As AeroRoutes reports, Air Senegal will be discontinuing its route to the US that it launched several years ago. I can’t say I’m surprised by this, and if anything, I’m amazed it took this long.
Air Senegal cancels the Dakar-New York route
Effective September 19, 2024, Air Senegal will discontinue its 3,830-mile route between Dakar (DSS) and New York (JFK). The route is currently served twice weekly with the following schedule:
HC407 Dakar to New York, departure 4:00 am, arrival 9:00 am
HC408 New York to Dakar, departure 1:30 am, arrival 1:50 pm
The airline launched this route in September 2021. Initially, the flight went as far as Baltimore (BWI), so the airline operated a daytime flight between New York and Baltimore to serve both markets in the United States with a single transatlantic route. However, in January 2023, the airline discontinued the daytime flight to Baltimore and only maintained the service between Dakar and New York.
Another interesting feature of this route is that it is served by a leased aircraft. Senegal does not have a Category 1 safety rating from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which means that aircraft registered in Senegal cannot operate flights to the United States.
Although Air Senegal had two Airbus A330-900neo aircraft in its fleet, one of these aircraft was technically registered in Malta, to wet-lease operator Hi Fly Malta, and was therefore used for flights to the United States with a Hi Fly crew.
However, in November 2023, this jet, with registration code 9H-SZN, was parked. As far as I know, the aircraft will be re-registered in Senegal so that it can be used on other routes without the need for another operator. In the meantime, the New York service was operated with other Hi Fly aircraft flown on a wet lease basis.
I am not surprised that this approach did not work
Air Senegal (in its current form) only started operations in 2018 and is a state-owned airline. It seemed pretty clear to me that the motive for this route was prestige rather than profitability:
- The aircraft utilization for this route is horrendous, as the aircraft remains on the ground for more than 16 hours on each flight.
- Operating a route is particularly expensive and difficult to justify when leasing an aircraft from another airline, knowing what the direct costs are
- Air Senegal has not entered into any codeshare agreements in the US to increase passenger numbers, so its reach in the US beyond New York has been limited.
- Air Senegal competes directly with Delta in this market, and Delta has much better connectivity in New York, more frequencies and a better reputation.
- Air Senegal consistently recorded an average load factor of well below 70% on this route and in some periods even well below 50%.
Why is this route suddenly being cut off now, when it has reportedly been making losses for the past three years? A few months ago, Senegal appointed a new president who called for a thorough financial audit of state-owned companies to ensure they spend their money responsibly.
I can imagine that this was not a pleasant undertaking for Air Senegal and that this route is therefore now being cancelled.
Conclusion
Starting in September 2024, Air Senegal will discontinue its service to New York. This was first introduced in September 2021, although it is quite clear that the airline was not making money in the market. With Air Senegal facing increasing financial pressure from the government, it is quite clear why this route is being cancelled.
What do you think about Air Senegal restricting flights to New York?
