Mali approves funding for Mali Airlines fleet

Mali has approved funding from a new mining infrastructure fund for the acquisition of two aircraft for planned carrier Mali Airlines, in the first indication of the size of its initial fleet under the government’s launch plans, reports the newspaper Sahel Tribune.

At the inaugural meeting of the Steering Committee for Mali’s Energy, Water and Transport Infrastructure Development Fund on July 31, 2026, infrastructure minister Madina Sissoko Dembélé said the transport ministry had secured financing for projects including rail, roads, vessels, and Mali Airlines, describing the latter as “more than ever a necessity.”

In a statement, the government did not disclose the value of the allocation for the airline or the number of aircraft to be acquired, but Sahel Tribune reported that the approved transport projects include the acquisition of two “state-of-the-art aircraft for the new Mali Airlines”.

The fund, created under Mali’s 2023 Mining Code, is financed by mandatory contributions from mining companies. Economy and finance minister Alousséïni Sanou said the mechanism had mobilised more than XOF120 billion CFA francs (USD212 million), with XOF109.1 billion (USD193 million) collected between January 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026. The resources are earmarked exclusively for energy, water, and transport infrastructure projects.

The fund is intended to reduce reliance on external financing by using mining revenues to finance priority public investments. Alongside Mali Airlines, approved transport projects include railway development, road infrastructure, and the acquisition of four river vessels as part of efforts to improve mobility, expand multimodal transport, and diversify the country’s supply routes.

Mali’s National Transitional Council approved a government plan to incorporate Société Mali-Airlines-SA (Mali Airlines) with an initial investment of XOF5 billion (USD8.8 million) in late 2024, following the demise of Air Mali (Bamako), a public-private partnership, in December 2012. Privately owned Sky Mali (ML, Bamako) is currently the sole passenger carrier in the country.