Air Senegal would cancel the lease of five Airbus A220 from Macquarie AirFinance, according to the Italia Vola website. The Dakar-based airline would take the decision after failing to take delivery of two aircraft that were supposed to arrive last December.
The company is affected by a widespread problem: availability issues with Pratt & Whitney PW1000G engines and new maintenance intervals set by the manufacturer.
In November 2019, Air Senegal signed a memorandum of understanding to incorporate up to eight A220-300. Two years later, at the 2021 Dubai Air Show, it confirmed a lease agreement for five units that were part of a Macquarie AirFinance order book for 29 airplanes.
Deliveries should be completed this year, with the possibility of leasing a further three aircraft in the future. Thanks to their long range, the new aircraft would be used to connect Dakar (DSS) to destinations in West Africa and Europe. However, Air Senegal has so far received only one A220-300.
The possible replacement for the A220
According to statements to Italia Vola by Eric Iba Gueye, the airline’s CCO, the unavailability of aircraft due to late deliveries caused operational problems, as three other aircraft in the fleet underwent mandatory maintenance overhauls in January. As a result, the airline had to reschedule flights and cut services on some routes, he said.
According to Gueye, Air Senegal is looking for a replacement for the A220-300. However, this is not an easy choice, as potential replacements, such as the Airbus A320neo or the Embraer E-195 E2, use the same powerplant.
While the PW1000G is one of the main reasons why the latest narrow-body model marketed by Airbus offers operators lower fuel burn and reduced operating costs, repeated problems with some of its systems and components led to difficulties in meeting the delivery schedule.
The situation particularly affected airlines with small fleets and limited replacement possibilities. Air Senegal is a long-standing customer of the European manufacturer, so the A320neo, which uses CFM International’s Leap 1-A engines, could be an option. However, it is a higher-capacity model that would require a corresponding demand.
The carrier had selected a two-class interior configuration with 133 seats, a lower density than other A220-300 operators have chosen.
See also: Air Senegal agrees to lease five A220-300s from Macquarie AirFinance
