■ SENEGAL: South Africa pledges to develop Dakar as a regional hub; to help set up new MRO facility.

With the recent conclusion of President Jacob Zuma's state visit to the West African country, South Africa has pledged to help Senegal develop Dakar as a West African hub, with particular emphasis on exploiting the city's new airport, Blaise Diagne International, set to be completed in late 2014.

► GHANA: Eagle Atlantic Airlines outlines initial West African launch timetable, network.

Ghana's Eagle Atlantic Airlines (E2) has outlined its initial West African regional service schedule now set to tentatively launch on October 21, 2013. Flights between Accra, Abidjan, Freetown, Dakar and Monrovia (Roberts) will operate on-board the airline's leased McDonnell Douglas MD82.

► SENEGAL: South African Airways' Johannesburg - New York goes via Dakar once more from late October.

With Summer on hand in the Southern Hemisphere, South African Airways (SA) has announced its daily outbound Johannesburg - New York JFK service will once more incorporate a stopover in Dakar, Senegal with effect from October 27. The inbound remains direct.

■ SENEGAL: Spain, Senegal agree to boost traffic frequencies between them.

The Spanish Ministry of Development, through the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (Dirección General de Aviación Civil - DGAC), has agreed with the Senegalese Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport to increase the number of weekly flights (round trip) that can be operated between the two countries, to twenty (20) - representing an increase of 13 frequencies between Spain and Senegal in the last eight months. The newly signed MoU supersedes the previous one signed in December 2012 which had provision for only 7-14 weekly frequencies.

► SENEGAL: BinterCanarias begins weekly Las Palmas - Dakar flights from mid October.

Binter Canarias (NT), the Gran Canaria-based Spanish regional operator, has announced the launch of a once weekly service to the Senegalese capital, Dakar, effective October 14. The direct flights will operate onboard leased Air Nostrum (YW) CRJ200s.

► NIGERIA: Med-View Airline granted regional, international traffic rights; eyes Dubai by year end.

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has reportedly granted Kano-based Med-View Airline (VL) regional and international traffic rights with flights to Dubai to launch before year end, the airline's managing director, Alhaji Muneer Bankole, has announced.

► SENEGAL: Senegal Airlines operating a CemAir CRJ100 as grounded A320 causes headaches.

Senegal Airlines (DN) has, since earlier in the year, replaced an ATR72-200, (MCN 460 | ZS-XCB), wet-leased from Solenta Aviation, with a CRJ-100, (MCN 7338 | ZS-CRJ), wet-leased from fellow South African operator, Lanseria-based CemAir. 

■ SENEGAL: Menzies Aviation pulls out of Senegal after local partner is implicated in Karim Wade corruption trial.

Global passenger, ramp and cargo handling services provider, Menzies Aviation, has withdrawn its support and ceased doing business in Senegal after its local partner, Aviation Handling Services (AHS), was placed under judicial administration following an investigation into the alleged corrupt business activities of the former Minister of State for International Cooperation, Regional Development, Air Transport, and Infrastructure, Karim Wade, the son of former Senegalese president, Abdoulaye Wade.

► BELGIUM: brussels airlines modifies Banjul, Dakar, Freetown and Monrovia from late October.

Belgian carrier brussels airlines (SN), will from October 27, 2013 adjust its operations to the following West African destinations including: Banjul, Dakar, Freetown and Monrovia.

■ SENEGAL: ASECNA secures $39million loan from the IFC for infrastructural upgrades.

The Agency for Aerial Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar (L'Agence pour la Sécurité de la Navigation aérienne en Afrique et à Madagascar - ASECNA) has secured a loan of USD39.43million (EUR30million) from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, to finance part of its renovation plan, which includes the acquisition of new equipment and the refurbishment of buildings. These investments will allow ASECNA to continue improving the quality of its services and to maintain its perfect safety track record. 

■■ SENEGAL: (Pics) Dakar's new Blaise Diagne International Airport now delayed until Q4 2014.

Blaise Diagne International Airport, Diass, Senegal

 

[UPDATE 12 JULY 2013] After a bold declaration last year by the then Senior Senegalese Minister in charge of International Cooperation, Air transport, Infrastructure and Energy, Karim Wade, that the capital Dakar's new Blaise Diagne International Airport (AIBD) in Diass would be ready this year, Senegal's Prime Minister, Abdoul Mbaye, today announced the country's second international airport would only be commissioned in the first quarter of 2014. He, however, did not provide a reason for the delay. [UPDATE 12 JULY 2013] Completion of the airport has now been delayed until November 2014. Senegalese paper, Libération, is quoted as saying a dispute between the Bin Laden Group and Dakar which threatened to derail the project has since been resolved with works now back on track.

► GUINEA: Emirates to add 4x weekly Conakry from late October.

Emirates (EK) will from October 27 incorporate a stop in Conakry, Guinea on its 4x weekly Dubai to Dakar, Senegal route. The service currently operates with an Airbus A340-300. The addition of Conakry takes the number of Emirates destinations in Africa to 24. A global producer of bauxite (aluminium ore), Guinea is fast attracting attention from international carriers aiming to tap into the country's growing premium-class market.

► FLEET UPDATE BULLETIN: Rwandair, FirstNation Airways, GEASA Guinea Ecuatorial Airlines, Libyan Airlines, Senegalese Air Force, Dana Air.

The following is a fleet update bulletin for aircraft that are in use, have been in use or will be in use for these listed airlines: FirstNation Airways Nigeria (FRN), Libyan Airlines (LN), Rwandair (WB), GEASA Guinea Ecuatorial, the Senegalese Air Force, Dana Air Nigeria (9J).

► ALGERIA: Air Algérie's turnaround plan begins to bear fruit as Africa now a "priority" market.

Air Algérie's (AH) turnaround plan is beginning to pay off with the number of passengers uplifted increasing by more than 13% during the first four months of 2013. The carrier's traffic has grown by 13.61% on 2011/2012 resulting in a market share growth of 49%, CEO Mohamed Salah Boultif announced at a press conference in Algiers on Saturday.

► GUINEA BISSAU: ASKY Airlines to start Bissau from July 15; plans South Africa, Angola and possibly Europe in future.

Ethiopian Airlines' West African subsidiary, ASKY Airlines (KP), is set to commence flights to Bissau, the capital of Guinea Bissau, from July 15 following the signing  of an agreement between the Bissau-Guinean civil aviation authority (Agência da Aviação Civil da Guiné-Bissau - AACGB) and ASKY officials.

► MALI: Douniah Airlines now eyeing an ATR72 with new launch date set for late May.

Malian startup, Douniah Airlines (DTS), is now set to add an ATR72 to its fleet in preparation of its planned launch, delayed from earlier this year likely due to the crisis in Mali.

► SENEGAL: ASKY Airlines boosts Dakar ops to 6x weekly with new flight via Ouagadougou.

Ethiopian Airlines' (ET) Lomé, Togo-based subsidiary, ASKY Airlines (KP), has boosted its operations to Dakar, Senegal from 3x to 6x weekly during the course of the last month or so via the introduction of  new flight which goes via Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

► LIBYA: Afriqiyah eyeing more West African flight resumptions "in due course".

Libyan carrier, Afriqiyah (8U), is set to relaunch flights to West Africa in the coming weeks as the carrier seeks to re-establish its former Sub-Saharan network, suspended following the fall of Muammur Gaddhafi's regime.

■ SENEGAL: Atoumane Fall, DG of Civil Aviation Authority, fired as a result of the 1900D crash in São Tomé & Principe.

Reports out of Senegal state that Atoumane Fall, the director of the Senegalese Civil Aviation and Meteorology authority, Agence Nationale de l'Aviation Civile et de la Météorologie (ANACIM) has been fired as a result, it is claimed, of the recent disappearance, and presumed crash, of a Beechcraft 1900D in the Gulf of Guinea, just off the coast of São Tomé & Principe.

■ SENEGAL: ADS decries lack of traffic at Tambacounda Airport despite costly upgrades.

Roughly one year on from a USD2million (XFA1billion) upgrade of its various navigation and landing aides, Senegal's Tambacounda Airport still remains underserved and in urgent need of development the agence des Aéroports Du Sénégal (ADS) Tambacounda airport's general manager, Kabe Cissé, has said.