The celebrated arrival at Dakar Blaise Diagne International on September 7, 2026, of a purportedly "new" in-house B737-800 for Air Sénégal was revealed to be LY-SEI (msn 32692), a 19.3-year-old jet that the carrier has in fact been wet leasing from Lithuania's GetJet Airlines since May 30.

The aircraft arrived from Casablanca Mohammed V where it had been since August 31, according to ADS-B data. It has been repainted in a livery marking the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games taking place in the West African country between October 31 and November 13.

Its arrival was attended by Senegal's President Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye, who named the aircraft "Gorée" during a christening ceremony attended by other dignitaries, including transport minister Abdoul Ahad Ndiaye.

Earlier, Air Sénégal had announced through local media that it had acquired its first B737-800 in a transaction "fully financed and managed by the Senegalese government", with chief executive Tidiane Ndiaye describing it as a vote of confidence in the airline's growth prospects.

However, ch-aviation fleets data shows that LY-SEI is owned by AerCap and dry leased to GetJet Airlines, and only wet leased to Air Sénégal. While the Olympics-themed paintwork may be fresh, the ownership structure, and the aircraft itself, are considerably less new.

ch-aviation has contacted GetJet Airlines and Air Sénégal for comment.