Libreville Leon M'ba International Airport

Libreville Leon M'ba International Airport is the largest and busiest airport in Gabon and the sole major international gateway to the Central African state. Named for Gabon's first president, Léon M'ba, the airport handles 36 scheduled routes to 24 nonstop destinations operated by 12 airlines, giving it a representative portfolio of European, West and Central African, and Gulf connectivity despite a comparatively small national population of 2.3 million. The airport operates a single 9,844 ft (3,000 m) lighted asphalt runway 16/34 at 39 ft (12 m) elevation on the Atlantic coast at the Pointe Santa Clara peninsula, 11 km (6.8 mi) north of central Libreville. LBV is the home base of AfriJet, the Gabonese regional operator that runs the national domestic network, and it is served long-haul by Air France (Paris-CDG), Ethiopian (Addis Ababa), Royal Air Maroc (Casablanca), Turkish Airlines (Istanbul), Asky Airlines (Lomé), and Kenya Airways (Nairobi). Internationally significant as the aviation entry point to one of the most densely forested countries in the world (roughly 88% of Gabon is tropical rainforest) and as a principal logistical node for the offshore oil industry that drives the Gabonese economy. Libreville's position on the Gulf of Guinea places it closer to São Tomé, Malabo, and Douala than to Brazzaville, and short-haul regional service to these capitals is frequent. A new terminal development was announced in 2022 as part of a bilateral framework with Moroccan and French infrastructure partners; construction timelines have slipped amid political transition following the August 2023 transfer of power. LBV also supports the Presidential Air Fleet and Gabonese Air Force operations from an adjacent military apron.