Blaise Diagne International Airport (), is an international airport near the town of Diass in Thiès Region, Senegal, east of downtown Dakar. It is served by the Train Express Régional connecting the airport to Dakar.
It serves as the main airport for Dakar, replacing Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport, which had become too small. It is named after Blaise Diagne, the first black African elected to France's parliament in 1914. Regular flights are operated to destinations across many parts of Africa, as well as to Europe, Macaronesia, the Middle East, the United States, and Canada.
History
The airport was originally expected to be operational at the end of the year 2011, but this date was pushed back by almost a year in September of that year. In September 2012, Senegalese Prime Minister Abdoul Mbaye announced that the airport would open in the first quarter of 2014. In January 2015, word spread that the airport would open in June 2015. On 4 April 2015, Reuters announced a new opening date for early 2016.
The expected building costs rose to 566 million euros, with over 400 million coming from the Saudi Binladin Group.
The airport then was finally opened for scheduled operations on 7 December 2017.
Airlines and destinations Passenger The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Dakar Blaise Diagne Airport:
Cargo
Statistics
Ground transportation
The Train Express Regional Dakar-AIBD is a rail link between the airport and Dakar. The first phase, linking downtown Dakar and Diamniadio, opened on 27 December 2021. The second phase connecting to the airport opened on 28 September 2026.
References
External links
Official website