With our correspondent in Dakar, Léa-Lisa Westerhoff

On 17 September, Air Sénégal made a decisive move: it suspended its entire cabin crew on the Dakar-Paris route. The airline says the measure is temporary, pending an internal investigation to determine responsibility, according to a source within the company. This is the moment that changes everything.

The reason: suspicions of paid parcel carrying. In plain terms, some crew members allegedly agreed to transport goods for a fee per kilo — an activity known as “GP”, strictly prohibited by Air Sénégal and linked to cargo trafficking. The airline has not yet disclosed what the parcels contained.

Georgian aircraft and crew take over the route

Since that date, the cabin crew of Georgian private airline MyWay has been operating the Dakar-Paris service on board one of its aircraft, on behalf of Air Sénégal.

This incident is a stain on the airline’s reputation, which is regularly criticised for its service quality. It also faces severe financial difficulties: several of its planes have been seized, and a Boeing from MyWay, leased by the company, now operates the link between the French and Senegalese capitals.