Niger Air Cargo has restarted its direct cargo flight between Europe and Niger following a military coup in the country.

The service is operated once a week between Liège and Niger's main cargo hub, Niamey International Airport (NIM), using a Boeing 747 freighter. The ECS-owned company discontinued the service when a military coup in Niger in July led to the temporary closure of its airports and airspace.

Niger Air Cargo was relaunched on October 8 and is the only direct freight service between the country and Europe. The company expects a "rapid return to previous year's volumes" and "anticipates a stable 2024". Adrien Thominet, Executive Chairman of ECS Group, commented: "As Niger is a landlocked country, functional airfreight plays a key role in the functioning of supply chains.

"Niger Air Cargo is still the only provider of a complete cargo solution in Niger, and our dedicated ECS cargo team at Niamey Airport goes above and beyond to ensure that our customers - many of whom have been with us since 2011 - are reliably and professionally supported in their business processes.

"Demand to Niger is rapidly recovering to the levels of the previous year, and looks just as promising at the dawn of the new year."

 Damian Brett