ROUTES AFRICA: Senegal Airlines Plans New Regional Services

Senegal Airlines is planning flights to four new destinations before the end of this month with a new direct service from Dakar to Praia and links to Cotonou, Douala and Libreville via Abidjan, the capital of Côte d'Ivoire. The company has full traffic rights on the onward sectors from Abidjan, significantly increasing capacity both between Dakar and Abidjan and onto the additional African destinations. The flights will operate on at least a twice weekly frequency using Airbus A320 equipment.

There are currently no direct links from Dakar or Abidjan to Doula or Libreville, although there is competition from both cities to Cotonou. Air Nigeria offers flights from both Dakar and Abidjan; Air Ivoire has links from the Côte d'Ivoire capital, while Arik Air flies from Senegalese capital. An estimated 19,000 O&D passengers flew between Dakar and Cotonou in the past year with 74,000 making the journey between Abidjan and Cotonou. The Dakar – Praia market is also already served by TACV Cabo Verde Airlines with five flights per week using a mix of Boeing 757s and ATR 72 turboprops. It carried an estimated 15,000 O&D passengers in the past year.

Alongside these new routes Senegal Airlines also plans to slightly modify its existing schedule, including changes to aircraft routings and frequency alterations. These changes include a new twice weekly direct service between Dakar and Ouagadougou, replacing a three times weekly link via Bamako. The Malian capital will continue to be served on a daily schedule but three flights per week will now continue on to Abidjan. Elsewhere, Senegal Airlines’ Dakar – Banjul route will reduce from four to three a week from July 6.

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