United Airlines launches first-ever flight service between Washington Dulles and Dakar

Patrick Quayle, United Airlines Senior Vice President of Global Network Planning and Alliances stated, “We are excited to launch United’s first ever service from Senegal, further expanding our route network from Africa to the U.S." He highlighted that travelers from Senegal will benefit from direct service to the U.S. capital with seamless connections available through their Washington Dulles hub.

The new route signifies United's expansion into Francophone West Africa with Senegal as its inaugural destination. This connection aims to bolster tourism development by strengthening the leisure market segment at Dakar Airport. US Ambassador to Senegal Michael Raynor noted that this service reflects potential seen by both US private sector and government in the region.

While United remains the sole airline flying between Washington and Dakar, Delta Air Lines also serves Senegal with three weekly flights from New York-JFK using Boeing 767-300ER aircraft equipped with 216 seats.

United's move into Dakar forms part of an extensive international expansion strategy that includes adding six new destinations and nine routes across the Atlantic for summer operations. The airline plans over 800 daily flights connecting to more than 140 international locations during this period.

With this launch, United now flies to six African cities including Johannesburg and Cape Town (South Africa), Lagos (Nigeria), Accra (Ghana), Marrakech (Morocco), alongside its newest addition - Dakar.

Delta also offers services to Accra, Lagos, Johannesburg, and Cape Town with a total of 27 weekly flights scheduled for June. Other airlines providing nonstop US-Africa routes include Royal Air Maroc, Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways among others.