If you want to get to Saint-Louis, the major city in northern Senegal, you now have a choice between land and air. On Thursday, December 7, 2023, following the inaugural flight by the national airline, Air Senegal, the Minister of Air Transport and Airport Infrastructure Development, Antoine Mbengue, handed over the certification of this infrastructure to the Managing Director of AIBD SA, Abdoulaye Dièye.

This step marks the start of operations at the airport, which has been fully renovated as part of the Senegalese Airport Reconstruction Program (PRAS) and now bears the name of the former president of the Economic and Social Council (CES), Ousmane Masseck Ndiaye.

Through PRAS, Senegal aims to develop an attractive domestic air network that meets international standards, and thus move towards the goal of making the land of Teranga a sub-regional hub. To achieve this, substantial resources have been earmarked to bring these infrastructures up to international standards. The Ousmane Masseck Ndiaye international Airport in Saint-Louis, which cost 23.262 billion FCFA to renovate, is a perfect illustration.

It features state-of-the-art navigational aids, including a 2,450-meter-long, 45-meter-wide runway capable of accommodating B737-300s; a 150 square metre control tower 27 meters high (11 meters before renovation). It also features a 2,780 square metre terminal; a VIP lounge; a check-in hall (4 counters); an immigration control room; a boarding hall (2 counters); an arrivals hall; a baggage carousel hall and an administrative block.

According to AIBD SA, the opening of domestic and international routes will be accompanied by the development of non-aviation activities around the airport, including retail, catering, hotels and more.

“The opening of this airport is a long-awaited dream. It will facilitate agribusiness activities, which are highly developed in the region,” Saint-Louis deputy mayor Aida Mbengue Dieng enthused.

For Minister Antoine Mbengue, “the Ousmane Masseck Ndiaye international airport is set to become a real lever for development, with the exploitation of oil and gas resources, in addition to agricultural activities, tourism and services, notably higher education.”

Senegal: Saint-Louis International Airport Opens for Business