Yaoundé Nsimalen International Airport

Yaoundé Nsimalen International, about 25 km south of the Cameroonian capital, is one of only two international airports serving a country of roughly 28 million and the designated political gateway — Douala (DLA) remains the commercial primary. The 3,400 m (11,155 ft) asphalt runway at 694 m (2,278 ft) elevation was purpose-built in 1991 to accept fully loaded widebodies out of Paris and Brussels, which combined with annual throughput of around 400,000 passengers and diplomatic-capital status places NSI within the 534 largest. About 11 airlines operate 28 routes to 19 destinations (2026). Air France provides the long-haul anchor with near-daily service to Paris-CDG; Brussels Airlines, Turkish, Ethiopian, Royal Air Maroc, ASKY, Kenya Airways, and Camair-Co cover European, intra-African, and domestic links. Nsimalen also carries most Cameroonian government, ECCAS (Economic Community of Central African States), and diplomatic aviation, including VIP movements for the regional integration bodies headquartered in the city. The terminal was comprehensively renovated in the mid-2010s with expanded immigration halls, a new international pier, and a re-profiled apron capable of handling four widebodies simultaneously. NSI serves as Cameroon's secondary widebody diversion field for Douala and hosts the air arm of the presidential fleet. Its runway length and elevation combination — relatively demanding for hot-and-high takeoff performance — have made the airport a reference point for African airlines calibrating Central African widebody operations.