# Modibo Keita International Airport (BKO)

> Bamako, ML · IATA: BKO · ICAO: GABS · Large Airport · Cargo Hub

## Quick Facts

| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| IATA | `BKO` |
| ICAO | `GABS` |
| City | Bamako |
| Country | ML |
| Type | Large Airport |
| Elevation | 380 m |
| Cargo | ✅ |
| GPS | 12.53350, -7.94994 |

## Description

Gold accounts for the bulk of Mali's export value, and much of it leaves the country by air through Modibo Keita International (BKO/GABS), some 15 km south of Bamako. Also known as Bamako-Sénou, it is the country's principal airport and operates its own cargo handling facilities with customs presence for sorting, storage and loading. Because Mali is landlocked, air freight is often the only practical alternative to multi-day truck corridors to the West African coast. Tonnage moves mainly as belly cargo on scheduled services to Europe, North Africa and the Gulf, plus charters; scheduled all-freighter operations by international cargo airlines are not confirmed. Imports typically include spare parts, pharmaceuticals and relief goods. Sky Mali operates domestic and regional connections from the airport, whose terminals have been upgraded in recent years, improving handling capacity for both passengers and freight. Overland, the main corridors run to Dakar (about 1,250 road km), Abidjan (about 1,200 km), Lomé and Conakry, with transit times varying considerably with border and security conditions. Given the security situation in parts of Mali and repeated incidents around Bamako, transit times and insurance should be planned conservatively; Ouagadougou (OUA) and Abidjan (ABJ) serve as fallback airports.

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*Freight Academy — Airport Profile: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/modibo-keita-international-airport-bko](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/airports/modibo-keita-international-airport-bko)*

*Markdown mirror: [https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/airports/en/modibo-keita-international-airport-bko](https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/airports/en/modibo-keita-international-airport-bko)*

*LLM-Summary (JSON): https://www.freight-academy.com/api/v1/airports/modibo-keita-international-airport-bko/llm-summary*