Two special purpose vehicles (SPVs) controlled by Carlyle Aviation Partners have asked the Commercial Court of Dakar (Tribunal de Commerce de Dakar) to enforce a return of aircraft demand and order the immediate handover of four aircraft operated by Air Sénégal (HC, Dakar Blaise Diagne International).

The aircraft include two A319-100s, 6V-AMA (msn 2897) and 6V-AMB (msn 3078), and two A321-200s, 6V-AMC (msn 1881) and 6V-AMD (msn 1921). The four aircraft make up 45% of Air Senegal's nine-strong fleet. ch-aviation Commercial Aviation News, Operator & Airport Data reveals that Carlyle placed 6V-AMA at Air Senegal in November 2018; 6V-AMB in May 2019; 6V-AMC in November 2020; and 6V-AMD in February via several SPVs, including SASOF III Aviation Ireland DAC and Aergen Aircraft Twenty Limited. The aircraft are deployed on Air Sénégal's intra-African routes.

Carlyle Aviation Partners terminated the leases in August 2024 due to non-payment of leases and obtained a Senegalese court order(https://www.ch-aviation.com/news/143991-lessor-sues-to-seize-aircraft-from-air-sngal-over-debt) grounding the aircraft and ordering their return. ADS-B FlightRadar 24 data indicates two of the four aircraft remain in active service. However, 6V-AMS went out of service in September 2024, and 6V-AMB went out of service in late March for maintenance reasons.

At the time of the court order, Air Sénégal reportedly owed Carlyle around USD10 million. At around the same time, the Sengalese government intervened and negotiated a settlement with the lessor. Air Sénégal is a state-owned carrier.

"This settlement is a sign of our commitment to honouring our obligations and maintaining the trust of our financial partners," an Air Sénégal spokesperson said at the time. It is uncertain whether part or all of that settlement was paid, with Carlyle Aviation Partners telling the Dakar court recently that the airline owed it several billion Central African francs.

Dakar outlets report that a recent attempt to enforce the court order at Blaise Diagne International Airport was unsuccessful when an Air Sénégal official refused to grant the bailiffs access to the airport's restricted zone.

Earlier this year, ch-aviation reported that Carlyle Aviation Partners was demanding an immediate USD18 million payment for the aircraft and reportedly refusing to provide the necessary documents for the re-registration of the aircraft. This was despite Air Sénégal having paid over USD91 million for the aircraft since the first arrived in 2018. The documentation matter appears to have since been resolved.

However, Air Sénégal's management considered Carlyle's demands unrealistic and unfair. They said that two of the leased aircraft had been grounded for extended periods while the airline continues to pay high leasing fees. "They are asking for amounts that are much higher than the plane's current value," an Air Sénégal source said at the time.

A spokesperson for Carlyle Aviation Partners declined a request to comment while Air Senegal did not respond to enquiries.