Toulouse/Saint Louis rally. In the footsteps of Saint-Exupéry in the Moroccan Sahara
Tarfaya, Dakhla and Laayoune have been chosen as Moroccan stopover towns for the Toulouse/Saint-Louis du Senegal air rally, the 38th edition of which continues until September 30.
The planes took off on Saturday, September 17, from the Toulouse Lasbordes aerodrome, for the longest air rally in the world, with nearly 10,000 km of progression, stopping in the historic cities of this legendary line, in particular those located in the southern provinces of the Kingdom. Participants also make a stopover during their round trip to Tetouan, Casablanca, Tit Mellil, Fez, Essaouira, Agadir and Tan Tan.
Participants in the 2022 edition of the rallyorganized by the Air Aventures association, with the support of the Occitanie-Midi-Pyrénées region and the municipalities of Toulouse, Balma and Blagnac, represent seven nationalities, namely France, the United States, Germany, Norway, the United Kingdom, Belgium and Peru.
Cap Juby, an unmissable stop on the airmail route
According to the organizers, after two years of forced immobility, activity was able to resume in the form of the first Toulouse Tarfaya rally, in the footsteps of the little prince. 18 crews took the start of this event on May 26 to go to Tarfaya by the classic stopovers of the line.
On the way back, a visit to Tan Tan, Essaouira, Fez and Palma de Mallorca, to the great satisfaction of the participants. A team from the program Échappée belle had accompanied the crews on the outward journey, which helped to inform the general public of the history of the Latécoère lines and the airmail service.
Created in 1983, this rally pays tribute to the pioneers of the Compagnie Générale Aéropostale, who left Toulouse-Montaudran to deliver mail in the southern hemisphere, following the line drawn by the French aviator Pierre-Georges Latécoère in 1918. This line was taken by aviators who marked the history of aviation, such as the writer-pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Mermoz and Daurat.
>> To read also: Strong return of the Africa Eco Race rally in the Moroccan Sahara