Air travel between Canada and Africa has taken another step forward with news that the Canadian government has reached an expanded air transport agreement with Senegal.
In a news release, Ottawa said Canada recently expanded the Canada-Senegal Air Transport Agreement, which includes the right for airlines of either country to operate direct flights to any destination in the other country's territory. It also sets a capacity allowance of 14 weekly passenger flights and 10 weekly all-cargo flights for the airlines of each country, and allows more flexibility for all-cargo services.
The government said airlines can begin offering services under this new agreement immediately.
A similar agreement between Canada and Ghana was announced last friday. It's also worth noting that Air Canada last fall put up a chart at an investors' meeting that showed potential direct flights between Canada and several West African countries, including Ghana. It also showed potential routes to Nigeria, Istanbul, Riyadh, Cartagena, The Azores, and Bengaluru in southern India.
"By allowing direct flights between our two countries, this agreement will significantly strengthen our bilateral relations with Senegal," said Anita Anand, Canada's Minister of Transport and Internal Trade. "It paves the way to new opportunities in a growing market, which is great news for Canadian businesses and travellers."
