« Today, regularity is almost 100%. From 35% when I had just arrived at General Management, punctuality was 92% in November “, he said, in an interview with the APS.
The manager, with thirty-eight years of experience in aviation, believes that the youth of the national airline is part of the causes of its technical and financial difficulties. “ I found a young company, since the operation of Air Sénégal started in 2018, with very low performance “, he pointed out.
« Seventy-five percent of the company’s flights were either delayed or canceled », added Tidiane Ndiaye, believing that after being appointed Director General, she found a “ small fleet, with technical problems with planes on the ground ».
Nearly six months after his appointment, he hopes to have found solutions to certain problems of the national company.
« i[Air Sénégal [est conforme maintenant aux] international standards, with [modèle d’entreprise] based on customer satisfaction]i”.
Already in 2023, the company obtained IOSA certification, the IATA Operational Safety Audit, a global standard for verifying the safety of airline operating procedures, which its current CEO considers “ a safety and security label ».
Towards the opening of new destinations
Only five of Air Senegal’s eight planes are currently operating, with the other three undergoing maintenance. “ Already, when I arrived at the General Directorate, only four of the eight planes making up the company’s fleet were operating, the others remained on the ground. »
« i[Aujourd’hui, cinq des huit avions fonctionnent […] We sent the others to approved maintenance centers in Europe, to restore them to good condition,” said Tidiane Ndiaye.
One of the pillars of the company’s relaunch consists, according to its Managing Director, of concentrating flights in West Africa, by eliminating service to certain European cities.
To date, Paris is the only European city where the planes of the Senegalese national company land, which operates 10 flights per week to Abidjan, seven flights per week to Bamako and Ouagadougou.
According to Tidiane Ndiaye, Air Senegal has 14 destinations in Africa. “ We serve Guinea on a daily basis, we have five flights per week to Gambia, four to Mauritania, in addition to domestic flights “, he clarified.
According to him, Air Senegal recently acquired 19-seater planes intended for domestic flights and the company now operates 10 flights per week to Cap-Skirring, in the Ziguinchor region (south).
He announces the opening of other destinations. “i[Nous prévoyons d’ouvrir la ligne de Niamey, en raison de la connaissance du réseau […] and the expectations we have for this destination.]i »
« i[Nous avons procédé à une restructuration du réseau. Nous nous sommes appesantis sur le réseau régional […]to do better what we know how to do,” explained Mr. Ndiaye.
