Liz Aviation (LAZ, Ouagadougou) made its debut in Burkina Faso with a flight from the capital Ouagadougou to Bobo Dioulasso on April 27, 2023, the startup announced.
A subsidiary of Liza Transport International (Ouagadougou), the startup leases two 70-seat all-economy class ATR72-600s from Singapore lessor Avation, which will rotate twice-daily on the route. As reported the aircraft were delivered as 2-FBXA (msn 1260) and 2-FBXB (msn 1277) to Lomé, Togo, from Toulouse Francazal, France, earlier this year. One of the ATR - Avions de Transport Régional turboprops has since been re-registered as XT-LIZ.
From May, Liz Aviation will also operate transborder between Togo and Burkina Faso, offering four weekly flights connecting Lomé and Niamtougou in Togo with Ouagadougou and Lomé-Ouagadougou-Lomé every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
According to a statement, the airline aims to open up the interior of Burkina Faso by growing domestic services between its cities, establishing regular flights between Burkina Faso and the other countries in the sub-region and revitalise the aviation sector as an economic growth generator.
Net Afrique reported the inaugural flight was attended by Burkinabe Minister of Transport Roland Somda and Mahamadou Bonkoungou, the West African billionaire owner of Liz Aviation and chief executive and chairman of the EBOMAF Group, a West African multi-national conglomerate. He set up Liza Transport International (LTI) in 2012.
Somda expressed the hope that Liz Aviation would soon connect to Burkinabe cities such as Fada N'gourma, Ouahigouya and Dori to help spread the development of tourism in Burkina Faso.
