• Burkina Faso appoints Wendkuni Zombré as Air Burkina director general
• Airline resumed operations in 2024 after years of inactivity
• New leadership tasked with expanding regional network and stabilizing operations

Wendkuni Serge Frédéric Zombré has been appointed director general of Air Burkina, a decision taken at a Council of Ministers meeting on Thursday, March 12. He succeeds Azakaria Traoré, who had held the position since March 2024.

The new head of Burkina Faso's national carrier brings a technical background to the role. He previously served as director general of Kangala Air Express, a private airline also based in Burkina Faso. The government said he is a specialist in air transport and logistics.

The appointment comes as Air Burkina continues its recovery. The airline resumed operations in October 2024 after years of inactivity caused by managerial and financial difficulties. The carrier had opted for an aircraft leasing model, but the non-renewal of a lease agreement covering the 2018-2022 period forced it to ground its two Embraer 195 jets, leaving it without an operational fleet.

The airline resumed service with support from the Burkinabe government, which enabled the acquisition of two aircraft received in September 2024 and October 2025, respectively. Since restarting operations, the airline has been operating domestic flights to Bobo-Dioulasso, as well as several regional routes connecting Ouagadougou to Cotonou, Abidjan, Accra, Bamako, Niamey and Lomé.

Zombré takes the helm at a pivotal moment as the carrier seeks to consolidate its recovery and gradually expand its regional network. In the government's strategic plans, Air Burkina is also positioned as a key component of the country's connectivity strategy and a potential source of traffic for Donsin airport, currently under construction.

The new leadership's ability to stabilize governance, secure sustainable financing and improve the use of its aircraft will be decisive in establishing the carrier as a sustainable presence in a regional aviation market currently dominated by international and regional airlines such as Asky and Air Côte d'Ivoire.

Henoc Dossa