Cotonou Cadjehoun Airport is an airport in the Cadjehoun neighborhood of
Cotonou
Cotonou (; fon, Kútɔ̀nú) is a city in Benin. Its official population count was 679,012 inhabitants in 2012; however, over two million people live in the larger urban area.
The urban area continues to expand, notably toward the west. The ci ...
, the largest city in
Benin
Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the nort ...
, in West Africa. The airport is the largest in the country, and as such, is the primary entry point into the country by air, with flights to Africa and Europe.
The airport is named after cardinal
Bernardin Gantin
Bernardin Gantin (8 May 1922 – 13 May 2008) was a Beninese prelate of the Catholic Church who held senior positions in the Roman Curia for twenty years and the highest position in the College of Cardinals for nine years. His prominence in the ...
.
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
Cargo
Statistics
Accidents and incidents
*
UTA Flight 141: On 25 December 2003, the airplane crashed in the
Bight of Benin
The Bight of Benin or Bay of Benin is a bight in the Gulf of Guinea area on the western African coast that derives its name from the historical Kingdom of Benin.
Geography
It extends eastward for about from Cape St. Paul to the Nun outlet of ...
, killing 151 of the 163 occupants, most of them Lebanese.
Replacement
In 1974, it was decided to move the operations of the Cotonou international airport to a new facility in
Glo-Djigbé. Lack of funding quickly stopped the project.
Plans were revived in 2011 and President
Yayi Boni Yayi may refer to
* China-Taiwan Yayi Cup, a Go competition
*Thomas Boni Yayi
Thomas Boni Yayi (born 1 July 1951) is a Beninese banker and politician who was President of Benin from 2006 to 2016. He took office after winning the March 2006 pres ...
presided at a ceremonial start to the construction of the new airport, using South African funding. Construction on the new facility appears to have stalled again.
Meanwhile, improvements to the Cotonou airport were initiated.
The President inaugurates improvements
French
References
External links
Cotonou airport
– Cotonou airport website
Airports in Benin
Buildings and structures in Cotonou
{{Benin-airport-stub