Air Senegal will go to the United States in the first half of 2020

(Agence Ecofin) – Air Senegal will soon open a line to the United States. This is the promise made by Alioune Sarr, the Senegalese Minister of Tourism and Air Transport, on September 19, on the sidelines of a meeting of local development committee he co-chaired on the island of Goree, along with his counterpart of culture, Abdoulaye Diop.

" I have the honor and the pleasure, on behalf of the Head of State Macky Sall, to announce to you the Mayor, and to you, populations of Goree, that the Air Senegal company will open the line Dakar – Washington in the next six months He said.

This second long-haul flight, after the Paris destination in France, will be operated by Airbus A330neo. Air Senegal is waiting for this, a second device, on October 15, confirmed the minister.

The launching of the Dakar – Washington route will thus make up for the gap left by South African Airways. Since the 1^st September 2019, the South African national airline suspended its route Johannesburg – Dakar – Washington.

Once the actual flights between the Senegalese capital and the United States, Dakar will become the second city in West Africa to offer direct flights to Washington after Accra.

Besides the large Senegalese diaspora living in the United States, the minister believes that tourism on the island of Gorée is a major asset to justify the launch of this road.

According to Alioune Sarr, " most of the tourists (from the United States, Ed) who come to Senegal go to Gorée ".

Air Senegal has a fleet of three Airbus A319-100s, two ATR72-600s and one Airbus A330neo. In addition to Ziguinchor on the domestic network, the company serves, to date, Abidjan, Bamako, Banjul, Bissau, Conakry, Cotonou, Niamey, Ouagadougou, Sal, Praia and Paris. It aims shortly, Lagos in Nigeria and Douala in Cameroon.

Romuald Ngueyap

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The second Air Senegal Airbus A330neo is expected by October 15