Senegal Airlines
Defunct Senegalese airline
Last updated August 31, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Sénégal Airlines was a Senegalese scheduled airline created in the aftermath of Air Sénégal International's 2009 shutdown. Operating under the wider Groupe Air Sénégal name, it sought to maintain and rebuild Senegal's regional air links from a principal base at Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport in Dakar. The carrier began flying on 25 January 2011 and served a network extending across Senegal, neighbouring West and Central African countries, Cape Verde, and France. The airline's route structure connected Dakar with a range of regional capitals and commercial centres, including Abidjan, Bamako, Banjul, Bissau, Conakry, Cotonou, Douala, Libreville, Nouakchott, Niamey, Ouagadougou, Praia, and Paris. It also operated domestic Senegalese services to locations including Cap Skirring and Ziguinchor. These routes positioned the company as a regional network carrier rather than a purely domestic operator, with Dakar functioning as its principal connecting point. Sénégal Airlines was privately controlled to a substantial degree, with the available reference material describing 64 percent private ownership. Edgardo Badiali, previously associated with GoAir and MyAir, served as chief executive. Despite its planned role as a national and regional carrier, the airline faced severe financial difficulties. By the time the Senegalese government announced the formal end of its operations in April 2016, the company had accumulated more than 100 billion CFA francs in debt since its inception. The debt burden led to the withdrawal of the airline from service and the effective termination of the brand as an operating carrier. The shutdown left Senegal without the carrier that had followed Air Sénégal International. Senegalese authorities subsequently pursued the creation of a new flag carrier, and Air Senegal was launched in May 2018 as its successor in national aviation policy, although it was a separate airline and should not be treated as the same corporate entity. Sénégal Airlines therefore occupies a transitional place in Senegal's aviation history: it was established to fill the gap left by a previous national airline, developed a broad African schedule, and ultimately ceased trading after persistent financial problems.
History
Sénégal Airlines emerged after Air Sénégal International ceased operating in 2009. Its creation was part of Senegal's effort to preserve a national aviation presence and restore scheduled links from Dakar to domestic and international destinations. The new carrier operated under the Groupe Air Sénégal name and established its main base at Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport. The airline's first flights took place on 25 January 2011. Its network was designed around Dakar and included both domestic Senegalese routes and connections across Africa. Within Senegal, the carrier served Cap Skirring and Ziguinchor in addition to Dakar. Internationally, its published network included Banjul in The Gambia; Bissau, Conakry, and Abidjan in the western part of the continent; Cotonou, Ouagadougou, Bamako, Nouakchott, and Niamey; and the central African cities of Douala and Libreville. Praia in Cape Verde and Paris were also listed among its destinations. The resulting network gave the airline a regional profile, linking Senegal with neighbouring states and selected international markets. Edgardo Badiali served as chief executive. The available account describes the company as 64 percent privately owned, although the ownership structure and capital history are not detailed in the supplied material. The airline's operating model depended on sustaining a sufficiently broad network from Dakar, but it did not achieve financial stability. Debt accumulated throughout the company's existence, eventually exceeding 100 billion CFA francs. On 12 April 2016, Senegal's Minister of Economy, Finance and Planning announced that Sénégal Airlines had formally ceased all operations. The closure ended the carrier's scheduled services and removed the brand from the active airline market. The government then indicated that it intended to establish another flag carrier. Air Senegal was subsequently launched on 14 May 2018 to fill that strategic role. Air Senegal is a successor in policy and market purpose, not a continuation of Sénégal Airlines' operating company. Sénégal Airlines is consequently a defunct airline whose historical importance lies in the short period between two attempts to maintain Senegalese national air connectivity. It inherited the need created by Air Sénégal International's collapse, built a substantial African route map, and then closed after accumulated debt made continued operations unsustainable.
- 2018
Air Senegal launched
[1]Air Senegal began operations as a new carrier intended to replace Sénégal Airlines in Senegal's national aviation framework.
- 2016
Operations formally terminated
[1]The Senegalese government announced the formal cessation of all airline operations on 12 April after the company accumulated more than 100 billion CFA francs of debt.
- 2011
First flights
[1]Sénégal Airlines operated its first flights on 25 January 2011 from its Dakar base.
- 2009
Air Sénégal International ceases operations
[1]The shutdown of Air Sénégal International created the commercial and national-aviation context in which Sénégal Airlines was established.
Products and positioning
A Senegal-based regional network airline intended to restore scheduled domestic and international connectivity after the closure of Air Sénégal International.
Passenger air transportation
Domestic scheduled passenger services
Sénégal Airlines operated scheduled flights within Senegal from its Dakar base. The documented domestic destinations included Cap Skirring and Ziguinchor, giving the carrier a role in connecting the capital with important locations outside Dakar.
Passenger air transportation
Regional African scheduled services
The airline's principal commercial offering was a regional African network linking Dakar with capitals and major cities across West and Central Africa. Destinations listed before closure included Abidjan, Bamako, Banjul, Bissau, Cotonou, Conakry, Douala, Libreville, Niamey, Nouakchott, Ouagadougou, and Praia.
International passenger air transportation
Dakar–Paris service
Paris Charles de Gaulle was listed as the airline's European destination. The route represented the carrier's connection between Senegal and France alongside its larger African network.
Brand decisions
2016
Terminate airline operationsStrategyBackground
The carrier faced a substantial accumulated debt burden and was no longer able to continue its scheduled airline operation.
Action taken
Senegal formally ended Sénégal Airlines' operations, removing the airline from service and beginning preparations for a new national carrier.
Aftermath
The airline became defunct. Air Senegal was later launched in 2018 as a separate successor carrier in Senegal's national aviation policy.
Accumulated debt. More than 100 billion CFA francs (By April 2016, since inception)
Recent events
- 2018
Air Senegal launched as successor national carrier[1]
Other
Air Senegal was launched on 14 May 2018 as the new carrier intended to replace Sénégal Airlines in Senegal's national aviation system.
- 2016
Sénégal Airlines formally ceases operations[1]
Bankruptcy · Other
Senegal's Minister of Economy, Finance and Planning announced on 12 April 2016 that the airline had formally stopped all operations after accumulating more than 100 billion CFA francs in debt.
- 2011
Sénégal Airlines begins scheduled operations[1]
Other
The airline made its first flights on 25 January 2011 after being established in the wake of Air Sénégal International's 2009 cessation of operations.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/senegal-airlines · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled