though my request for a glass of water was obliged.

a glass of water on a table

a poster with a picture of a plane and a map

Flight attendants, wearing blue uniforms, congregated in the rear of the aircraft.

a group of people sitting in an airplane

Before landing, I used the lavatory, which was also a bit dirty.

a toilet and sink in a plane

a white rectangular object with a button on it

a sink with a bottle of liquid and a sign on the wall

As we landed in Cotonou, we flew over L’étoile Rouge, a memorial constructed by the Soviet Union that I would visit later that afternoon.

an airplane wing above a city

an airplane wing and city

an airplane wing in the sky

an airplane wing and city view
L’étoile Rouge – Cotonou

an airplane wing on a runway

Cotonou does not have jet bridges. We alighted via air stairs then walked into the terminal. The midday heat was excruciating.

Air Burkina Review

a group of airplanes on a runway

CONCLUSION

We don’t see many reports on Air Burkina so I wanted to provide one, but it is hardly a surprise there was not much service onboard a 79 mile flight. 

Despite the delay, I was happy to save the money by flying Air Burkina over Asky.

Have you flown Air Burkina? How would you review Air Burkina?


This story is part of my An African Adventure As The World Shut Down trip report.

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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8 Comments

  1. Mick Reply
    January 2, 2021 at 12:14 pm

    Nice! I like the smaller airline reviews. Fun reading. Can you update the links on your introductory page to the trip?

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      January 2, 2021 at 12:44 pm

      Hi Mick, I will do so. Thanks for the reminder.

  2. Sean M, Reply
    January 2, 2021 at 1:10 pm

    Air Burkina has recently been sold to/partnered with a hitherto unknown American group based out of Pensacola. They claim to have plans to re-fleet the airline with A220s and develop Ouagadougou as a regional hub, but nobody seems to know anything about them,

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      January 2, 2021 at 1:11 pm

      A new opportunity for you? Sounds interesting.

      • Sean M. Reply
        January 2, 2021 at 1:49 pm

        Haha, no thanks! I know the team at Air Burkina quite well and don’t envy being in their situation – saddled with conflicting priorities from their shareholder (Government), a heavy debt load and a relatively small natural market with low tourism growth potential due to security concerns. I actually signed a partnership agreement with them in February 2020, but unfortunately nothing has come of it yet due to the pandemic shutdowns that followed immediately thereafter.

  3. S Reply
    January 2, 2021 at 2:37 pm

    Very nice airport, and fun to read these types of reviews. Although you would have to pay me to fly on an airline like this lol. Fair or not…

  4. Najeb Reply
    January 2, 2021 at 6:50 pm

    Very good but what about Nigeria to Cotonou, Lome..?

  5. ZZBOP Reply
    January 13, 2025 at 4:25 pm

    I can’t believe you flew from Lome to Cotonou LOL. I live in Lome and just drove back from Cotonou this past weekend. We were there for Vudon Days (voodoo festival) in Ouidah. Great review and OMG YES! to all the weird s**t that happens at the airport.

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