Around the Gulf of Guinea

We’ll be hopping across three very different Gulf of Guinea neighbours, all in a relatively small geographic area, but with very different histories and vibes.

We depart from Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (DNAA), which serves Abuja, Nigeria’s modern planned capital in the Federal Capital Territory. Abuja was developed from the late 1970s to replace Lagos as the capital. Nigeria is the regional giant: Africa’s most populous state with more than 230 million people and over 250 ethnic groups, including Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, and many others. It is a federal presidential republic with the economy strongly driven by oil and gas, agriculture, and a big services sector.

We make our first stop at Markudi (DNMK), and from there we fly to Bebi Airport (DNBB), a small regional strip, serving the rural area around Bayaluga, and is used mainly for domestic connections and access to local resorts and communities.

The next stop is at Calabar International Airport (DNCA), serving Calabar in Cross River State near Nigeria’s southeastern border with Cameroon. Calabar has a long history as a major port and administrative centre dating back to the slave‑trade era and British colonial rule, and today it is known for tourism, the annual Calabar Carnival, and its position close to rainforest reserves.

Next, we cross into Cameroon and land at Douala International Airport (FKKD), serving the country’s biggest city, Douala. The airport is both public and military and is by far Cameroon’s busiest, handling around 1.5 million passengers and significant freight each year, and acting as the main international gateway for the country’s commercial capital. Douala itself is a hot, humid port city on the Wouri River estuary, the economic engine of Cameroon with heavy industry and shipping. Cameroon is often described as “Africa in miniature” because it packs in rainforest, coastal lowlands, highland plateaus, and Sahel‑type north in one state. It had formed in its modern shape when the former French and British Cameroons merged in the early 1960s, and today it is a republic whose economy leans on agriculture, timber, oil, and hydropower.

We track down the Gulf of Guinea coast towards Equatorial Guinea and finish at Bata Airport (FGBT). Bata is the main city on the mainland (Litoral Province), and its airport is the second‑busiest in the country after Malabo. Bata grew from a colonial port into a modern regional centre, with oil‑related business, a seafront promenade, and neighbourhoods that stretch inland from the coast. Equatorial Guinea is our final country and one of Africa’s smallest by land area and population, split between an island part (Bioko and others) and a mainland section wedged between Cameroon and Gabon. It gained independence from Spain in 1968 and is officially a republic, though political power will be highly concentrated in the presidency. The discovery and exploitation of offshore oil had transformed Equatorial Guinea into one of sub‑Saharan Africa’s highest GDP‑per‑capita states, even though many people still rely on subsistence agriculture.

The flight is 530 miles long with 4 landings. We want to cruise at about 300 kias. This calls for a subsonic jet. The Hawker Hunter, the MB339, M346, the T-45 Goshawk, or the Hawk T1 are suitable. The PC-21 is also fast enough, as well as small business jets, with this speed range. I will probably be in the MB346. Please fly what you like.

The flight plans are here.

Recommended scenery:

Abuja – DNAA

Calabar - DNCA

Douala FKKD

Bata - FGBT

We try real weather. Please set your simulator for an 08:00 local departure.

Multiplayer Particulars:

Date and time: Sunday, March 08, 2026. 17:00 UTC

Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: United States East server

These flights are events posted at DigitalThemePark. For these Sunday flights, we use DTP’s Discord Server for communication.

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