Bamako, Mali sees all traffic suspended following coup

Air Senegal plans US debut in late 3Q21

Air Sénégal (HC, Dakar Blaise Diagne Int'l) plans to launch services from Dakar Blaise Diagne Int'l to the United States on or around September 1, 2021, according to its application for a Foreign Air Carrier Permit and exemption authority to the US Department of Transportation.

In a regulatory notice dated February 11, 2021, Senegal’s national carrier seeks permission for scheduled and charter air transportation of persons, property, and mail from any point/s behind Senegal, via any point/s in Senegal and intermediate stations, to any point/s in the US and beyond, subject to a wet-lease or codeshare arrangement with a duly authorised US or foreign carrier.

It requests that scheduled and charter exemption authority be granted for two years, or until the Foreign Air Carrier permit is granted.

None of Air Senegal’s aircraft will be used to conduct the service, rather, all flights will be operated by a wet-lessor, presumably referring to Hi Fly Malta (HFM, Malta Int'l) which operates the Senegalese carrier's A330-900 9H-SZN (msn 1910) on its behalf under...

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Air Sénégal inducts first A321

Air Sénégal (HC, Dakar Blaise Diagne Int'l) took delivery of its first A321-200 following the arrival of 6V-AMC (msn 1881) at Dakar Blaise Diagne Int'l on November 28, 2020, AirNav RadarBox ADS-B data shows.

The 18-year-old narrowbody had been undergoing maintenance at Montpellier following a period of storage dating back to September 2019 when previous operator Thomas Cook Airlines UK (MT, Manchester Int'l) collapsed. It is owned by Carlyle Aviation Partners, the ch-aviation fleets ownership module shows.

According to the ch-aviation schedules module, Air Senegal plans to debut the A321 on its daily route from Dakar to Conakry on December 21, 2020.

The aircraft will join Air Senegal's existing narrowbody fleet of two A319-100s. The carrier also operates two ATR72-600s, one A330-900 and although it owns the aircraft, it wet-leases a further A330-900 from Hi Fly Malta (HFM, Malta Int'l).

Gambia resumes commercial passenger traffic

Several West African and European carriers have resumed commercial flights to Banjul, Gambia, after the airport reopened following a seven-month lockdown because of COVID-19.

According to the ch-aviation schedules module, Turkish Airlines (TK, Istanbul New) was the first to return on October 31 with weekly service from Istanbul New, via Dakar Blaise Diagne Int'l. Transair (Senegal) (R2, Dakar Blaise Diagne Int'l) has also resumed weekly flights from Dakar, while Air Sénégal (HC, Dakar Blaise Diagne Int'l) has returned with four flights a week scheduled as of November 1.

Togo’s ASKY Airlines (KP, Lomé) flight KP22 resumed four times weekly from Lomé, Accra, and Freetown and to Banjul on November 5. TUI Airways (BY, London Luton) has come back with weekly flights from London Gatwick and Manchester Int'l, while Spain’s Vueling Airlines (VY, Barcelona El Prat) on November 7 restarts weekly services with flight VY7574 from Barcelona El Prat.

The Gambia currently has no home-grown national...