A U-take of announcements of the Cabinet regarding the reopening of borders and the “partial” resumption of flights from 1 st June, the total remains unclear to the national company Air Algeria.
Was it consulted before making this decision? Nothing is certain. A reopening will begin with five daily flights to and from the airports of Algiers, Constantine, and Oran. Is it five flights for each airport or five for the three cities? Guesses and comments are flourishing on social media. Other questions: are they special or regular (commercial) flights? Are foreign airlines affected?
The destinations were also not identified, nor the categories of travelers targeted. Priority will logically be given to destinations where there are still stranded Algerians who wish to be repatriated (France, Spain, Turkey, etc.). Are Algerians residing in Algeria affected by this reopening to do tourism in other skies? This is the central question for travel agencies, suffocated by 14 months of closure.
Observers also ask themselves the following question: on what criteria were we opted for 5 flights? This remains clearly insufficient to meet the strong demand expressed. The pandemic had directly affected the movement of people across borders, and resulted in a 75.96% decrease in the number of flights (all airlines combined), from 71,690 flights in 2019 to 17,237 in 2020, a difference of 54,453 flights.
In a press conference devoted to the annual report of the activities of the border police, 4.9 million travelers were reported in 2020, against 16.7 million in 2019, or -75%. Another consequence of these few flights, the price of tickets will be very expensive and will create unprecedented anarchy in international airports. The general management of the national company says it is “logistically ready for the relaunch of its planes internationally”. Aircraft maintenance “according to manufacturers ‘ standards and recommendations” was maintained despite the absence of traffic.
The company ready for the takeover when the time comes
When an airplane leaves the manufacturer, it comes out with a very precise maintenance manual, it is very standardized, there are very strict protocols and procedures. However, a parked plane is not left out. Inspections at specific intervals are prescribed according to aircraft manufacturers and models. The objective is for the aircraft to remain in flight condition.
Air Algeria’s fleet is made up of 56 modern aircraft, average age 11 years old, meeting international safety standards, operated for both passenger and cargo transport. The maintenance program generally includes minor or periodic maintenance visits. These are minor maintenance checks on the airworthiness instruments and the operation of the “engine/propeller” pair. Regarding major maintenance inspections or major inspections, they require greater resources, because the mechanic controls in detail the airframe of the aircraft and its engine.
This partial opening of the sky can be interpreted as a lifeline for the national company in a very unfavorable context, marked by a persistent economic crisis and aggravated by the effects of Covid-19. And despite the crisis, it has incompressible costs, namely aircraft maintenance, seat rental, costs for suppliers and service providers, and salaries.
The scientific committee had already given its approval for the resumption of flights by Air Algeria. The expert committee made some recommendations to ensure safe travel. Among these measures, the presentation of a PCR test dated at least 36 hours before departure. Once in Algeria, passengers will undergo a second antigen test.
People found to be positive will have to undergo a period of quarantine at their own expense. More restrictive measures will be adopted for passengers coming from countries considered at risk, countries where variants circulate massively.
These should automatically be placed in confinement in addition to the presentation of the PCR test. A period of confinement at the end of which they will once again undergo screening. A press release detailing the terms of this reopening will be released “in a week”.
