Blaise Diagne International Airport
Blaise Diagne International Airport (French: Aéroport international Blaise Diagne, IATA: DSS, ICAO: GOBD) is an international airport near the town of Diass in Thiès Region, Senegal, 43 kilometres (27 mi) east of downtown Dakar. It serves as the main airport for Dakar, replacing Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport, which had become too small. It is named after Blaise Diagne, the first black African elected to France's parliament in 1914. Regular flights are operated from it to destinations across many parts of Africa, as well as to Europe, Macaronesia, the Middle East, and the USA.
Blaise Diagne International Airport Aéroport International Blaise Diagne | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Civil | ||||||||||
| Owner | Government of Senegal | ||||||||||
| Operator | Summa-Limak | ||||||||||
| Serves | Dakar | ||||||||||
| Location | Thiès Region, Senegal | ||||||||||
| Hub for | Air Senegal, Transair | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 289.59 ft / 88.27 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 14°40′16″N 17°4′1″W | ||||||||||
| Website | dakaraeroport | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  DSS Location of airport in Senegal | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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History
The airport was originally expected to be operational at the end of the year 2011,[1] but this date was pushed back by almost a year in September of that year.[2] In September 2012, Senegalese Prime Minister Abdoul Mbaye announced that the airport would open in the first quarter of 2014.[3] In January 2015, word spread that the airport would open in June 2015. On April 4, 2015 Reuters announced a new opening date for early 2016.
The expected building costs rose to 566 million euros,[2] with over 400 million coming from the Saudi Binladin Group.[4]
The airport finally opened for scheduled operations on December 7, 2017.[5]
Airlines and destinations
Passenger
- Notes
^1 : Some Turkish Airlines flights from Istanbul to Dakar stop in Nouakchott, but the flight from Dakar to Istanbul is nonstop. Other times the flight from Istanbul to Dakar is nonstop, but the DSS–IST return journey stops in Banjul. In neither case does Turkish Airlines have local traffic rights between Dakar and the other destination alone.
Ground transportation
The Train Express Regional is a planned rail-link between the airport and Dakar, and was opened on 14 January 2019 [https://www.globalairrail.com/news/entry/first-phase-of-dakar-airport-rail-link-opens] .
References
- "L'aéroport Blaise Diagne sera livré en fin 2011 (ministre)" (in French). Seneweb.com. 2 December 2010. Retrieved 3 December 2010.
- "L'Aeroport International Blaise Diagne opérationnel au second semestre de 2012 (ministre)". APS (in French). Seneweb.com. 19 September 2011. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
- "Senegal's second international airport ready in 2014". Panapress. 11 September 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
- Aidara, Ismael (19 September 2011). "Sénégal : Saudi Bin Laden sur le tarmac de l'aéroport Blaise Diagne". Seneweb.com (in French). Retrieved 3 October 2011.
- Carley Petesch. "Senegal opens new international airport with economic hopes". AP. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- "Air Senegal announces Lyon – where could be next?". anna.aero. 6 January 2021.
- Liu, Jim. "Blu Express adds Milan Bergamo – Dakar link from late-October 2020". Routesonline. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
- "Flight Information - DHL to/from Casablanca and Brussels". Flightradar24. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
- magmaaviation.com - network retrieved 9 November 2020