Air Senegal

The airline was created in 2016 to replace bankrupt carrier Senegal Airlines, which was under liquidation. The new national airline is part of a large, 20-year horizon investment plan referred to as Plan Sénégal Émergent (PSE) initiated by President Macky Sall. Air Senegal aims to be the leader in West African air transport.[2] The airline is headed by Philippe Bohn, a former vice president of Airbus.[3] It is advised by the financial advisory conglomerate Lazard.[4][5]

On 29 April 2018, the airline received its Air Operator's Certificate (AOC),[6] and commenced domestic flights on 14 May 2018 with a fleet of two brand new ATR72-600s. In the fourth quarter of 2018, it leased two Airbus A319s from Lessors Avolon and Apollo and started deploying to several regional destinations. The airline added a third A319 jet in June 2019 to serve regional destinations, including Abidjan, Cotonou and Conakry.[7]

The airline ordered two long-haul wide-body Airbus A330-900s in November 2017 at the Dubai Air Show.[8] It became the first African acquirer of this new type of aircraft.[9] The first plane arrived in January 2019 after a delivery flight from Toulouse and launched the daily Dakar–Paris route.[10][11]

In November 2019, at the 2019 Dubai Air Show, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed for 8 Airbus A220-300 regional jets, the airline's largest order so far.[12] According to CEO Ibrahima Kane, “[They] will contribute to develop our long haul network to Europe and our regional network in Africa”, with routes to London, Geneva and Lagos expected to be launched.[13] The first A220 is expected to be delivered in 2021, and upon delivery Air Senegal will become the third African airline to operate the Airbus A220 after Air Tanzania and EgyptAir, and the first airline in West Africa to operate them.

The end of 2019 saw big expansion for the carrier. In mid-November the airline strengthened its domestic links with a new route to Cap Skirring using its ATR 72-600s, its second domestic route after Ziguinchor.[14] There was also expansion in the long haul sector with the arrival of a 2nd A330-900, which enabled the airline to begin flights to Marseille and Barcelona, the airline's first destination in Spain.[15][16] The addition of 2 Boeing 737-500s on lease from Romanian airline Blue Air allowed Air Senegal to launch new routes to multiple countries in Western Africa, including Casablanca in Morocco, Ghana's capital city Accra, as well as Abuja and Lagos in Nigeria.[17][18]

As of November 2020, Air Senegal operated to the following destinations:[19]

Air Senegal Airbus A330-900

As of February 2020, Air Senegal operates the following aircraft:[29]

In September 2019, Air Senegal was admitted as a member of the African Airlines Association (AFRAA).[33]