Published: October 19, 2026
DAKAR, Senegal — Liberians could reach Dakar and the rest of West Africa in a new way as early as the first half of 2027. Air Sénégal, Senegal’s national carrier, is preparing to launch flights to Monrovia, the Liberia Civil Aviation Authority said.
By Blamo N. Toe
Air Sénégal Chief Executive Officer Tidiane Ndiaye told Liberia Civil Aviation Authority Director General Julius D. Dennis Jr. that arrangements were underway for a service linking Dakar and Monrovia through Conakry, Guinea, and Freetown, Sierra Leone. The two met at the airline’s headquarters in Dakar on Friday, Oct. 16, according to the authority. The airline is targeting the first or second quarter of next year.
If finalized, the route would give Liberia another direct air link to Senegal and connect four West African capitals on a single service. For business travelers, investors, tourists, government officials and families with ties across the subregion, that would mean more choice on routes where convenient connections have long been scarce.
The meeting is part of a broader push by the authority under Dennis to bring more international airlines to Liberia. Diversifying carriers is seen as important to the country’s economic ambitions, from attracting foreign investment and growing tourism to improving access to regional markets.
Ndiaye also said Air Sénégal was exploring direct flights from North America to Dakar, with onward connections to other West African destinations. The airline has not announced routes or timelines. For Liberia, whose diaspora in the United States is large, a North America to Dakar link with a Monrovia connection could eventually shorten trips home.
Air Sénégal flies from Blaise Diagne International Airport near Dakar to destinations across Africa and to international markets including Paris. Adding Monrovia would extend its reach along the West African coast.
Dennis thanked Diaga Basse, director general of the Senegal Civil Aviation Authority, for arranging the meeting at short notice. The Liberian authority called the gesture a demonstration of African solidarity and of the value of close cooperation among aviation regulators.
The talks also advance Liberia’s commitment to the African Union’s Single African Air Transport Market. The continental initiative is anchored in the Yamoussoukro Decision and aims to remove restrictions on air services, open African skies to competition and let African airlines expand across the continent.
The proposed flights still depend on completing regulatory, commercial and operational arrangements. Even so, the Dakar talks have opened the door to another airline serving Liberia in 2027. A Dakar-Conakry-Freetown-Monrovia service would advance the authority’s goal of making Liberia easier to reach for regional and international travelers.
Discussion about this post