arrival of the 38th Toulouse-Saint-Louis air rally after two years without an edition
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In Senegal, the arrival of the Toulouse – Saint Louis air rally, in the north of the country, took place on Thursday evening 22 September. It was the 38th edition of this epic, after a two-year forced break due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Twenty-six crews landed at the brand new Saint-Louis airport in Senegal after a journey through France, Spain, Morocco and Mauritania. An event to perpetuate the spirit of the pioneers of Aéropostale, such as Jean Mermoz or Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, in the 1920s.
With our correspondent in Dakar, Charlotte Idrac
The last stage, from Dakhla to Saint-Louis, via Nouadhibou in Mauritania, under the storms, will not have been easy. As in the past, the biggest challenge for the rally crews remains the weather.
Jean-Claude Nivet, passionate about history Aeropostale pilotsjust landed: They, of course, left in all weathers since the mail had to leave and arrive on time. It could be very foggy, with zero visibility and sandstorms. They could fly through dirt, systematically, without visibility for hours. »
“The history of Aéropostale is a Saint-Louis story”
Sarah Chuche, 24, is an aeronautical engineer. This is his first Toulouse – Saint-Louis rally. A great adventure, she explains. ” Me, what surprises me is that this morning, we were in Dakhla, in the south of Morocco, entirely desert, we had nothing as far as the eye could see. And then there, we arrive, it’s all green and even, almost flooded. There is a lot of water, it’s amazing. »
Amar Diallo was born in Saint-Louis. He works for the communication of the new airport and has been following the rally for about ten years: “ Jean Mermoz landed here. Seeing these little cuckoo clocks land here is what makes us shiver. One of the pillars of local development here in Saint-Louis is first and foremost tourism. So we have to communicate, explain to Senegalese in general and even to West Africans, the importance of this civil aviation. The history of Aéropostale is a Saint-Louis story. »
See you next year for the 40th anniversary of the rally, created in 1983.
►Also listen: So far so close – Wings and mail: on the Aéropostale line in Africa [1/2]