Air Sénégal crew suspension: behind the scenes of a route in crisis
What triggered the grounding of an entire Dakar-Paris crew
On September 17, a sweeping decision sent shockwaves through Air Sénégal: every flight attendant assigned to the Dakar-Paris route was temporarily relieved of duty. The move, confirmed by an internal source, aims to allow a full inquiry into allegations of paid parcel carrying. The airline wants to establish exactly who was involved and how deep the practice ran.
The suspicion centers on what is locally known as “GP” – a shorthand for transporting goods for a fee, typically calculated per kilogram. Air Sénégal prohibits this activity outright, viewing it as a form of illicit cargo trafficking. So far, the company has not disclosed what was inside the packages at the heart of the investigation.
A Georgian crew and aircraft step in to keep the route alive
Since the suspension, the Dakar-Paris service has been operated by crew and one aircraft from MyWay, a private Georgian carrier, flying on behalf of Air Sénégal. The arrangement keeps the route running but underscores the gravity of the situation.
The incident lands at a particularly sensitive moment. Air Sénégal has long faced criticism over service quality, and its financial troubles are well documented: several of its own planes have been seized, leaving a leased MyWay Boeing to maintain the link between the French and Senegalese capitals.
Root causes: financial strain and a troubled reputation
Behind the immediate scandal lies a deeper story of an airline stretched thin. The seizure of multiple aircraft had already forced Air Sénégal to rely on external capacity. That dependency, combined with recurring complaints about service, has created an environment where internal rules may have been tested. The parcel-carrying allegations now threaten to compound existing pressures.
For passengers, the visible impact is a route still operating but under foreign crew. For the airline, the stakes are higher: restoring confidence, completing the investigation, and addressing the structural weaknesses that left it vulnerable in the first place.
