The origin of this call for help was Carlyle Aviations Partners' refusal to provide the national company with documents relating to the registration of four aircraft that it had made available for lease.
The registrations in question expired on Saturday, January 18. Well before this date, the National Agency for Civil Aviation and Meteorology (Anacim) had asked Air Senegal to update "the delegations of powers." In certain official documents required for this procedure and held by Carlyle, Alioune Badara Fall is designated as the company's general manager in place of Tidiane Ndiaye, who replaced him.
To comply with Anacim's request, the latter sent a letter to Carlyle on January 13, well before the expiry of the registrations. "Your persistent refusal to provide the updated delegations of authority risks affecting the registration of the aircraft concerned and prevents Air Senegal Sa from complying with its obligations under section 6 in the aircraft leasing contracts, in particular for the one concluded on May 18, 2018 for MSN 3078," the company's boss complains in his letter, which was taken up by L'Observateur. Tidiane Ndiaye continued: “We ask you to consider this final request before the expiry of the provisional registration certificate of MSN 30 78, scheduled for January 18, 2025, and to take, accordingly, all necessary measures so that Air Senegal Sa can have the updated Poas [Delegations of Authority] for the A319 MSN 2897 and 3078 and the A321 MSN 1881 and 1921, as soon as possible.”
Despite the urgency of the situation, Carlyle has remained silent. At the same time, reveals L’Observateur, the aircraft lessor “demands from the current general management [of Air Senegal] a letter of intent to purchase four aircraft valued at $32 million, or 20,368,374,784 CFA francs. Of this tidy sum, Caryle is demanding an immediate down payment of $18 million, or 11,457,210,816 CFA francs, [demanding] that the balance of $14 million, or 8.9 billion CFA francs, [be] paid no later than May 31, 2025." On Air Senegal's side, these demands are seen as blackmail and threats. "These funds [demanded by Carlyle] are not available in the airline's coffers," according to sources from the Groupe Futur Médias newspaper at the national flag management level. The latter reveal that the company's lawyers are considering legal proceedings against Carlyle.
