Whether you have a layover, overnight sleepover or you are just quickly passing through, our Douala Airport Guide is a great place to start planning your visit. Here, you’ll find information on services and facilities available inside the airport – including details about airport lounges, WiFi, mobile charging points, lockers, 24-hour food options, nearby hotels, and everything in between.
The sight of Kenya Airways on the tarmac is a religious moment. Ahhh, they’ve finally come to get me! – unknown
DLA Airport Overview
To help you plan your layover or overnight sleepover, here is a quick run-down about what to expect during your time at Douala Airport.
What to Expect
Douala Airport (code: DLA) has a small, outdated terminal that has a lot of problems. Travellers report that staff, security, and locals often seek bribes or try to scam passengers by pretending to help with luggage, offer taxi service, or demand that checked luggage is overweight. Be prepared to ignore most non-essential interactions. The building itself is lacking, with filthy toilets, lack of signage and lighting, and non-existent air conditioning, except at the gate areas. Try to minimize your time here, but inefficient and long security processes mean you probably don’t want to arrive too close to your flight time.
Facilities are limited to a restaurant and a few basic shops. WiFi is available to help pass the time. For added comfort while you wait, economy class passengers can pay to enter three airport lounges. See Airport Lounges in the guide below for location and access information.
Sleeping in Douala Airport
We do not yet have any sleep-related airport reviews. For uninterrupted sleep, nearby hotels offer shuttle service. See our Airport Hotels section below for more info or read some traveller airport reviews for more tips.
To help us keep this guide up-to-date, you can add or update information or write a review to submit airport tips and photos. For more airport information continue scrolling down to explore more in our Douala Airport Guide.
In this guide we may refer to locations as “landside” and “airside”. Landside is the public area of the terminal located in the non-secure zone, before security. Airside is the secure area of the terminal that you must reach by going through security. For more information on Europe’s Schengen Area, click here.
Airport Lounges
Pay-per-use, Single Visit Passes & Lounge Memberships
Regardless of what class of service you are flying, there is a lounge that you can enter through a lounge membership program. Visit the individual lounge page for more details about the lounge itself and to also find out how you can gain lounge access with just an economy class ticket!
- Air France Lounge – Location: Main Terminal, Landside. International flights only. Hours: 8:00AM – 11:00PM. Lounge Access: Prepaid lounge pass (US$ 30 – 3 hours).
- Club Market VIP Lounge – Location: Landside. Hours: open 24 hours. Lounge Access: Lounge membership programs.
- Salon Afamba – Lounge Access: 25,000 FCFA per person.
- Salon Gold – Lounge Access: 15,000 FCFA per person.
- Salon La Mefou – Lounge Access: 12500 FCFA per person.
- Ngoola Salon – Lounge Access: 15 000 FCFA per person
Airline Lounges
If you are a First or Business Class traveller you may have access to the lounges listed below. For more information, check the airline’s website.
- Camair-Co Lounge (Location: Main Terminal, Airside).
Related Pages: Douala Airport Lounges
Airport Hotels
If sleeping in the airport sounds like a nightmare, there are hotels near Douala Airport:
- Best Western Plus Soaho Douala Airport – 1 minute drive/5 minute walk to the airport. » Check Rates
For more options, visit Tripadvisor to see a list of hotels near Douala Airport that can be sorted by price, distance, traveller rating and popularity.
Airport WiFi/Internet
WiFi is available at Douala Airport.
More Services, Facilities & Things To Do On A Layover At The Airport
ATMs / Cash Machines – Need cash? ATMs can be found Landside. Fees may apply, so be sure to check your bank’s fee schedule and your daily withdrawal limit if you are travelling internationally. You may also want to notify your bank of your travel plans.
Children’s Play Areas – Not available.
Currency Exchange – Foreign currency services are available in the public areas of both International and Domestic terminals.
Duty Free & Shopping – Cameroonian merchandise and gifts are available for purchase at souvenir shops in the airport. Duty-free shopping can be found in the International terminal.
Food & Drinks – There is one option available, the Doual’air dining room, location and hours are not known.
Information Desk – Information counters are available in the public areas of the airport, as well as roaming support staff. All staff are bilingual (French and English).
Luggage Storage & Lockers – Not available.
Luggage Trolleys – Need a hand with your luggage? Luggage trolleys are available free of charge and can be found in departures, baggage claim and the car park.
Mobile Charging – At the time of this update, we did not have any information about mobile charging availability. If you know, click here to update this airport guide.
Rest Zones – There are no dedicated sleeping areas, quiet areas or rest zones. If this information has changed, click here to update this guide.
Showers – Not available.
SIM Cards – A reader has asked us to include where to buy SIM Cards. If you know, click here to update this airport guide.
Airport Hours
While it appears that this airport is open 24 hours, as of this update, we were unable to confirm airport hours of operation. We recommend that you read a few reviews before deciding to sleep in the airport overnight. If you know the airport hours, click here to update this airport guide and we will update this airport guide.
Airlines
Douala airport is served by the following airlines: Africa’s Connection STP • Air Côte d’Ivoire • Air France • Arik Air • ASKY Airlines • Brussels Airlines • Camair-Co • CEIBA Intercontinental • Congo Airways • Cronos Airlines • Egyptair • Ethiopian Airlines • Kenya Airways • Royal Air Maroc • RwandAir • Tchadia Airlines • Trans Air Congo • Turkish Airlines.
Transportation
Car Rentals
These car rental agencies offer service onsite: Autorent • Avis • Car Hire Joss.
Hotel Shuttles
See also Airport Hotels above.
Taxis
Both private and shared-ride taxis are readily available for hire in the ground transportation area.
Last updated: 2024-01-31
This guide is for informational purposes only to assist with your planning. All information, including rates and hours, is subject to change at any time without notice. The information in this airport guide is based on information collected and/or received from the airports, lounges, hotels, transportation providers, and their websites. We are not representatives of any of the above-mentioned service providers. To report errors or to add/update any items mentioned in the guide: update the airport guide or write a review.