1000 Francs CFA McDonnell Douglas MD-81

Togo's authority to issue commemorative coinage in this period derived from its membership in the West African Economic and Monetary Union, which technically pooled monetary policy under the BCEAO — meaning Togo itself had no independent central bank issuing these pieces. The MD-81, a stretched derivative of the DC-9 that entered service in 1980, was a workhorse of short-to-medium-haul routes through the 1980s and 1990s before aging fleets were retired following a series of high-profile accidents, most notably the 1991 USAir Flight 1493 runway collision at LAX.

These aviation-themed issues from small African states were produced almost exclusively for the collector export market, with negligible circulation within Togo itself.