Air Algérie finds itself at the center of new tensions between Algeria and France. On Tuesday, February 18, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau indicated that he is considering sanctions against the Algerian airline.
According to an internal memo from the French Police Headquarters, reported by JDD on Monday, February 17, Air Algérie has decided not to board Algerian nationals expelled from France if they do not have consular laissez-passers.
Will Air Algérie be sanctioned in France?
The Algerian airline insists on the presentation of this document even if the expelled person has a valid Algerian identity document. The French Ministry of the Interior was quick to react, putting pressure on Air Algérie’s station managers in France.
Bruno Retailleau’s department “asks French airport managers to increase their vigilance.” If the airline refuses to board someone due to the absence of a consular laissez-passer, a document certifying this refusal must be demanded from Air Algérie’s station manager.
To pressure these Air Algérie managers at French airports, French authorities are threatening to reveal their identities. If the station manager refuses to provide such documentation, “their identity must be systematically noted,” states the internal memo sent to the national police by the Interior Minister’s office.
Right after this information was released, the suggestion to ban Air Algérie flights in France or to remove its flight slots resurfaced, particularly among far-right circles.
Air Algérie: Bruno Retailleau brandishes the threat of sanctions
Laissez-passer consulaire exigé par Air Algérie lors de l'expulsion d'un clandestin algérien de France : "L'Algérie ne respecte pas le droit", @BrunoRetailleau qui annonce "voir dans quelles conditions (…) sanctionner cette compagnie"#BonjourLaMatinaleTF1 pic.twitter.com/dmrIuvfVG8
— TF1Info (@TF1Info) February 18, 2025
Speaking on TF1 on February 18 regarding Air Algérie’s decision, Bruno Retailleau stated that his services are considering sanctions against the Algerian airline.
“I have asked my services to look into the conditions under which we could sanction this company. We are looking at the full range of possible responses,” said the French Interior Minister.
For her part, MP Hélène Laporte from the National Rally (RN) group suggested in a tweet on Monday that to end the controversy, “the response should be to ban this airline (Air Algérie) from entering French territory.”
On January 10, the former French ambassador to Algeria (2008-2012, 2017-2020), Xavier Driencourt, also proposed banning Air Algérie flights to France as a response to the deportation of Algerian influencer Doualemn back to France.
“If the airline transports passengers who cannot disembark, let’s ban Air Algérie,” he told Le Figaro, emphasizing that Algeria would be the loser if it, in turn, banned the French company, Air France.
