The Minister of Transport responds to criticism of the delay

Air Algerie flights have witnessed major delays in recent days. Many flights take off several hours late, exposing the national airline to lawsuits from passengers. For example, the Marseille-Algiers flight took off on Thursday 3 hours and 30 minutes late, according to Flightradar24.

A week ago, flight 1004 Algiers – Orly took off more than six hours late, without any explanation from Air Algerie, which notes a strange attitude towards its customers. Flight AH 1092 Marseille – Tlemcen took off on Thursday, more than 2 hours and 30 minutes late. On at least two occasions, Algerian pilgrims were left stranded in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, due to the unavailability of a plane to take them home.

The national airline, without informing its customers, also reduced its flights to some important destinations, such as France, or canceled certain routes, such as Algiers – Johannesburg, for unknown reasons.

To clarify, it is the Minister of Transport, Habib Zahana, who is communicating instead of Air Algerie. He said during a plenary session in the National Assembly dedicated to oral questions from senators: “ Malfunctions are behind most of the recorded delays », according to a report by the official Algerian News Agency.

The Minister affirmed that ” Work is underway in the area to meet international standards, including reducing delays “.

Air Algerie: The Minister explains the delay

The delays recorded by Air Algerie flights and the difficulties in finding seats on the national airline's flights, especially to France, raise concerns about the approaching summer season and the increasing demand for air tickets.

In response, the Minister spoke about: Enhancing lines and transportation capabilities and updating timetables ” In the coming months. He mentioned the Air Algerie acquisition program for 15 aircraft, which are scheduled to be delivered starting in 2025. He pointed out the possibility of leasing aircraft to meet the demand.

The Minister of Transport also justified the recent changes at the head of Air Algerie and Algiers Airport. According to him, these changes “ Aim to hire managers who are proficient in this field “.

On February 7, Hamza Ben Hamouda was appointed Director General of Air Algerie, succeeding Yassine Ben Slimane, and on February 19, Colonel Mokhtar Saeed Mediouni was appointed President of the Services and Infrastructure Management Company (SGSIA), which manages Algiers Airport.

While Hamza Ben Hamouda was director of the Algerian Civil Aviation Agency from November 2022 to February 2024, Colonel Medioni had never managed a company in the aviation sector.

On the same topic:

A new change at the head of Air Algerie