ABIDJAN, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Ivory Coast's national carrier Air Cote d'Ivoire plans to acquire five Airbus planes this year to expand its fleet and begin to operate long-haul flights, managing director Laurent Loukou said on Thursday.

The planes will include three Airbus 319 and one A330 neo bought by the company, and one A 320 on rental, taking its total fleet to 14 aircraft, from nine.

Air Cote d'Ivoire, in common with many airlines, suffered from the impact of the COVID19 pandemic on travel. Along with other carriers in the region, it also faces tough competition particularly on long-haul routes from international carriers.

"Air Côte d'Ivoire has emerged from the red zone. The company is financially stable," Loukou said. "We want to be the gateway for West and Central Africa to the world."

The company's turnover rose by more than 7.5% year-on-year to 131.06 billion CFA francs ($218.80 million) in 2023, from 121.9 billion in the previous year, while the number of passengers increased by 4.8% to 740,705 year-on-year in 2023.

Loukou said the company will add Casablanca and Paris to its destinations this year, and Beirut and London next year in addition to the 20 destinations it covers in West and Central Africa. ($1 = 599.0000 CFA francs) (Reporting by Loucoumane Coulibaly Writing by Anait Miridzhanian and Bate Felix; editing by David Evans and Barbara Lewis)