Economy

Air Algerie to start soon negotiations with manufacturers on purchase of 15 airplanes

The Director General of the National Airline, Air Algerie Yacine Benslimane announced Monday in Algiers the imminent start of negotiations with aircraft manufacturers on the purchase of 15 new airplanes.

He was speaking at a hearing by the Transport and Telecommunications Committee and the Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Emigration Committee of the National People’s Assembly (NPA).

“Within the framework of the permission granted by the President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune, for the purchase of 15 new airplanes, Air Algérie will launch the negotiation stage with the manufacturers on January 23 or 24,” said Mr. Benslimane.

He added that “the results of the international tender launched for the acquisition of these new aircraft will be known and announced” at the end of these negotiations which take place after “an evaluation of the two offers selected at the end of the opening of the bids of the international tender”.

Of the 15 new airplanes to be acquired, “seven will be large-capacity airplanes and eight medium-capacity airplanes”, he said.

In addition to these 15 airplanes, the company also intends to acquire seven other airplanes (two large-capacity and five medium-capacity) through leasing, the official added, specifying that the international call for tenders for this operation was launched “at the end of the restrictions linked to the Covid-19 pandemic”.

Regarding new flights, Mr. Benslimane announced the upcoming launch of new lines to Addis Ababa, Johannesburg and Libreville, offering travelers the possibility of transiting through Algiers’ hub to reach another domestic or international destination.

Talking about Algiers hub, the official said that from next March 1, the airlines will intensify its services especially from Africa, to reach 2 to 3 flights per destination, allowing to attract new customers from African countries to transport them to different destinations.

From 2 February, the Algiers hub will allow transit passengers to join their onward flight without having to go through luggage check-in and boarding formalities again, he added.

Regarding the next summer season, the Director General stated that the booking and ticketing operation is “already underway” with more than 68,000 seats planned per week.

The next season will be marked by a significant increase in seats compared to summer 2019, according to figures given at the audience.

The same figures show a projected programme of 40,000 seats for the Umrah operation, particularly during the month of Ramadhan, including regular flights from Algiers, Oran, Constantine and Ouargla.

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