Air Senegal Ends New York Flights, Pulls Out Of United States

Air Senegal will be ending its route to the United States, which it launched a few years back, as reported by AeroRoutes. I can’t say I’m surprised, and if anything, I’m amazed it lasted this long.

Air Senegal cuts Dakar to New York route

As of September 19, 2024, Air Senegal will be discontinuing its 3,830-mile route between Dakar (DSS) and New York (JFK). The route currently operates twice weekly with the following schedule:

HC407 Dakar to New York departing 4:00AM arriving 9:00AM
HC408 New York to Dakar departing 1:30AM arriving 1:50PM

The airline launched this route back in September 2021. At first, the flight operated all the way to Baltimore (BWI), so the airline operated a tag flight between New York and Baltimore, so it could serve both markets in the United States with a single transatlantic route. However, in January 2023, the airline pulled the plug on the Baltimore tag flight, just keeping the service between Dakar and New York.

Another interesting twist with this route has been that it has been operated by a wet leased aircraft. Senegal doesn’t have a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Category 1 safety rating, meaning Senegal-registered aircraft can’t operate flights to the United States.

While Air Senegal had two Airbus A330-900neos in its fleet, one of those planes was technically registered in Malta, to wet lease operator Hi Fly Malta. So that plane had been used for service to the United States, with a Hi Fly crew.

However, in November 2023, that jet, with the registration code 9H-SZN, was parked. It’s my understanding that the aircraft is being reregistered in Senegal, so it can be used on other routes, without needing to use another operator. Meanwhile the New York service has been flown with other wet leased Hi Fly aircraft.

I’m not surprised this route didn’t work out

Air Senegal (in its current form) only launched operations in 2018, and is a government 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 plane sits on the ground for more than 16 hours with each trip
• A route is especially expensive to operate and hard to justify when you’re leasing a plane from another airline, as you know what the direct costs are
• Air Senegal didn’t establish any codeshare agreements in the United States, to increase passenger numbers, so it provided little reach in the United States beyond New York
• Air Senegal is competing directly with Delta in this market, and Delta has a lot more connectivity in New York, more frequencies, and a better reputation
• Air Senegal has consistently averaged a load factor of well under 70% on the route, and in some periods, even well under 50%

Why is this route suddenly being cut now, when presumably it has lost money for the past three years? Several months ago, Senegal appointed a new president, who demanded an in-depth financial audit of companies owned by the state, to make sure they were spending money responsibly.

I have to imagine that wasn’t a pretty exercise for Air Senegal, and that’s why we’re now seeing this route cut.

Bottom line

As of September 2024, Air Senegal will discontinue its flight to New York. This was first launched in September 2021, though it’s pretty clear the airline hasn’t made any money in the market. With Air Senegal under increased financial pressure from the government, it’s pretty clear why this route is being axed.

What do you make of Air Senegal cutting New York flights?