• Prime Minister orders refinancing, recapitalization, and audit steps

• Finance Ministry tasked with urgent budget support for airline

• Carrier has received CFA181B in state aid since 2018

Senegal’s Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko has given the minister of Land and Air Transport 30 days to implement key measures adopted during an interministerial council dedicated to the transport sector, with a focus on Air Sénégal. The directive was issued at the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, February 11.

The measures include accelerating the airline’s full recovery plan, launching a refinancing operation, presenting a detailed proposal for definitive recapitalization, and completing a rationalization audit followed by adoption of a corrective plan.

To ensure continuity of services, the Prime Minister also instructed the Finance Minister to urgently mobilize the resources needed to settle overdue payments to essential suppliers through an exceptional and justified budget reallocation.

The instructions come as Air Sénégal continues to face operational and governance challenges. The carrier, which has relied heavily on leased aircraft, at times operated with a reduced fleet due to unpaid obligations to lessors. The situation forced the airline to suspend or scale back flights on routes considered unprofitable, while it recorded consecutive operating losses in recent years.

At an interministerial council held in April 2025, the government said more than CFA100 billion (about $181 million) had been spent on aircraft leases. Since 2018, the airline has received CFA181 billion in public support without restoring financial stability. At that time, it carried debt exceeding CFA118 billion, after posting losses of CFA89 billion in 2022 and CFA57 billion in 2023.

In addition to the announced measures, the state plans to create Air Sénégal Express, a subsidiary focused on domestic and regional routes, including neighboring countries. The objective is to streamline operations and improve profitability in local markets. Other reforms under consideration include performance contracts to strengthen governance, opening the subsidiary’s capital to private investors, and pursuing strategic partnerships to expand the airline’s regional footprint.

Henoc Dossa