Air Senegal compensation: €600 for delayed or cancelled flights to Dakar
Air Senegal's flights between Europe and Dakar cover more than 4,000 km, which puts them in the top compensation band. If your flight left a European airport and reached Dakar 3 hours or more late, or was cancelled at short notice, you may be owed €600 per passenger. We have already handled claims for more than 240 Air Senegal passengers, many of them flying from Paris or Milan.
Air Senegal is Senegal's state-owned national airline, based at Blaise Diagne International Airport near Dakar. As a non-EU carrier, it is bound by Regulation (EC) 261/2004 only on flights departing from the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland. Your Dakar–Paris return is not covered, even if both legs were on one ticket.
Late into Dakar
You flew out of Europe and reached Dakar, or your final destination, at least 3 hours behind schedule.
3 hours or moreCancelled
Air Senegal scrapped your departure from Europe and gave you under two weeks' notice.
Under 14 daysBumped
You were turned away at the gate in Paris or another European airport because the flight was full.
Payable at onceExcluded
Flights leaving Dakar, regional hops within West Africa and genuinely extraordinary events.
Returns and African routesUnsure about your trip? Check your Air Senegal flight with the airports and date.
How much Air Senegal pays on our clients' routes
The amount is set by the distance from the European departure airport to your final destination; the fare makes no difference.
| Route | Covered? | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Paris–Dakar | Yes, departs the EU | €600 |
| Milan–Dakar | Yes, departs the EU (route closed in 2024) | €600 |
| Lyon–Dakar | Yes, departs the EU (route closed in 2024) | €600 |
| Dakar–Paris, Dakar–Banjul | No, departs Senegal | Not payable |
Everyone on the booking claims separately, including children with their own seat: three travellers on a Paris–Dakar flight that landed 5 hours late could be owed €1,800.
Air Senegal flight delayed: what to do
Around 6 in 10 Air Senegal claims we receive concern a delay, sometimes with departure pushed into the following day. While you wait:
- Keep your ticket and boarding pass, even if you booked through a travel agent: we need the booking reference and HC flight number.
- Photograph the departures board and note when the doors open in Dakar.
- Ask the Air Senegal desk for the reason in writing and keep texts and emails.
- Hold on to receipts for food, taxis or hotels if no care is offered.
- Sign nothing that gives up compensation for a discount voucher.
Meals and a hotel while you wait
On covered flights, Air Senegal must provide food and drink and, if you are delayed overnight, a hotel and transfers:
| Distance | Care after |
|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | 2 hours |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | 3 hours |
| Over 3,500 km (every Europe–Dakar flight) | 4 hours |
| Delay of 5 hours or more | You can cancel the trip and get a refund |
Onward connection from Dakar
On a single booking such as Paris–Dakar–Abidjan, arrival in Abidjan is what counts: if the first flight left you 3 hours or more late there, compensation covers the whole trip. A regional flight bought separately is not included. Read more about Air Senegal delayed flight compensation.
Air Senegal flight cancelled: refund and compensation
Almost a third of our Air Senegal files are cancellations. Two rights can apply at once:
Your choice: the ticket price back, or another flight to Dakar.
On top, if you were told about the cancellation of a flight from Europe less than 14 days before.
| Notice given | Compensation |
|---|---|
| 14 days or more | No, only a refund or rerouting |
| 7 to 13 days | Yes, unless the replacement leaves no more than 2 hours earlier and lands less than 4 hours late |
| Under 7 days | Yes, unless the replacement leaves no more than 1 hour earlier and lands less than 2 hours late |
Rescheduled flights. Air Senegal announced further rescheduling on its Paris route in 2026. A major time change notified only days before departure can count as a cancellation. See our page on a cancelled Air Senegal flight.
Air Senegal overbooking
Denied boarding is rare in our Air Senegal files, fewer than 5 in 100. If it happens at a European airport through no fault of yours, compensation is due immediately, plus a new flight. It is not owed if you were refused for a visa or travel document problem. Find out more about Air Senegal overbooking.
Strikes and Air Senegal flights
A walkout by Air Senegal's own pilots or cabin crew does not get the airline off the hook: the EU Court of Justice sees it as a normal business risk (case C-28/20). If your Paris departure is cancelled because French air traffic controllers strike, that is an extraordinary circumstance: no compensation, but care and a refund still apply.
Air Senegal won't pay? The usual explanations
A shortage of aircraft or a breakdown is part of normal fleet management.
EU Court of Justice, case C-549/07A knock-on delay is not extraordinary by itself: the airline must prove the original cause.
True if your journey started in Senegal. If it was a connection on a trip that began in Europe, it needs checking.
Only valid if it really affected your flight at that time, which we verify.
Milan, Lyon, Marseille and Barcelona: routes dropped in 2024
In September 2024 Air Senegal suspended its flights to Milan, Lyon, Marseille and Barcelona, keeping Paris-Charles de Gaulle as its only European destination. If you had a delay or cancellation on one of those routes before they closed, you can still claim as long as the time limit has not run out. If your flight was cancelled because the route was axed, it depends on when you were told.
Air Senegal has also flown with aircraft and crews leased from other airlines. In those cases we check who actually operated the flight and who the claim should go to.
How to claim from Air Senegal: alone or with us
You can write to customer service through the airline's official website, quoting your booking, flight number and a request for compensation under Regulation 261/2004.
Free, but replies can be slow. If refused, you can contact the national enforcement body of the country where the flight departed, or go to court, at your own expense.
Send us the details and sign online. Claim, formal demand and court action with our lawyers are on us. You only pay if you're paid: 25% + VAT.
Already turned down?
That's not the end. If the flight left Europe and the reason given is vague, we send a formal letter before action.
What to have ready
- Ticket or confirmationA travel agent's confirmation is fine, with the booking reference.
- ID or passportFor every passenger, children included.
- EvidenceAir Senegal messages, photos and receipts.
Deadline to claim
The regulation sets no time limit: national law where you bring the claim applies (EU Court of Justice, case C-139/11). A Milan–Dakar flight from before the route closed may still be claimable: enter the date.
How long Air Senegal takes to pay
If Air Senegal accepts, payment usually arrives within a few weeks. With a non-EU airline, though, it is often necessary to send a formal demand or go to court in the departure country, which takes a few months. Once we're paid, we transfer your share: €417 of every €600.
Lost or damaged bags with Air Senegal
Luggage is covered by the Montreal Convention. If your case doesn't arrive in Dakar or turns up damaged, fill in a PIR at the baggage office and send a written claim within 7 days for damage or within 21 days of delivery for delay.
Air Senegal contacts and flight status
- Head office
- Air Sénégal, Blaise Diagne International Airport, Diass, Senegal
- Claims
- Customer service via the airline's official website
- Flight status
- Air Senegal's official website and your departure airport's website
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