Transair plane suffered runway excursion on take off in Senegal

A Boeing 737 jet suffered a runway excursion in Senegal, injuring at least 10 people, 4 of them seriously with 6 others taken to hospital for checkups. 

The aircraft belonged to Transair, operating a charter flight for  Air Senegal was carrying 78 passengers plus a flight crew of 6 at the time of the incident. The jet was headed for the Malian capital Bamako and according to initial reports, the jet left the runway during its take-off run around 1:00am GMT.  

Early reports indicate the aircraft may have experienced a hydraulic leak during the acceleration as it commenced its take-off run at Blaise Diagne International Airport, approximately 30 miles from Dakar.  

The near 30-year-old aircraft, registration 6V-AJE had originally been delivered Tarom of Romania in 1994 and joined the Transair fleet towards the end of December last year. 

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Another Boeing 737 also suffered damage today, Thursday 9 May, when an aircraft belonging to Corendon Airlines, registration 9H-TJF arrived at Gazipasa experienced a burst tyre on its nose gear. The aircraft was operating flight XC1031 between Germany and Turkey Gazipasa, Turkey and the wheel was damaged during the incident. 

A Boeing 767-300ER was approximately four hours into a transatlantic rotation from London To Newark when the flight crew declared an emergency today and the plane returned to London. The aircraft, of United Airlines, registration N685UA is understood to have suffered a broken windscreen during the flight, which required a turnaround. The crew landed the aircraft safely at Heathrow just after 15:00 this afternoon. 

Yesterday, a cargo Boeing 767-300F of FedEx operating a flight between Paris and Istanbul experienced a nose gear issue, when the wheels failed to deploy prior to landing.  The crew performed a low pass over the runway and a visual inspection took place.  The front gear could not be lowered and the crew performed a textbook landing with the nose gear retracted. 

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Air Senegal drops Central Africa route

The Dakar-based Air Senegal has just announced the suspension of its flights between Dakar and Cotonou-Douala-Libreville as of October 30, 2022. This decision is justified by the poor financial performance of this triangular line since its launch in March 2021.

Airhub takes on Air Senegal Airbus A330-300neo operations.

Airhub Aviation has introduced the newest addition to its wide-body fleet, the Airbus A330-900neo bearing the Maltese registration 9H-SZN. The three-year-old Airbus is also considered the youngest Maltese registered wide-body aircraft in operation. The A330 neo performed its first commercial flight with a Maltese operator was on the 17th of June, bound for Marseille, France from Dakar, Senegal where the aircraft normally operates from for the national carrier, Air Senegal. The jet was previously operated by HiFly Malta on behalf of Air Senegal.

According to CH-Aviation, this is one of two wide-body jets Airhub operates for Air Sénégal, the other being an Airbus A340-300 which is used on routes to Conakry, Milan Malpensa, and Paris CDG. 

The commercial deployment of a top-of-the-line A330-900neo demonstrates the confidence Airhub Aviation holds amongst its lessors and corporate clients. The company is actively engaged in the managing of high-value assets, leading to the significant enhancement of the service quality it offers globally.

“We are greatly honoured to be welcoming this Airbus A330-900neo into our fleet. Operating a modern aircraft of this calibre reflects Airhub Aviation’s dedication to providing exceptional high-quality services to our clients worldwide,” comments Husam Kharoufah, Vice President – Commercial at Airhub Aviation said.

The aircraft is currently configured with 32 seats in business class,  21 in premium and 237 in economy 

Airhub Aviation offers a bouquet of specialised airline and aviation industry services which successfully satisfies even the most complex requirements and turn-key projects. It brings together five companies specialising in different areas of aviation. United by the same passion for the industry,  ACMI, charter passenger and cargo operations, aircraft management, aviation training, recruitment services and MRO. 

Dakar to New York route coming soon from Air Senegal

The small West African airline Air Senegal has confirmed it will be starting a service from its home base of Dakar to New York's JFK airport this coming September.

The airline is going to be using an Airbus A330-900neo on the route, that will continue on to Washington Dulles Airport from 2nd September.  The new jet features 32 lie-flat seats in business class, 21 seats in premium economy cabin and 237 seats in economy.

In addition to onboard wifi, passengers will be able to take advantage of an impressive 46kg - two-piece - baggage allowance and other benefits the airline has put in place.

Ibrahima Kane, Managing Director of Air Senegal, said: "It is with great pleasure that we announce a new year-round link between Senegal and the United States of America, which is part of the strategic expansion of our intercontinental network. In addition, the United States remains a high priority market for our well-represented diaspora in the area. With this flight, Air Senegal will make the USA even more accessible, and thus better connectivity will strengthen strong economic and socio-cultural ties between the USA and Senegal."

The return flight has been timed to offer connections to Ziguinchor, Cap Skirring, Banjul, Conakry, Praia, Abidjan, Nouakchott, Bamako Cotonou, Douala, Libreville and Casablanca.

Air Senegal's current schedule.

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New London Stansted - Dakar service from Air Senegal starting in June

London Stansted will open up the UK’s only direct service to the Senegalese capital, Dakar, from this summer, boosting tourism and trade links for the East of England and London.

Air Senegal, who has chosen London Stansted for its first-ever UK service, will operate three flights a week starting on June 26 to the city made famous by the historic long-distance rally*.

The news has been welcomed by organisations and businesses in the region who say the flight will give local firms the chance to develop new trade and investment opportunities.

The route will also benefit the 400,000 people in London Stansted’s catchment area who currently travel to Dakar and other key African cities from other UK airports.

Air Senegal signs up for eight A220 aircraft

Air Senegal, the new national carrier of Senegal, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for eight A220-300 aircraft.

The A220s’ efficiency will enable Air Senegal to reduce the airline’s operating costs while offering passengers unrivalled comfort throughout its fleet. Earlier in 2019, the carrier was the first African airline to fly Airbus’ new-generation widebody aircraft, the A330neo, featuring latest technology engines, new wings with enhanced aerodynamics and a curved wingtip design, drawing best practices from the A350 XWB.

Mr Ibrahima Kane Air Senegal CEO said: “These new 220 aircraft will contribute to developing our long-haul network to Europe and our regional network in Africa. Combined with our recent A330neo aircraft, this new Airbus fleet reveals Air Senegal’s ambition to offer the best travel experience for our passengers.”

Air Senegal’s first A330neo arrives in Dakar ahead of delivery

“Casamance,” comes home......

The first Airbus A330neo for Air Senegal has touched down at Blaise-Diagne International Airport in Dakar, earlier this week. The technologically advanced jet painted in the livery of Air Senegal has been named “Casamance,” and was presented during a ceremony attended by His Excellency Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal, and Philippe Bohn, Chief Executive Officer Air Senegal. 

Air Senegal, which started operations in 2018, is set to receive its first A330neo in the coming weeks making it the first African airline to receive and operate the newest member of the leading Airbus widebody family. Fitted with a three-class cabin comprising 32 Business class, 21 Premium Plus and 237 Economy class seats, Air Senegal plans to operate its first A330neo on the soon to be opened Dakar-Paris route and develop its medium and long-haul network.

The A330neo is a true new generation aircraft building on the A330’s success and leveraging on A350 XWB technology. It incorporates highly efficient new generation Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines, and a new greater span 3D optimised wing with new Sharklets. Together, these advances bring a significant reduction in fuel consumption of 25% compared with older generation competitor aircraft of a similar size. The A330 is one of the most popular widebody families ever, having received over 1,700 orders from 120 customers.   

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