Air Sénégal (HC, Dakar Blaise Diagne Int'l) has taken delivery of its first widebody jet, A330-900 9H-SZN (msn 1910). One of two on order from Airbus, the aircraft was positioned to Dakar Blaise Diagne Int'l on Friday, March 8, and has since been deployed into service on the carrier's Dakar-Paris CDG, France route.
As previously reported, Hi Fly Malta (HFM, Malta Int'l) is operating the jet on Air Sénégal's behalf given it does not currently possess the IOSA or European TCO authorizations needed to serve the European Union. As part of plans to develop Dakar Blaise Diagne Int'l into an intercontinental connecting hub, the Senegalese carrier also plans to open up service to Brazil and the United States.
Aside from the A330neo, Air Sénégal also operates two A319-100s (of which one is leased from Air Côte d'Ivoire) and two ATR72-600s. It had also wet-leased an A340-300 from Hi Fly Malta prior to the A330neo's arrival.