US-based global major carrier United Airlines has announced the start of its newest route linking the US with Africa. This is an all-year thrice-weekly direct connection between Washington DC and Dakar in Senegal. The new service is operated using Boeing 767-300 airliners.

This route is not only United’s first connection with Senegal, but also makes the airline the only one to link the two countries’ capital cities. This new service takes to six the number of African destinations served by the carrier.

“We are excited to launch United’s first ever service from Senegal, further expanding our route network from Africa to the US,” affirmed United Airlines senior VP: global network planning and alliances Patrick Quayle. “Travellers from Senegal will benefit from a direct service to the US capital, as well as the possibility to connect seamlessly via our Washington Dulles hub to 65 destinations across the Americas, while our US customers can take advantage of Dakar’s central location on Africa’s west coastline, making it the perfect gateway to Africa with pristine beaches, lush forests and rich archaeological history.”

“By welcoming United Airlines to [Dakar’s] Blaise Diagne Airport, we are opening a new route for connections to America,” pointed out Dakar airport management company LAS general director Askin Demir. “The arrival of United Airlines, one of the largest airlines in the United States, will offer travellers from [Dakar Blaise Diagne Airport] more connections to the United States and beyond, to the American continent, a flight operating three times a week on the Dakar-Washington route, allowing us to enhance our commercial offer for the American destination, while also reinforcing our connection network in our main markets, which are West Africa and Europe. This new flight is also a major asset for the development of tourism, thereby strengthening the leisure market segment, which already holds a significant share of traffic at Dakar Airport.”

United already links Washington DC with Cape Town in South Africa, Accra in Ghana, and Lagos in Nigeria. The carrier also operates routes between New York/Newark and (again) Cape Town as well as Johannesburg. Further, it now has a seasonal service between New York/Newark and Marrakech, Morocco.

Measured in terms of available seat miles, United is the world’s largest airline. It has seven hubs in the mainland US, namely Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington DC, and operates services to 140 international destinations.