Burkina Faso airport codes: ICAO

The ICAO codes of Burkina Faso airports are:

Airport ICAO
Aribinda AirportDFOY
Arly AirportDFER
Banfora AirportDFOB
Barsalogho AirportDFCB
Bobo Dioulasso AirportDFOO
Bogandé AirportDFEB
Boromo Airport closedDFCO
Boulsa AirportDFEA
Dano AirportDFOA
Dédougou AirportDFOD
Diapaga AirportDFED
Didyr AirportDFCD
Diébougou AirportDFOU
Djibo AirportDFCJ
Dori AirportDFEE
Fada N’Gourma AirportDFEF
Gaoua AirportDFOG
Gorom Gorom AirportDFEG
Houndé AirportDFOH
Kantchari AirportDFEL
Kaya AirportDFCA
Kongoussi AirportDFCG
Koudougou AirportDFCK
Leo AirportDFCL
Nouna AirportDFON
Orodara AirportDFOR
Thomas Sankara International Airport OuagadougouDFFD
Ouahigouya AirportDFCC
Pama AirportDFEP
Pô AirportDFCP
Poura AirportDFCR
Sebba AirportDFES
Séguénéga AirportDFCS
Tambao AirportDFEM
Tenkodogo AirportDFET
Tougan AirportDFOT
Yako Airport ClosedDFCY
Zabré AirportDFEZ

How Air Burkina started, developed

• Air Volta founded

MARCH 1967

On 17 March 1967, Air Volta, which became Air Burkina, was created as a public-private company. This was follow up to a memorandum of understanding between the State of Burkina Faso and the Company for the Development of Air Transport in Africa (SODETRAF). 

• Company privatized

FEBRUARY 2001

The company was privatized in February 2001 and sold to the AKFED/IPS(WA) consortium of the AGA KHAN development network.  

• IOSA certification

SINCE 2010

In order to ensure quality and safety, the company got IOSA certification since 2010.

• Aga Khan Development Fund sold its shares to the Burkinabe government

MAY 2017

In 2017, a new turning point occurred for the company as the Aga Khan Development Fund sold its shares to the Burkinabe government. 

• A transfer agreement was signed

OCTOBER 2020

On October 20, 2020 for the new privatization of Air Burkina, a transfer agreement was signed between the State of Burkina Faso and the American company AGD (African Global Development).

Reference: air-burkina.com/en/the-company/our-history

Burkina Faso is a country in West Africa.

It is bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest.

Flag
Coat of arms
CapitalOuagadougou
Area274,000 sq km
Population (2017)19.2 Million

It has a land area of 274,223 km2 (105,878 sq mi).

As of 2021, the country had an estimated population of 20,321,378.

Its citizens are known as Burkinabè and its capital and largest city is Ouagadougou.

Previously called Republic of Upper Volta (1958–1984), it was renamed Burkina Faso by President Thomas Sankara.

In 1896, it was colonized by the French as part of French West Africa; in 1958, Upper Volta became a self-governing colony within the French Community. In 1960, it gained full independence with Maurice Yaméogo as president.

The largest ethnic group in Burkina Faso is the Mossi people. They established powerful kingdoms such as the Ouagadougou, Tenkodogo, and Yatenga.

There are 60 indigenous languages officially recognized by the Burkinabè government, with the most common language, Mooré, spoken by over half the population.

The country has reserves of gold, manganese, copper and limestone.

Regions

Burkina Faso is divided into 13 administrative regions. Each region is ruled by a governor.

Regions of Burkina Faso

  1. Boucle du Mouhoun
  2. Cascades
  3. Centre
  4. Centre-Est
  5. Centre-Nord
  6. Centre-Ouest
  7. Centre-Sud
  8. Est
  9. Hauts-Bassins
  10. Nord
  11. Plateau-Central
  12. Sahel
  13. Sud-Ouest

Region and capital

RegionCapital
Boucle du MouhounDédougou
CascadesBanfora
CentreOuagadougou
Centre-EstTenkodogo
Centre-NordKaya
Centre-OuestKoudougou
Centre-SudManga
EstFada N’gourma
Hauts-BassinsBobo Dioulasso
NordOuahigouya
Plateau-CentralZiniaré
SahelDori
Sud-OuestGaoua

The regions are divided into 45 provinces and subdivided into 351 communes.

Burkina Faso is governed as a semi-presidential republic with executive, legislative and judicial powers.

Since independence, the country has gone though instability, droughts, famines and corruption.

Various coups have also taken place in the country, in 1966, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1987, and twice in 2022, in January and September, as well as an attempt in 1989 and another in 2015.

Thomas Sankara came to power following a successful coup in 1982. As president, Sankara embarked on a series of ambitious socioeconomic reforms which included a nationwide literacy campaign, land redistribution to peasants, providing vaccinations to over 2 million children, railway and road construction, equalized access to education, and the outlawing of female genital mutilation, forced marriages, and polygamy. He served as the country’s president until 1987 when he was deposed and assassinated in a coup led by Blaise Compaoré, who became president and ruled the country until his removal on 31 October 2014.

Burkina Faso has been affected by the rise of Islamist terrorism in the Sahel since the mid-2010s. Several militias, partly allied with the Islamic State (IS) or al-Qaeda, operate in Burkina Faso and across the border in Mali and Niger. More than one million of the country’s 21 million inhabitants are internally displaced persons.

Burkina Faso’s military seized power in a coup d’état on 23–24 January 2022, overthrowing President Roch Marc Kaboré. On 31 January, the military junta restored the constitution and appointed Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba as interim president, who was himself overthrown in a second coup on 30 September and replaced by military captain Ibrahim Traoré.

Burkina Faso is one of the least developed countries in the world, with a GDP of $16.226 billion.

Ethnic groups

Burkina Faso’s people belong to two major West African ethnic groups: the Voltaic and the Mandé (whose common language is Dioula).

The Voltaic Mossi make up about one-half of the population.

The Mossi claim descent from warriors who migrated from northern Ghana around 1100 AD.

They established an empire that lasted many years. Predominantly farmers, the Mossi kingdom is led by the Mogho Naba, whose court is in Ouagadougou.

List of Ethnic groups and their sizes in percentages

Ethnic groupPercent
Mossi40.50%
Fula9.30%
Gourmanche6.10%
Bambara4.90%
Bissa3.20%
Bwamu2.10%
Dagara2%
San1.90%
Lobiri1.80%
Lyele1.70%
Bobo1.40%
Senoufo1.40%
Nuni1.20%
Dafing1.10%
Tamasheq1%
Kassem0.70%
Gouin0.40%
Dogon0.30%
Songhai0.30%
Gourounsi0.30%
Ko0.10%
Koussasse0.10%
Sembla0.10%
Siamou0.10%
Other nationals5%
Other Africans0.20%
French1.30%
Other non-indigenous0.10%

Languages

The Mooré language is the most spoken language in Burkina Faso, spoken by about half the population, mainly in the central region around the capital, Ouagadougou.

Over 68 languages are spoken in the country of which about 60 languages are indigenous.

Although Burkina Faso is a multilingual country, the official language is French. it is the principal language for administrative, political and judicial institutions as well as public services, and the press.

Gold mining

Mining of gold in Burkina Faso grew fast with more than 15 discoveries made since 2006.

In 2017 mining company Nexus Gold began district-scale exploration of the Niangouela and Bouboulou gold concessions.

Gold is a major export commodity.

In 2011 gold earned Burkina Faso 127 billion CFA (US$247 million).

Between 2007 and 2011, it brought in 440 billion CFA, accounting for 64.7 percent of all exports and 8 percent of GDP.

Production rose from 23 tonnes in 2010 to 32 tonnes in 2011.

Gold mines are spread across the country’s northern, western, southwestern and central regions.