Burkina Faso now has a second operator in addition to Air Burkina (2J); Ariella Airlines has now started operations with its first route being Ouagadougou - Bamako (Mali) - Pointe Noire (Congo Brazzaville) and Pointe Noire (Congo Brazzaville) - Cotonou (Benin) - Bamako (Mali) - Ouagadougo. |
| Ariella's planned network (Ariella) |
Founded by Samuel Laogo Karambiri, Ariella Airlines is a company registered in Burkina Faso with an initial start up funding of USD500'000. Its short term plans are to offer twice daily flights between Ouagadougou and Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso's commercial hub, for roughly USD30 one way
Ariella plans to add a weekly Ouagadougou - Lomé (Togo) - Libreville (Gabon) service by early November and to offer several weekly flights from Ouagadougou via Marseilles to Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) with a Boeing 737-800.
In the long run, using its main base in Bobo Dioulasso, Ariella plans to expand into West Africa, Central, South America, Europe, Middle East and the United States of America.
According to CH-Aviation, the airline is using a McDonnell Douglas MD83 (MSN: 49620 | EC-LMY) leased from Spanish carrier IMD Airways (IMD), who will also be responsible for airworthiness
management, line maintenance (which will necessarily involve Burkinabe "experts") and heavy maintenance.
The set up is strongly reminiscent of Gambia Bird; a deal between the German carrier Germania and the Gambian Government.