Air Djibouti: Reaching Parts Other Carriers Cannot

Air Djibouti has had an eventful history. Founded in 1963, dissolved in 2002 and relaunched in 2015, the airline survived turbulent times before finding a new lease of life. The lessons have been well learnt. Abdourahman Ali Abdillahi, the airline's CEO says: "We have reviewed our approach so as not to repeat the mistakes of the past. Today, the foundations are in place, we are not going to disappear from the radar again," he pledges.

Air Djibouti currently operates two Embraer ERJ-145s and a Boeing 727 VIP, serving eight destinations, mainly in East Africa and the Middle East. Yemen, Somalia and Ethiopia are among its most important routes, with frequent rotations.

With a load factor of 70 and more than 41,500 passengers carried in 2024, Air Djibouti has since its relaunch demonstrated its ability to attract a loyal customer base despite being in a competitive market, Ali Abdillahi says.

One of Air Djibouti's main strengths is its ability to serve areas that are difficult to access. Yemen, which has been in the grip of civil war for almost a decade, is a major route.

"We are one of the few carriers to operate in these conditions. Our aircraft operate two daily flights between Djibouti and Aden, with a high occupancy rate."