Executives of Air Senegal were recently in Washington DC to announce the commencement for the first time of two weekly flights between the Senegal and United States. The flights will be operated from Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI) and John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).
With COVID, the expansion was abruptly halted in March 2020 causing temporary suspension of operations. However, Air Senegal’s growth took a significant turn with the announcement of its plans to fly to the United States for the first time from this month. According to the airline’s officials, New York will be served direct by the airline’s Airbus A330neos, before making the short hop to the Washington DC/Baltimore metropolitan area.
The well-attended inaugural event which was held at the historic Watergate Hotel, was addressed by the Chief Executive Officer of the airline, Ibrahima Kane and the General Manager of Senegal’s Tourist Board, Destination Senegal, Papa M. Diouf. Moderating the event was Ernest Dikoum, Chief Marketing Officer of the airline.
The attendees included journalists, diplomats, leaders of the Diaspora communities and members of the travel and tour industry. Air Senegal was created in 2016 to replace bankrupt Senegal Airlines, which was under liquidation. However, 2019 witnessed a big expansion for the carrier with expansion in the long haul sector with the arrival of new aircraft equipment with new routes to multiple destinations, including Casablanca in Morocco; Accra, Ghana, Abuja and Lagos, Nigeria.