Air Senegal said at the Dubai Airshow that it plans to buy nine Boeing (BA) 737 Max aircraft, a fleet move that would mark the carrier’s largest single order and its first purchase from Boeing (BA) in more than two decades.
Artist rendering of Air Senegal plane made by Boeing (Boeing) 
The commitment covers the 737-8 variant, which typically seats about 160 to 178 passengers and has a range suited for both regional operations and medium-haul international routes. Air Senegal said the jets will support plans to broaden service in Europe and open new connections from Dakar to the Middle East and the Americas.
Chief executive Tidiane Ndiaye said the decision fits into the airline’s long-term effort to renew and expand its fleet as it works to bolster Dakar’s role as a West African hub.
Boeing executives in a statement described Air Senegal as a new customer for the Max family and said the aircraft’s range and operating economics align with the carrier’s network ambitions. The company also cited its commercial market forecast, which projects that African airlines will need more than 1,200 new aircraft over the next 20 years, most of them single-aisle models.
The order is subject to finalization.