Burkina Faso’s richest man Mahamadou Bonkoungou launches Airline

Yusuf Abdulfatai -

Mahamadou Bonkoungou, the richest man in Burkina Faso, has launched a new commercial airline.

The new airline, called Liz aviation commenced its activities on Thursday, April 27, 2023 with an inaugural flight between Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso.

The inaugural ceremony to commemorate the launch of its regular flight operations was attended by prominent Burkinabe authorities, including the president of the transition, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who was represented by his chief of staff, Anderson Medeh, and the Burkinabe Minister of Transport, Urban Mobility and Road Safety, Roland Somda.

Captain Traoré congratulated Mahamadou Bonkoungou for his latest venture, stressing that the new airline is of great importance not only to Burkina Faso, but to the West African region as well.

Liz Aviation has a fleet of two ATR-type aircraft with 70 economy class seats that will rotate twice daily, and plans to expand as demand rises. Starting in May, the new airline liz aviation will also serve the Lomé-Niamtougou-Ouaga and Lomé-Ouaga-Lomé routes every Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mahamadou Bonkoungou noted that by establishing and expanding air services between the country’s cities, Liz Aviation hopes to rejuvenate the Burkina Faso aviation industry by establishing secure and efficient regular lines between Burkina Faso and other countries in the sub region, while helping to open up Burkina Faso’s economy and returning it to its rightful position as an economic power for growth and business creation.

Mahamadou Bonkoungou, 57, is the owner of EBOMAF, one of the largest construction companies in West Africa. In the past five years, EBOMAF has won lucrative construction contracts throughout West Africa worth more than $3 billion. His other assets include Liza Transport – a private jet charter company that counts Burkina Faso President Roch Marc Christian Kabore as a loyal client. Last December, he ventured into the banking business when he acquired the Togolese Bank for Commerce and Industry (BTCI). He also owns Bonkoungou Distribution, a Burkina Faso-based distributor of heavy and light machinery for the construction, mining and quarrying sectors.