Air Senegal
Flag carrier of Senegal
title: "Air Senegal" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["airlines-of-senegal", "airlines-established-in-2016", "2016-establishments-in-senegal", "organisations-based-in-dakar"] description: "Flag carrier of Senegal" topic_path: "general/airlines-of-senegal" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Senegal" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Flag carrier of Senegal ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox airline"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| airline | Air Senegal |
| logo | Air Senegal Logo.svg |
| IATA | HC |
| ICAO | SZN |
| callsign | SENSA |
| founded | |
| commenced | |
| headquarters | Diass, Dakar, Senegal |
| key_people | {{bulleted list |
| hubs | Blaise Diagne International Airport |
| fleet_size | 12 |
| destinations | 22 |
| website | |
| image | Air Senegal, 6V-AMA, Airbus A319-111 (52550687204).jpg |
| image_size | 250 |
| caption | Air Senegal Airbus A319 |
| :: |
| airline = Air Senegal | logo = Air Senegal Logo.svg | logo_size = | IATA = HC | ICAO = SZN | callsign = SENSA | parent = | founded = | commenced = | ceased = | headquarters = Diass, Dakar, Senegal | key_people = {{bulleted list| | Ibrahima Kane (CEO) | Ousmane Pouye (COO) | Babakar Danfakha (CFO)}} | hubs = Blaise Diagne International Airport | secondary_hubs = | focus_cities = | fleet_size = 12 | destinations = 22 | frequent_flyer = | lounge = | alliance = | subsidiaries = | website = | image = Air Senegal, 6V-AMA, Airbus A319-111 (52550687204).jpg | image_size = 250 | caption = Air Senegal Airbus A319 | aoc = | num_employees =
Air Senegal is the flag carrier of the Republic of Senegal. Created in 2016, it is state owned through investment arm Caisse des Dépots et Consignation du Sénégal. It is based at Blaise Diagne International Airport in Dakar, Senegal.
History
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. The airline is headed by Philippe Bohn, a former vice president of Airbus. It is advised by the financial advisory conglomerate Lazard.
On 29 April 2018, the airline received its Air Operator's Certificate (AOC), 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.africanaerospace.aero/a-new-a319-for-air-senegal.html |title=A New A319 For Air Senegal |date=7 June 2019 |publisher=African Aerospace |access-date=9 October 2019 | format=Route Planning & Tourism |author=African Aerospace | place=Rochford, Essex, United Kingdom}}
The airline ordered two long-haul wide-body Airbus A330-900s in November 2017 at the Dubai Air Show. It became the first African acquirer of this new type of aircraft. The first plane arrived in January 2019 after a delivery flight from Toulouse and launched the daily Dakar–Paris route.
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. 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. 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 a 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. 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. 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, in addition to Abuja and Lagos in Nigeria.
Expansion was abruptly halted in March 2020 due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, causing Air Senegal to temporarily suspend operations. At the time, the airline was poised to commence flights to a pair of new European destinations - Geneva and London. No update has been provided yet on when these routes will be commenced, though in a May 2021 interview it was hinted by Ibrahima Kane that they could be seen with the arrival of the Airbus A220s that the airline is due to receive in 2021. At the end of 2020 Air Senegal received its first Airbus A321, with a second arriving in February 2021. These 2 aircraft helped launch new routes again, this time to Milan in Italy, the airline's first Italian route, as well as Lyon in southern France. These routes began in February and March respectively. April saw the end of the lease on the 737-500s, with the second aircraft, YR-AMD, being returned to Blue Air where it has been parked at the carrier's base in Bucharest.
A significant step in the airline's growth came with the announcement of its plans to fly to the United States for the first time from September 2021. For thirteen months afterwards, the airline served New York directly with the Airbus A330-900, before making a short hop to the Baltimore/Washington airport. The route was operated twice weekly. In January 2023, the airline canceled the Baltimore stop, The flight to New York was subsequently eliminated from the schedule in September 2024, ending service to the United States.
Corporate affairs
Business figures
Air Senegal does not make financial data available to the public. However, figures have been made available via press reports, interviews and other publications from time to time. The airline received a bailout of €68 million from the Government of Senegal in 2020 to cover its losses.
::data[format=table]
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover (€ million) | 75.00 | |
| Net profit / (€ million) | ||
| Number of passengers | 495,000 | |
| Number of aircraft (at year end) | 3 | 6 |
| :: |
Associations and memberships
In September 2019, Air Senegal was admitted as a member of the African Airlines Association (AFRAA).
Destinations
As of November 2023, the airline serves 17 countries and 29 routes.
As of April 2021, Air Senegal operated to the following destinations:
::data[format=table]
Codeshare agreements
Interline agreements
- APG Airlines
- Hahn Air
Fleet
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Air_Senegal,_9H-SZN,Airbus_A330-941(46715789445).jpg" caption="Airbus A330-900"] ::
, Air Senegal operates the following aircraft:
::data[format=table title="Air Senegal fleet"]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | C | P | Y | Total | Total | 12 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A319-100 | 2 | — | 12 | — | 108 | 120 | |||||
| Airbus A321-200 | 2 | — | 16 | — | 149 | 165 | |||||
| Airbus A330-900 | 2 | — | 32 | 21 | 237 | 290 | |||||
| ATR 72-600 | 2 | — | — | — | 70 | 70 | |||||
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | — | 9 | TBA | 178 | |||||||
| Let L-410NG | 4 | 1 | — | — | 19 | 19 | |||||
| :: |
Former Fleet
Air Senegal has previously operated the following aircraft: ::data[format=table title="Air Senegal former fleet"]
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A220-300 | 1 | 2021 | 2022 | |
| Airbus A319-100 | 1 | 2018 | 2019 | Leased from Air Côte d'Ivoire. |
| Boeing 737-500 | 1 | 2019 | 2021 | Leased from Blue Air. |
| :: |
References
References
- "Air Sénégal on ch-aviation".
- Payet. (21 September 2019). "Air Senegal Plans to Launch U.S. Flights". Airlinegeeks.com.
- Air Senegal. (2018). "The Air Senegal Experience". Air Senegal.
- Xalima. (14 August 2017). "Who is Philippe Bohn, the new French DG of Air Sénégal SA?". Xalima.com.
- La Lettre A. (11 June 2019). "The Lazard Frères Bank Accompanies The Air Senegal Fundraiser". La Lettre A.
- African Intelligence. (24 July 2019). "Lazard To Launch Air Senegal Share Offer". African Intelligence.
- Rivers. (30 April 2018). "Newly Certified Air Senegal To Launch Flights In May, Adding A319s". [[Forbes.com]].
- Kaminski-Morrow. (16 November 2017). "Dubai: Air Senegal Signs For A330neo". [[FlightGlobal]].
- (2 February 2018). "Air Sénégal Confirms Its Order For Two A330neo Aircraft". [[Airbus.
- Rivers. (26 September 2018). "Air Senegal To Launch Paris Flights On February 1st, 2019". [[Forbes.com]].
- (19 November 2019). "Air Senegal to grow its fleet with eight Airbus A220s". [[Airbus.
- Liu. (5 November 2019). "Air Senegal adds Cap Skirring service from mid-Nov 2019". routesonline.com.
- (3 December 2019). "Air Sénégal reçoit son deuxième Airbus A330neo". Air&Cosmos.
- Liu. (2 October 2019). "Air Senegal schedules Barcelona / Marseille launch in Dec 2019". routesonline.com.
- (14 November 2019). "Romania's Blue Air wet-leases B737-500 to Air Sénégal". ch-aviation.
- Liu. (16 October 2019). "Air Senegal continues Africa network expansion in W19". routesonline.com.
- (March 18, 2020). "Air Senegal network informations". Air Senegal.
- Tietz. (1 March 2020). "Air Senegal Increases European Network". aeronauticsonline.com.
- (27 May 2021). "Air Sénégal : Avec nos prochains A220 nous allons offrir le même niveau de confort que sur les A330n". CAPA - Centre for Aviation.
- (7 December 2020). "Air Sénégal inducts first A321". ch-aviation.
- (21 January 2021). "Air Senegal to begin Lyon flights from March 28". logupdateafrica.com.
- (25 August 2021). "Air Senegal USA Operations Update".
- "Air Senegal Closes Baltimore/Washington Bookings From late-Jan 2023".
- "Air Senegal To Exit Seven International Markets {{!}} Aviation Week Network". aviationweek.com.
- (26 January 2021). "Boostée par Macky Sall, Air Sénégal muscle sa flotte et lorgne les États-Unis". Jeune Afrique.
- Mendis. (1 April 2022). "A flag, an Anthem and an Airline". Voyages Afrique.
- (6 September 2019). "AFRAA Receives Safarilink, Air Djibouti, Air Senegal, Uganda Airlines As Members". Logistic Update Africa.
- (2023-11-22). "Air Senegal Flights and Destinations - FlightConnections".
- "Air Senegal: Buy Tickets". Air Senegal.
- (26 September 2018). "Air Senegal Outlines Proposed Regional Network From Late September 2018".
- (17 January 2024). "Air Senegal strengthens regional operations from mid-Jan 2024". AeroRoutes.
- (10 October 2019). "Air Senegal Cabo Verde serivce [sic] changes from late-Oct 2019".
- (20 June 2023). "Air Senegal resumes Ilha do Sal service from July 2023". AeroRoutes.
- (6 January 2021). "Air Senegal announces Lyon – where could be next?".
- (20 November 2023). "Air Senegal closing 4 European destinations for booking in 2024".
- Liu. (2 October 2019). "Air Senegal Schedules Barcelona/Marseille Launch In December 2019". routesonline.com.
- (25 September 2018). "Air Senegal Plans Paris Launch In February 2019".
- "Air Senegal updates Milan schedule from mid-Sep 2020".
- (16 October 2019). "Air Senegal continues Africa network expansion in W19".
- Liu. (9 July 2019). "Air Senegal Schedules New Routes In 3Q19".
- (5 November 2019). "Air Senegal adds Cap Skirring service from mid-Nov 2019".
- (13 December 2023). "Air Senegal schedules Jeddah late-January 2024 launch". AeroRoutes.
- (April 2019). "Air Côte d'Ivoire, Air Senegal Sign Codeshare Agreement".
- "Air Senegal / Asky Airlines Begins Codeshare Partnership From June 2025".
- (27 September 2023). "Air Senegal, Royal Air Maroc sign codeshare agreement". Reuters.
- "ALL PARTNER AIRLINES".
- "Partner Carriers | Hahn Air Lines".
- (September 2025). "Global Airline Guide 2025 - Air Senegal".
- Liu, Jim. (17 February 2020). "Air Senegal adds A321 service to Casablanca from April 2020".
- "Air Senegal Commits to First Boeing 737 MAX Order".
- (22 October 2025). "AIR TRANSPORT: Senegal acquires a new L410-NG aircraft".
- "Air Sénégal takes first two Let 410NGs".
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